Apocolypse.io

What is your idea? 

It is a top-down, cooperative card-collecting game where players try to survive a zombie apocalypse while managing their resources, open card packs, and enjoy this fast-paced card game.

For this prototype, I want to create a cooperative survival game where you and one other player open card packs to gain resources, and use the resources you have collected to gain more money and buy more card packs. The resource cards inside of these packs can be combined in many ways to form new items to help you survive the apocalypse. For example, you can combine one stick and two stones to make a hatchet. This card can be used to chop down a tree or fight off an enemy. 

Game Loop

Open card packs -> combine cards together -> use new card -> sell unused cards -> gain coins -> trade with other player-> use coins to open more card packs

What question do you want to answer?

How do players manage materials between each other?

Describe the prototype you will build to answer the above question

I wanted to build a paper prototype for this. Players will have various "card packs" that they can open and use. There will be a sheet describing the rules and showing how different resources can be combined. I will have the game set up in a times fashion so that the players get 2 minutes to decide what to do with their resources, and then an event happens (like a wolf attacking your base). This goes on for a few rounds. Then the game will stop and I will see how the players feel about trading their resources.

What do you (yourself) plan on accomplishing this first week?

In the first week, I will make the cards for the game and determine what they can combine into. Once I have done that, I want to come up with an idea of a few "events" that can happen after each 2-minute round goes by. 

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End of Week 1

What did you accomplish last week? 

This past week I designed cards for the game. I made 16 cards and my partner Payton made the other 16.

What do you plan on accomplishing this second week?

I plan to playtest and try to balance the game. This will entail seeing if the frequency of cards seems fair and if the combining of cards works as intended.  I also plan to make an official rule book and I will write done how to play the game so that anyone can pick it up and play.

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Final

It is a top-down, competitive card-collecting game where players try to survive a zombie apocalypse while managing their resources, open card packs, and enjoy this fast-paced card game.
In this game, players open card packs to collect resources for survival. The players can trade cards between them in order to improve their resources, but the players are competing to survive the longest. Each players card pack holds different amounts of resources, so the players will not have the same capabilities. This is to guide the player into strategic trades.
Obtain-> combine cards together -> use new card -> trade with other player->Obtain more packs
Gameplay Manual
Objective: Survive through round 5 by trading with your opponent, fighting monsters, and not starving.
Rules:

1. You can not exceed your maximum allotted actions.
2. “Guys” cannot be traded
3. You cannot lie about a trade (no card tricks allowed)
4. You cannot hide your cards
5. Each guy can only attack one enemy at a time, multiple guys can attack the same enemy.
6.  Each enemy can only attack one guy at a time, multiple enemies can attack the same guy.

Setup:

1. Make individual stacks of every card type.
2. Create two stack (these are the deck for each player)
3. Player 1 Stack:

1. 16 Wood
2. 4 Stone
3. 3 Berry Bushes
4. 2 Apples
5. 3 Soils

1. 3 Seeds

1. Player 2 Stack

1. 16 Stone
2. 4 Wood
3. 3 Berry Bushes
4. 2 Apples
5. 3 Soils

1. 3 Seeds

1. Place one extra Berry Bush for each player in hand at the start of the first round
2. Each player starts with one Normal Guy 
3. Pick out some type of game piece that can keep track of how many times a berry bush was used. (we use bamboo pieces from the game Takenoko, but as seen in the video you can just use scrap paper as well in a pinch)

Mechanic:

1. A “card pack” consists of five cards
2. The first card pack must include 1 berry bush
3. You do not use an action or equip a spear or armor
4. Things that use 1 action to perform
   1. Crafting a card
   2. Harvesting plants
5. If a guy harvests a berry bush, he gets a berry
6. The player can harvest a berry bush twice
7. Gain gold by killing an enemy (the amount of gold is specified on the enemy’s card)
8. Fight by choosing which guys you want to attack.
9. If your guy has attack equal to or greater than the enemy’s health, kill the enemy
10. If your guy has an attack that is less than the enemy’s health, the enemy takes that amount of damage. Then, the enemy will attack your guy and take off health equal to the enemy’s attack.
11. Repeat the fighting until all the enemy you attacked is dead or you do not have any more attacking guys
12. If you gain a guy, gain two actions that round

Gameplay:

1. Each player opens up a card pack (draw 5 cards)
2. Players have the option to use their gold to buy a card pack (3 gold)
3. Action Round
   1. For each guy you control, you get 2 actions
   2. One action can be used by interacting cards,
   3. Crafting a card
   4. Harvesting plants
4. Trading Round
   1. Players have the chance to trade cards with each other
   2. Players are not forced to trade, but it is highly encouraged
5. Event Phase
   1. Players will have to fight against incoming enemies
6. Meal Timer
   1. Players will use their food items to sustain their guys (1 food per guy)
   2. If you can’t feed a guy, he leaves you.
7. End state
   1. If one player loses all their guys, they lose and the other player wins
   2. If both players have no guys, no one wins
   3. After 5 rounds, whoever still has guys left, wins
   4. If both players survive the most coins wins

Events

1. Round 1: 1 zombie attacks
2. Round 2: 2 zombie attack
3. Round 3: 1 wolf attack
4. Round 4: 2 wolves attack
5. Round 5: 1 armored zombie and 2 zombies attack

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Reflection

• Is it representative of the core loop you wanted?
  • I would say that our game is representative of the core game loop. We definitely forced the players into doing the game loop. But they seemed to enjoy some of the core mechanics. Some mechanics, like the trading part needed to be changed to allow for more opportunities for players to craft. 
• Did it give you an answer to the question you posed, and if so, what is the answer?
  • Yes, I think we answered whether or not players can manage materials with each other was answered. Players did not see a benefit in trading between the two of them. They could see a benefit if there were more people and you could corner other players and try to get all materials from one person. I think that if we gave a greater benefit to trading, then players would do it. Additionally, players mentioned "trading" with a bank in cases where they can not trade with other players, but the bank will be a costly option. I think this was a good idea and allowed players to stay in the game when pushed up against a wall. 
• How would you change it, if at all?
  • I would change trading to be able to happen in any part of the action round. I think this would have made the game more enjoyable for the players.  
• Where would you take the idea next?
  • Personally, I don't see myself pursuing this game further, but if I were, I would expand the crafting, make more events, and add options for playing with up to 4 players.