June 2021 Update

I wanted to get in a bit earlier on this update, rather than racing to finish a post right at the end of the month.

June has been very fun so far. My main focus has continued to be on my work at Gamucatex. I took on the responsibility of essentially designing the entirety of the City/Settlement Manager. Trying to come up with a compelling game mode that is original, but familiar, that is new, but takes into account what we've developed so far, was a fascinating challenge.

The initial concept doc is now going through the feedback stage, and it's been great practice trying to answer questions and clarify confusions when they've arised. It's still early days with the overall concept, but I'm hoping that it will continue to progress at a decent rate.

Second focus has been on the One Game A Month challenge that started properly at the beginning of the month. It was a struggle to think up a sort-of original concept for the theme that was provided (Time Is Key). And frankly, it wasn't even my idea that we ended up using. Another team member came up with the overall concept, and it was then on me to formalise that concept into a rigid design that we could build levels and puzzles out of.

I think the idea is solid and I want to get to a stage where we can see the designs and ideas in action. With 10 days left we're cutting it close with actual play testing and iterations. But this is still a million times better than anything I could have done myself as a solo designer.

Lastly, my desire to do "other" creative stuff has finally taken off in the form of a podcast I'm doing with a friend. I know, podcast with two guys talking about stuff, super original. But I'm not doing this for anyone else. This is purely for me to have an outlet, to have an excuse to see my friend regularly, and to put something out into the world that doesn't give me an existential crisis whenever I think about it.