1. Us vs. It

2. Tanks vs. Robot ● Cooperative “Boss Fight” ● Tank players must destroy the Robot before it reaches the city limits. ● Robot is controlled by “AI” rules.

3. The Robot ● Has 10 Hit Points ● Actions: ● Compute: Place target disc on board ● Move: 1 space towards target ● Laser Eye: Shoots straight forward ● Crush: Attack all 8 adjacent spaces ● Self Destruct: Inflicts blast damage when destroyed.

4. The Tanks ● Have 4 hit points ● Each Turn: ● Shoot, Move, Move, Shoot ● Move: 1 space (not diagonal) ● Shoot: Horizontally or vertically for 1 damage.

5. Demo Game

6. Battle! ● Set up the game board. ● Tanks go first: ● When tank finishes, robot moves: ● Execute steps in order ● Robot stops after step 10 ● Alternate Robot and Tanks until one side wins. Play until 3:00

7. Tank Rules Reminder ● Have 4 hit points ● Three actions per turn ● Move, Move, Shoot, or ● Move, Shoot, Shoot ● Move: 1 space (not diagonal) ● Shoot: Horizontally or vertically for 1 damage.

8. Comments?

9. Your Mission: ● Program the robot to maximize drama. ● What does that mean?

10. Your Mission: ● Program the robot to maximize drama. ● What does that mean? ● Inevitability ● Uncertainty ● Dramatic Arc

11. Programming the Robot You can specify: ● Laser Damage ● Fist Damage ● Target priorities ● Sequence of Actions ● Move Push/Block/Push Damage

12. Iterate Towards Drama ● Fail faster! ● Try to get in many iterations ● Play complete games ● Archive your iterations Work until 4:00

13. Add a new feature ● Attack ● Weapon ● Rule ● Don’t ruin the drama. ● Don’t change the tanks! ● Fail Fast! Have an alpha version by 3:30

14. Beta Test at 4:45 ● Write your beta version down on the submission sheet. ● Make sure your robot has a name!

15. Drama in Us vs. It ● Uncertainty  Behavioral Complexity ● Inevitability: ● March towards Goal ● Decreasing Hitpoints

16. Aesthetics of “Us vs. It”

17. ● Fantasy: Tanks fighting robots ● Challenge: Tactics, Problem Solving ● Fellowship: Co-op PvE ● Narrative: Drama

18. Mechanics of “Us vs. It” ● Turn-based on a Grid ● Hit Points ● “Action Points” ● Area of Effect ● Stun

19. Dynamics of Us vs. It ● Uncertainty ● Inevitability ● AI “Give and Take.”

20. Discussion What other mechanics can create uncertainty?

21. Discussion What other mechanics can create uncertainty? ● Randomness ● Hidden Information ● Skill challenges ● Negative Feedback ● Escalation ● Etc…

22. Discussion What other mechanics can create inevitability?

23. Discussion What other mechanics can create inevitability? ● Time Limit ● Pace monster ● Non-renewable resource ● Non-reversible process

24. Discussion When does the climax occur?

25. Discussion What is the role of the Self Destruct mechanic?

26. The Message ● “Dramatic” does not mean “Scripted” ● Drama emerges from game dynamics ● Inevitability ● Uncertainty ● Building to a climax ● Embedded vs. Emergent Narrative

27. Robot battle! ● Let’s watch some robots fight each other!

28. We’re Done! ● Wrap-up at 5:30 in 236