Email sent to the project steering group, 25 July 2013, with accompanying high concept document for the Townlands game

Hi Alison

I've been working on the game aspect of the Bygones website. I was trying to come up with ideas for a World War 1 game that involves the Courthouse but I can't find any material to work with that could act as a basis for a game. Here's my alternate suggestion for a game that is based on the Bygones and Byways website and that could be done, I predict, within the time-scale and project budget. I think it would be interesting and appropriate and innovative. I see quizzes online but nothing like this eLearning one online.

Adrian

High Concept Document for the Bygones and Byways Computer Game (Draft 1)

This is an eLearning quiz game whose questions are based on information contained in the Bygones and Byways website, requiring players to search, read and understand the website content.

The object of the game is to successfully traverse the game board, townland by townland, in the least number of steps or turns. Successful answers advance by a neighbouring townland; unsuccessful answers reverse your progress by one step. The game ends on the turn when either the single player or multiplayer winner reaches the target townland first. To prevent any advantage from going first in multiplayer mode, all players in a round must complete their turn before a winner is declared. In the case of two or more players reaching the target in the same turn, the winner is the player who answered questions and made their moves in the shortest time.

The game will be played on one computer and website searches will be conducted on another computer or computers or within a new browser window on the same computer.

You choose a counter (or character) to represent you: a butterfly, a rabbit, a fox, a bird. Your choice of counter does not affect gameplay. The order of gameplay in multiplayer mode is randomised. Counters are colour-coded and colour codes are used to identify the total time spent in the game by each team in multiplayer mode or feedback to particular teams in during their game turns.

You can play as a single player or in multiplayer mode: two player, three player or four player versions. Playing the game in teams competing against each other is also possible. The game is played on a single computer screen. Having just one person to input the answers is ideal; it ensures the game's smooth running. In a classroom situation, the game coordinator could be the teacher or a pupil.

You can choose to play the game against the clock or with unlimited time. When playing against the clock, players must answer questions within a set time. Failure to answer within the time has the same effect as a wrong answer in reversing your progress by one step.

To answer a question, players choose a category that reflects categories within the Bygones and Byways website. The computer poses a question from that category. Categories will be: History, Environment, People, Places (I think that the Environment and Geography categories should be merged on the website). Questions are multiple choice and a timer displays how long has elapsed since the list of multiple-choice answers first appeared on the screen. If a question is answered successfully, the player is given a choice of townlands adjoining the townland containing the player's counter. A neighbouring townland having been chosen, the counter is moved to the new townland and the timer is stopped.

Game start and end conditions are randomised in this regard: new games start at new starting points and the end points associated with a starting point's journey are randomized in a limited way. Every starting point, in other words, has a few associated end points at an opposite point of the board, chosen so that the overall journey distance covers the board most comprehensively. Game start points and end points correspond to a townland and a significant feature within the townland. Possibly, the feature can vary within a townland when setting up the initial game conditions. The choice of feature merely adds colour to the game and does not affect gameplay.

To make the game harder and more fun, when you answer a question successfully, you can choose which neighbouring townland you wish to travel to from a list. That means that, to travel more efficiently to the target point, you have to know which townlands lie along your desired path. The potential for making frustrating mistakes and moving further away from the target adds to the fun aspect of this game. The alternate would be to let people choose a neighbouring townland by clicking on it.

Game walk-through

You choose initially whether the game will be single player or multiplayer.

If multiplayer, you choose whether 2, 3 or 4 players (or teams of players).

You choose whether to limit the length of a turn or not.

You choose, or each team chooses, a counter type to represent it.

You choose to start the game. The game generates randomised start and end townland points. A board representing townlands in the Markethill & District area appears. Counters appear at the starting townland. A flag or other emblem appears at the target townland at a diametrically opposed position across the townland board. Feedback information appears on screen depending on the townland you roll the cursor over.

You play the first turn. In multiplayer, the order of play is randomly determined at the start of the game.

The first team selects a category by either clicking on the pack of cards representing a category or by typing a number corresponding to the category. A multiple choice question appears from within the chosen category.

The player clicks on the answer they think is correct or types a number corresponding to an answer.

If correct, they are asked to select from a list of townlands neighbouring that occupied by their counter. They choose the townland to which their counter will move. Their counter moves and it is now the turn of the next team, if in multiplayer mode.

If incorrect (or out of time, in time-limited mode), the player's counter remains in place or moves back a place on subsequent turns if it has moved.

In multiplayer, each team takes its turn to select a category and answer a question.

At the end of a turn in which at least one player has reached the target townland, the game determines the game winner and displays this information. The player can choose whether to play again.

Examples of questions:

History—A word describing the period of the Middle Stone Age: 1. Medieval, 2. Neolithic, 3. Monastic, 4. Plantation, 5. Mesolithic.

Geography—An old word meaning a "herd of cattle": 1. Crannog, 2. Creaght, 3. Cashel, 4. Cairn, 5. Curragh

Places—A lake at the north end of the townland of Demone: 1. McCourt's, 2. Shark, 3. Corlust, 4. Moyrourkan, 5. Marlacoo

People—An old word for a person who gossips a lot: 1. a clash-bag, 2. a targe, 3. a stack of ribs, 4. a skelly, 5. a turrey.