Project Schedule:
11/3
11/8
11/15
11/17
11/27
12/3
12/5
Meeting Notes:
11/3: (In class)
– Decided what three games to make
– Discussed who would program each game
– Made roles for each team member through the project
11/8:
– Worked on the power point slides to outline the video
– Worked on flow charts and algorithms
– Created the teammate agreement and responsibility agreement
11/15:
– Continued to work on programs for the games
– Began to decide who would work on what part for the notebook
– Tested war and over/under seven ourselves when it was finished
11/17: (In class)
– Tested war and over/under in class while working on blackjack
11/27:
– Finalized the notebook roles
– Discussed who would be responsible for putting together the website
12/3:
– Shot the video and each member worked on his individual part of the notebook
– Decided to meet one last time before the notebook was due
12/5:
– Came together to make sure all of the components of the notebook were finished and made the advertisements
Intro:
A company was asked to design simple, fun games. There were many choices of games to choose from including different card games, board games, and dice games. Using MATLAB, the games were created, and then the company was asked to pitch the games to an audience for them to purchase. The three games that were chosen to design were Blackjack, War, and Over/Under 7. The games were created in a way that were simpler and easier to play than the real-life versions of the games. The purpose of this lab was to use MATLAB to creatively find ways to play and design games to pitch to others.
Experimental Methodology:
The experiment required the use of MATLAB to create up to six points worth of games to be played on MATLAB. Using different MATLAB commands and functions, blackjack, war, and over/under 7 were created. Each game required the use of several variables to get the games to output correct values and functions. All of the games required different figures to be displayed while playing the game, so in order to do that, images were loaded that are compatible with MATLAB. These games were then tested and able to be played by one user playing against the computer or two users playing against each other. These games were then pitched to an audience to buy and play.
Results
We tested three games, Blackjack, Over/Under seven, and War. Blackjack was tested using two players because we designed it as a two-person game. As the users played they enjoyed the two-player aspect and instead of playing the computer you get to play another person and the game ran with no error. The only problem found was that after player 1 goes they must remember close their deck window so player two does not see it. Overall the game received full marks and was well regarded. The next game Over/Under seven was played with one player and used the betting system. The game displayed all the rules for easy gameplay and it ran without any error. The user thought the inputs were easy to understand and like that they could see the actual dice roll and then saw if they won or lost and how much money their new total was. The last game which was war, ran very smoothly but was not the most user friendly. All the player did was hit run and then it was automated, which caused some issue because the user could not interact with the game. But the user did like how they could follow each point with their deck and the computers deck until the game ended and the winner was decided.
Conclusion
Overall each game received full marks and the user enjoyed playing them all. After testing and receiving feedback for each game we realized there were a few changes that could be improved for the future. For Blackjack, a betting system would allow the game to become more competitive and allow for both players to have the opportunity to win or lose some cash. We would do this by having each player enter a bet amount and then the winner receiving their own bet and the other players. For Under/Over seven, we would change the game so that more than one player could play instead of just you. Lastly, for War, the game would be changed for more user interface. Even though the game ran smoothly, it is more enjoyable if the user can interact with the game turn by turn. With these fixes for next time, our games will be improved from what they are now and will draw more of an audience.
References:
1) Dice.mat help: https://app.box.com/embed/s/7xix47joqogepsui40xg5pp3sv9uv3rn?view=list&sortColumn=name&sortDirection=ASC&showItemFeedActions=true&showParentPath=true
2) Card.mat help: https://app.box.com/embed/s/xakz2hqi7loqso3awf32vmzht0m8ivy5?view=list&sortColumn=name&sortDirection=ASC&showItemFeedActions=true&showParentPath=true