This Week’s Goals
Playtest
Work on a colorized board
Create classes for a deck and cards for the iPhone

Production Log
Playtested the new patient distribution system and plan based bidding
Created basic 3 deck stack for iPhone application
Cards based on data from XML file
Cards shuffle and are distributed based on price range
Colorized a version of the laser cut board.
Removed card deck placeholders on color board.

New Directions
The plans and patient distribution work, they just need to be balanced. I’m locking things down. No more major changes.

Production Evaluation

I've got a new board and it smells like Canada. I'm not sure why... something to do with sausage and syrup. Anyhow, the heavy etching is slow and painful. It doesn't go deep enough either. I think the best way to deal with this is going to be just laminating two boards on top of each other with one having cutouts.

This version uses little people for patients. This next week I'm hoping to 3D print buildings for game pieces.

This Week’s Goals
Create broader set of treatment claims for balancing
Work on board and materials
Playtest new distribution and bidding system

Production Log
Incorporated many more claims to create claim point value ranges from 1-8.
The variety in treatments allows for an easy, medium and hard deck.
Created a board that allows all remaining patients to be seen, changed the meter that watches how you’re progressing in the game to a heart rate monitor. It focuses on death instead of patient irritability, since the closer you get to the end of the scale, the closer you are to losing.

This Week’s Goals
Change patient distribution system.
Change bidding to allow for easier math.
Devise a way to stop hording of patients.
Laser cut a board with more visual representation of what’s going on in the game.

Production Log
Playtested like crazy.
Iterated on each playtest.
Allowed for holding of patients, set limits
Changed requirements for paying a claim
Sent artwork examples and concept ideas to illustrator

New Directions

This Week’s Goals
Playtest the new claims system
Work in feedback from playtests
Devise a system for using a dataset with the virtual deck
Get the virtual deck to shuffle and refresh when a card is flipped
Work with illustrator on cover art to establish a look and feel
Work on patient distribution ratios for 3 and 5 player game

Production Log
Got into contact with an illustrator, working on visual concept
Created/ordered a mock up game set on Game Crafter
Created a schematic and system layout for the game with pieces
Began searching the nerd board for play testers

I feel like I spend half of my free time printing and cutting paper. As I branch out to get more play tests in, I need a better system.

I was holding back on using the game crafter until I had real artwork. I've changed my mind. I created templates for all of the current cards and put together a set. I can now have them ship me copies of the game with all the pieces I need as well. It's $30 a copy but I think ultimately if I want to put the game into hands of different groups to do blind playtests, it's the best option.

This Week’s Goals
Review any submitted cover artwork, see what looks promising.
Work on virtual card deck for the iPhone
Rewrite rules based on tests
Work feedback for learning into the game

Production Log
Rewrote formal rule set based on play testing of the rules
Devised new layout for cards. All claim prices on front, actual price on back with hospital
Printed and cut new cards
Coded initial classes for cards and controllers for iPhone
Assigned point values to claims based on their average price
Made an secondary copy of the game for playtesting

New Directions

This Week’s Goals
Assign point values to claims based on their price
Assign hospital cost indicator
Removed specific hospital requirement
Make a formal rule set
Make an additional copy for playtesting
Start a contest for cover art

Production Log
Rewrote rules
Printed/cut another set of cards and money
Assigned values to hospitals
Came up with point values for each treatment, ranging from 1 to 5.

New Directions
I think I’m ready to start playing with the AR Toolkit and try incorporating a card set with AR markers.

Production Evaluation

This Week’s Goals
Different types of scales for government intervention/public outrage
Card for distribution in relation to ties, incorporate something like the card in Java
Playtest changes
Try coming up with different character types to start the game with to allow for special powers
Try card based events for losing with higher than medicare bids

Production Log
Wrote up a new rule set
Changed scale into a thermometer, using it to dictate medicare rates as well
Created cheat sheet for patient distribution
Created player cards and bonuses
Divided hospitals up for each player

This Week’s Goals
Work in tweaks from the last play test
Create scaling system for lobbying for higher premiums.
Create circular calculator template.
Change cards to have prices on one side, hospital and treatment on the other.
Incorporate a bargaining element for cooperative play.
Create different scales for government intervention/public outrage.

Production Log
Created a few iterations of a circular calculator (two spiral variations).
Printed/cut new cards for premiums and claims.
Modified rules for bargaining in claims payment round.