#3: Match 1 of 1000

delayedgames
Nov 12, 2021
2 min read

Welcome to Week 3! As we've been continuing playtesting of the board we wanted to further explain that process.

Project ATX is a party video game made in the style of a board game. This means that we can test the main mechanics of the game without needing to code it. For example, instead of having to make the board in Unreal, we can draw it out and play with only a white board and some random number generators. It's much easier for us to test our ideas this way, before we commit and spend the effort getting something like a dice roll coded and implemented in the game engine.

Post-game leaderboard

For example, we tested a mechanic in which the black hole at the center of the board would expand and remove multiple board spaces throughout the game . Only after playing through a complete game did we learn that this mechanic made the later turns in the game unbalanced. But instead of removing this mechanic, we're instead exploring an even more interesting way to flare up the game!

And who doesn't love items?! We sure do, but we didn't feel like our initial prices allowed everyone to get in on the fun. So we spent time this week restructuring the item system, dropping prices and improving all the interesting ways you'll be able to turn the tide in your favor.

Aftermath of a fun-filled game of Project ATX

As we start to head into the holiday season, we'll be really reaching for our year end goals. First that means finalizing the game design of this board. Next we'll be creating several the basic mechanics in Unreal to begin moving playtesting into a digital format. Specifically, we'll be pursuing this goal next week as we transition the board layout into Unreal.