[Official 2005 Game Design] Game Elements and Subtasks

[ahecht]

One things I'd like to see is a much simpler game, where there is only one way to score. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mean that there is only one way to win, just that the audience only needs to keep track of one thing, and the winner is obvious at a glance. In other words, one things needs to be done to win, but theree are multiple ways to do it.

A good example of this was the 2001 MIT 2.007 competition, where the "field" was a giant teeter-totter, and the winner was the robot whose side was lowest at the end of the match. There were a wide variety of strategies, from extending weights to mobile jacks, but it was clear who won.

I'm posting this as an element because I have no idea how to design a game like this. Perhaps a giant teeter-totter in the middle of the field that had to be loaded up with objects from around the field that robots had to acquire in different ways (a heavier object might be high up and hard to get, for example).



On a completely seperate note, I'd like to see more electronics componants available, not just those from Digikey. Parts like the CMUCam could be used to make awsome autonomous modes that do things like score balls or grab moving objects.