Game Analysis: Scribblenauts Unlimited

Scribblenauts Unlimited cover.jpg
(I couldn’t find any images that is about the game itself rather than with people holding them and playing them on creative commons so this is a picture from Wikipedia)

Summary

  • The game I chose to analyze call Scribblenauts Unlimited, It’s a puzzel solving game. I chose to analyze it because it’s an concepts I haven’t see much before

Game Play Analysis

Formal Elements
The Basics
Name of the gameScribblenauts unlimited
The platformWindows
Time played (should be at least 30 minutes)45 min
If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why?I won’t there is nothing to change
PlayersNOTES
How many players are supported?1
Does it need to be an exact number?yes
How does this affect play?It don’t
Some types of player frameworks:Single Player – like Solitare.Head-to-head – 1 vs. 1, Chess.PvE – Player vs. Environment, or multiple players vs. the game. Common in MMOs like World of Warcraft.One against Many – Single-player vs. multiple (obvy).Free-for-all – Every man for himself (1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1..). Most common for multiplayer games, from Monopoly to Modern Warfare.Individuals Against the System – Like Blackjack, where the Dealer is playing against multiple players, but those players have no effect on each other.Team Competition – Multiple vs. multiple, i.e. sports.Predator-prey – Players form a circle and everyone’s goal is to attack the player on their left and defend themselves from the player on their right.Five-pointed Star – Eliminate both players who are not on either side of you.
Objectives/GoalsNOTES
What are the players trying to do?solve puzzle using the Magical notebook.
Some common objectives include:Capture/Destroy – Eliminate all your opponents pieces (Chess).Territorial Acquisition – Control as much territory as you can, not necessarily harming other players (RISK).Collection – Collect a certain number of objects throughout the game (Pokemon).Solve – Solve a puzzle or crime (Clue).Chase/race/escape – Anything where you are running towards or away from something (playground game Tag).Spatial Alignment – Anything involving the positioning of elements (Tetris or Tic-Tac-Toe or that game at Cracker Barrel).Build – Advance your characters or build your resources to a certain point (The Sims).Negation of another goal – The game ends if you perform an act that is forbidden by the rules (Jenga or Twister).
Rules/Mechanicswhatever you write in the magical notebook, will become a key that will help you solve the puzzle
There are three categories of (what the book Rules of Play calls) operational rules:Setup – the things you do at the beginning of a game.Progression of Play – what happens during the game.Resolution – How an outcome is determined based on the game state.
ControlsNOTES
What controls are used?mouse and keypads
Was there a clear introductory tutorial?Yes
Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller?Easy
Resources & Resource ManagementNOTES
What kinds of resources do players control?Star.
How are they maintained during play?Gain when finish puzzle.
What is their role?Use to help the main character escape
A resource is everything under the control of a single player. Could be the money in Monopoly or health in WoW. Other examples are:Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames (guns, health packs, etc.)Time (game time, real-time, or both)Known information (like suspects in Clue)
Game StateNOTES
How much information in the game state is visible to the player?Total information
A snapshot of the game at a single point is the game state. The resources you have, the un-owned properties in Monopoly, your opponent’s Archery skill all count towards the game state. Some example information structures are:Total Information – Nothing is hidden, like Chess.Info per player – Your hand of cards is only visible to you.One player has privileged info – Like a Dungeon Master.The game hides info from all players – Like Clue, where no one knows the victory condition.Fog of War – In video games, where certain sections of the map are concealed if you do not have a unit in sight range of that area. You also cannot see other players’ screens, so each player is unaware of the other’s information.
SequencingNOTES
In what order do players take their actions?real time
How does play flow from one action to another?as fast as you make it
Some structures include:Turn-based – Standard board game technique.Turn-based with simultaneous play – where everyone takes their turn at the same time (like writing something down or putting a card down in War).Real-time – Actions happen as fast as players can make them. Action-based video games.Turn-based and time limits – You have this long to take your turn.
Player Interactionpuzzle solving
Some examples:Direct Conflict – I attack you.Negotiation – If you support me here, I’ll help you there.Trading – I’ll give you this for that.Information Sharing – If you go there, I’m warning you, a trap will go off.
Theme & NarrativeNOTES
Does it have an actual story structure?Yes
Is it based on a historical event (or similar)?No
Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play?Yes
Does it have emotional impacts?Kind of
Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)?No
The Elements in MotionNOTES
How do the different elements interact?Not the worst but definitely hard since you don’t know what the dev let you write in the notebook and what they don’t
What is the gameplay like?Chilling
Is it effective?Yes
Are there any points where the design choices break down?Yes, when trying to speedrun
Design CritiqueNOTES
Why did the designer make these particular choices?I don’t know
Why this set of resources?I don’t know
What if they made different decisions?I don’t know
Does the design break down at any point?No
Graphics & SoundNOTES
Does the game art pair well with the mechanics?Yes
Did you find any bugs or glitches?No
What about sound?fun for about 10 min then it give headache
Can you spot any technical shortcuts?No
Various Stages of the GameNOTES
To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play:try to think
What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?the object that I write isn’t there in the notebook, Write another word for it or use something that have the same conceptual
Is the game fair?yes
Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience?I don’t know if you can replay it or not. there are multiple path to finish the puzzle which in turn lead to victory.
What is the intended audience?7+
What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun?Give overkill thing (Ex. give kind of nuclear reactor instead of a battery), or underkill water-gun to put out fire instead of firetruck .

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