We were introduced to the MIB booklet and received an overview of the exercises and projects for these modules. Following that, we formed groups of 5-6 members and created a WhatsApp group to facilitate communication.

We were instructed to bring some board games, and Fardeen brought Jenga bricks for us to play. After playing, we discussed potential ideas for the Project 1 , Noratika and Fardeen contributing some suggestions: 

Idea #1 Inspired from UNO Card + Monopoly

A card game where players can steal opponents' cards and make transactions to win. The objective is to have fun while collecting as many color cards as possible. 

Idea #2 Inspired from Monopoly the Game

A board game where players can name their own countries. The gameplay follows the same rules as Monopoly, using dice to progress. The objective is still under development as the idea is in its early stages. 

During Week 2, we consulted Dr. Charles regarding our previous idea. After receiving his feedback, we reworked the concept and scheduled a meeting in the library to finalize a new idea (10.10).

This week, we developed improved ideas, coming up with four game concepts:

Ideas #1 Build Nations Inspired from SimCity

There were 3 types of cards : resources, infrastructure and events. Players would pick a card from resources, build infrastructure and use the event/action card to attack the opponent, get a bonus, etc.

Ideas #2 Battle of Army, Inspired from Monopoly Deals, PUBG, Tropico (For the Theme)

Draw cards and strategize it to build up your army and supplies. Your opponent could steal your supplies or trade your army color so plan it wisely!

Ideas #3 Project Bonanza

The first player starts by drawing a card from the first lane, which contains projects and their prices. Each player then dealt 8 random cards from a deck of 10 different types, which represent the elements needed to buy projects, along with 2 additional cards that serve as attackers. Players compete and the winner is determined by who accumulates the most money.

Ideas #4 My Neighbor’s Kitten is Rich, Inspired from Nasi Lemak : The Game & Exploding Kitten

Each player got a cat and we have to protect our cat from being poor. There were many action cards to increase and reduce value. The one with the highest value in their cat is the winner.

This week, we received approval for our finalized idea. Prior to our class on Wednesday, we arranged a meeting with Dr. Charles on Tuesday (15.10) in E9-A to present our concept. During the meeting, Dr. Charles provided feedback on areas we could improve to enhance our game. Overall, he was impressed with the ideas and particularly liked the "My Neighbor’s Kitten is Rich" game. However, he suggested changing "Kitten" to "Cat" to avoid similarities with the existing game "Exploding Kittens."

In class on Wednesday (16.10), we divided tasks to begin working on the proposal slides. We started creating the slides, planning the video task, and setting deadlines to ensure everyone completes their parts on time.

Our group did not attend class this week as it was optional. Instead, we focused on completing our proposal, began creating the presentation video, and worked on updating the portfolio blog. Since the playtest is scheduled for next week, we need to familiarize ourselves with the game we created to fully understand its rules and mechanics.

This week, our group began discussing the game prototypes. Before our discussion, Dr. Charles provided a brief explanation about self-scoring for this group project. The prototypes we reviewed included the game box, game rules, envelopes, and card designs. We also discussed the number of cards we plan to create for the game.

After the discussion, Noratika brought a mini printed prototype for us to try out and explained the game rules. However, due to the limited number of cards in the prototype, the playtest could only be conducted by two people this week.

This week, we did not have a physical class as Dr. Charles was attending a conference in Singapore. However, we received reminders to continue working on our playtest data.

Our group made progress, particularly on the envelope and card box designs. As Week 7 is also the deadline for Exercises 1 and 2, most group members focused on completing those exercises during this time.

During Independent Learning Week, we made some progress on our prototype. This week, we worked on the pamphlet and box design concepts, but they still need refinement to ensure consistency in the overall design.

Key areas for refinement:

• Finalize the color scheme: Since our theme is mystery, we need to stick to dark colors.

• Simplify the design: Avoid clutter by focusing on a single character cat.

• Work efficiently: Plan the playtest details carefully and stay on schedule.

Designing has been particularly challenging for our group since most of our members are not BDCM students 😅.

This week, we began working on the card designs. Tracy demonstrated some ideas for the cards, where we used different colors to differentiate between strategy, solutions, bonus, and worst cards. Additionally, our group planned to design the character cards in circular shapes.

During class, Noratika prepared some handwritten cards to conduct a playtest. Due to the limited number of cards, we were only able to test the game with two group members. Following the playtest, we identified several areas for improvement:

• Introduce a money card.

• Remove bonus and solutions cards.

• Add more strategy and solutions cards.

• Revise the winning conditions.

• Add numbers to each strategy and solutions card for clarity.

At the end of class, we agreed to conduct playtests outside the group with different participants. Noratika took the lead by conducting the first external playtest.

This week, we expanded the handwritten card prototype to include 40 strategy and solution cards, bringing the total to 80 cards. All group members conducted playtests, and we identified additional adjustments needed for the rules and cards based on gameplay feedback:

• Reduce the money values on strategy and solution cards to RM5–20.

• Increase the monetary value of the cat character cards.

• Address the difficulty of drawing matching strategy and solution numbers by introducing a new protect card (similar to a bonus card).

• Standardize money card values to RM5, RM10, RM15, and RM20 only.

During this week’s playtest, Brian took our prototype to conduct an external playtest with participants outside the group. All playtest data has been documented and is available on the Project 2 page.

In week 11, playtesting continued with Fardeen, following Brian's sessions with his friends. The collected data was recorded via Google Forms after each playtest. This week also marked Dr. Charles' optional attendance, as our focus was on the crucial playtesting phase for Project 2. Playtesting is essential for understanding how to refine the game to better suit players and make it market-ready. 

Additionally, Tracy worked diligently on finalizing the card game design, aiming to complete it before week 12 so that we can print the cards for further playtesting with updated designs. We also made significant progress in updating the Project 2 page to reflect the most recent playtest data and improvements.

Due on public holiday, we did not have a class to attend on this week. But our playtest keep moving as usual. This week, Playtest are conducted by Tracy and Noratika. Our group printed out the real prototype design and playtested it to collect more data. After the playtest, we gathered on some feedback to refine out the gameplay.

Key Information :

• Hard to collect the same number of strategy and solutions card.

• Unfair aspects to draw more cards on the pile.

This week is our last physical class since next week we had a public holiday on new year. We finalize all of the playtest data and start to illustrate some of the card design.

On the group chat photo on the left, we did a last revision and finalize the amount of card and built up a final gameplay rules.

We did not have a class since it's on public holiday during new year. Our team continue working on our own and started to divide the task for the final pitch video presentation.

All Blog and Physical Card should be finished quickly during this week. The progress of all card design and playtest data could be viewed on Project 2 Page!