Project 2 Final - Andrey Chernykh

How to Play:

Player can reconfigure the blocks however he/she wants within a given field in order to build a stable structure. An ideal audience for this game would be people who enjoy creating interesting structures.

This game is not only restricted to the idea of playing using dice, players can also come up with their own competitive games using Funky Builder blocks (i.e who builds the tallest structure before the time runs out, creating their own individual structures and the one that survives wins). The possibilities are vast!




Why is it fun?



















Funky Builder blocks have a unique non-orthogonal shape which makes them just as modular as the conventional building blocks. However, the unusual shape of the blocks make it a lot difficult to form a stable structure than with conventional building blocks, which increases a challenge and engages a player even more. The game could be very competitive because another player can deliberately "screw over" another player by setting up a delicate structure for a possible collapse, and it is going to take great skill and thought from the other player to make a move without collapsing a structure. Thus, competition increases the friendly interaction between two players making the game more enjoyable. Also player's use of thinking and creativity will make the toy one of the most fun leisure activities ever.


Funky Builder was designed with an idea that allows a player to create a futuristic, deconstructivist building reminiscent of buildings by Frank Ghery and other deconstructivist architects. The endless possibilities that the blocks provide will engage the players in competition with each other for a long time. There is a heavy usage of affordances in this toy in a way of curved sides of the blocks which make it obvious for the player to join them together. That allows a player to create a cohesive whole. The dice is using a clear iconic representation of the shapes of the blocks which makes it easier to read.


Improvements:





There have been a few improvements introduced since the user testing of the prototype.
The replacement of one of the shapes with another shape with more affordances, increased a possibility of creating a stable building.
Also an introduction of a special field with borders where the building takes place, elliminates a possibility of cheating (i.e creating a low building by placing the blocks side by side) and also adds an interesting twist to the game with additional built in forms on the field. The form's surfaces is curved and allows the player to place his/her blocks on them, creating more possibilities for the structure.