Development Diary

[Jubal]

I'm definitely finding that the move online has led to me being more rather than less busy - sudden shifts to online teaching are tough (though perhaps I'm getting more brunt of it as I have to rewrite my whole syllabus myself to compensate). It's a rough time.

[indiekid]

The move online is complete https://masterofolympus.wordpress.com/2020/05/23/diary-36-the-promised-land/

[indiekid]

What happens when we enter competitions, and whether we even should https://masterofolympus.wordpress.com/2020/06/07/diary-37-pressure-point/

[Jubal]

I think it's very tricky to pitch things well in a video format that aren't already very graphically pinned down: and yes, it seems in this case that you had stuff that was well prepared for the "let's look at interesting mechanics" pitch whilst that wasn't what the judges were looking for which is a pity.

I felt things could have done with repetition now and again too from watching the video - like laying out the turn structure (with visual bullet points as well as verbal words), then going through the actions within it, then recapping might have provided a bit more mental framework to keep the viewer engaged, I found that I was having to try and stitch each rule slowly into the framework as I went along rather than being shown what the framework was, if that makes sense.

Maybe we should run a design innovation challenge here? That would be something I'd have some interest in, though I guess the struggle might be that I'm not sufficiently immersed in boardgame design and culture to have a really good idea of what is and isn't innovative in style etc. I think there's a definite thing of boardgamer circles/culture being a thing, and I always worry about commenting on stuff as a boardgame-interested person, because I don't really regularly go to conventions or play new games when they come out or whatever.

[indiekid]

Thanks for the feedback Jubal. Some more visual prompts and text is a very good idea, and easy to do on PowerPoint. Thanks.

Do I detect a hint of a leading question in your idea for a competition? If your intention was to get me thinking about its execution, you've succeeded. The immediate problem would be how to define a suitable format for an "innovative mechanic" to be presented. It would be hard to judge one entrant's complete game vs. another's sketch of mechanisms. Defining the format would not be difficult. My personal interest in board game design is from a "let's take a big complex thing and represent it mechanically" perspective. So we could take a well-known concept - "the whole of human history" in my diary #37 - and challenge people to create something which represents it appropriately. We could ask for a few photos of rough components in action. There could be a paragraph explaining the mechanic, how it addresses the design brief and what its potential is (eg. how it could be combined with other mechanics/components to deliver a full game).

[indiekid]

A deep dive into using Tabletop Simulator and component symmetry https://masterofolympus.wordpress.com/2020/06/29/diary-38-hows-my-island/

[indiekid]

Saying goodbye to Birmingham https://masterofolympus.wordpress.com/2020/09/02/diary-39-the-giraffe-the-pelly-and-me/

[indiekid]

... and goodbye, for now, to the UK https://masterofolympus.wordpress.com/2020/09/14/diary-40-debris/

[indiekid]

Taking my hobby back to basics https://masterofolympus.wordpress.com/2021/01/11/diary-41-simple-pleasures/

[indiekid]

Working on a sell sheet to pitch to publishers - feedback welcome! https://masterofolympus.wordpress.com/2021/05/26/diary-42-big-gold-letters/

[Jubal]

This is purely aesthetic but I think maybe you could get some of the bits of it better lined up? Like, the info is all there but it looks weird that e.g. the edge of the bottom left box with your details isn't aligned with the equivalent box at the top. Did you use publisher for this? It's good for that kind of thing.

[indiekid]

Thanks Jubal, I've probably been staring at it so long I no longer notice these things. I've been using Inkscape, which is free and can do most things publisher can. There is a ruler somewhere. Only problem is it seems to lack a spellchecker!

[indiekid]

Some more challenges as I try to get noticed by publishers https://masterofolympus.wordpress.com/2021/07/13/diary-43-branching-out/

[indiekid]

The UK Games Expo back in business https://masterofolympus.wordpress.com/2021/07/30/diary-44-playtest-zone-and-speed-dating/

[indiekid]

Visiting some old questions with some new people https://masterofolympus.wordpress.com/2021/09/14/diary-46-how-did-that-happen/