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Labyrinth-Style Maps

10/9/2016

 
Borrowing from the structure of Labyrinth by Ravensburger, we create a Treasure Hunt using our maps of lines (sliding), colors (jumping), and shapes (jumping). 
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​Each player needs to reach all the treasures assigned to them.
 The shape of the labyrinth is changed on each turn.
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Above is the opening configuration of the map. The treasures are situated on their respective colored shapes. The extra map piece will be used to reconfigure the map. Green and purple game tokens are to the lower left.
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Above are the treasures dealt to the purple and green players respectively. 
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Above is the opening board with the purple token on the purple opening position and the green token on the green opening position. Let purple move first.
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Above, Purple tries to get the trophy cup, which is three places above its starting position. But Purple has to change the map before it can move. Purple chooses to change the map so that it can still reach the trophy cup. Purple slides the extra map piece into the row above its starting position. Pushing to the left places a well-connected piece right above Purple so that it can slide and reach the trophy as illustrated below.
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​Green has the bow and arrow in its treasure cards, so first moves the extra piece into the fifth column from the left. Green then jumps from the green starting position to the green raindrop shape in order to capture that treasure--as illustrated below.
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Below, the captured treasures after round one have been turned down showing what treasures are left to obtain.
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Many Maps in One!! There 9.8 x 10^89 possible maps among this 8 by 6 board.

​There are 48! ways to place the 48 pieces on the 8 by 6 board and each piece can be rotated in 4 different positions. So 48! x 4^48 = 9.8 x 10^89, which is the number 98 with 88 zeros after it!!

Revisions to Star Travel

10/5/2016

 
These are our responses to three suggestions by the judges.
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There are two ways created to progress from a simple map to a complex map.
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Start with a simple map.
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​Overlay a transparency with more parts to make a more complex map.
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My students are into making simple maps that can transform into more complex ones.
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Another student also discovered making small clusters with few lines. This turns out to be a good method to make challenging maps.
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Another way to increase complexity: Add shapes to the maps.
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Below is a map that uses connecting lines, colors, and shapes. To play a simpler version of the map, just use the lines and colors. To play a more complicated game, also use the shapes. For example, from the red moon, you can travel to the other two tiles that are connected by lines. You can also jump to another red tile. But now, you can also jump to another moon-shaped tile. In this way, you increase the complexity of the map without making it more crowded.
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A student created the map below that layered a tile system over a generic city map.
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​I created mock-ups of hybrid cities, each of which combined landmarks from two real cities.
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A possible game name: Building the London map, I thought of Dr. Who. So, Dr. Where travels through a mysterious transit system.
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1,000 illustrated maps are accessible from the link below. These maps give a plethora of landmarks and art styles that could be used in the game. Here are a few examples.
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​Toronto
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​Paris
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​Rio de Janeiro
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​Rome
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​San Francisco
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​Dubai
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Catch-Up Feature: Use a Power Tile, which is multi-colored and allows you to jump to any tile that has a color included on the Power Tile. This could allow you to catch-up. For example, the Power Tile below is yellow, gray, and purple. Jump to the Power Tile from a yellow, gray, or purple tile. Jump from the Power Tile to a yellow, gray, or purple tile. This could help you catch-up. Note that you cannot jump to an orange tile and immediately win. Also, you cannot jump to a green, blue, or red time and get into a position to get one move from winning.
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Another use of the Power Tile could be to make 2 moves after landing on it. This could allow you to catch-up also.
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This is the sum of our responses to the judges suggestions.

Finally, my students are so into creating the game that, should I win, I will share my winnings with my school for the benefit of my students (e.g., a party and more games/puzzles for my classroom). The parents and the school community are also excited and would buy the game, spread the word, and help market it.
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Q-Drum

7/5/2016

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Self-Snuffing Candle

6/27/2016

 
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Concussions

3/6/2016

 
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​TRUE STORY. Jim Pearson, my business partner who is depicted in the above comic, used my innovation techniques and had an aha moment about using magnets to solve the problem. Initial tests with models showed that the helmets decelerated as they neared each other and altered directions slightly. The magnets turned head-on collisions into glancing blows. Two physicists verified the plausibility of this solution.

We approached the patent office but discovered that someone submitted the same idea just two weeks before we did. Oh well, the innovation techniques still work.

Space Junk

9/18/2015

 
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1st Strip in Chinese

9/9/2015

 
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1st Comic Strip

6/6/2015

 
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Captain Sideways 1st adventure!
  
Captain Sideways helps people solve difficult problems by thinking "sideways" (noticing obscure things by looking at them from unusual perspectives).


Below is his first adventure!

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    Overview

    Captain Sideways helps people solve problems by looking at them “sideways” (i.e., from unusual perspectives). Captain Sideways uses proven innovation and problem solving techniques. 

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