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Each player has a similar board for resources and tracking their various upgrades

Mon, 10/03/2016 - 01:36 — Rick L
Each player has a similar board for resources and tracking their various upgrades

Comments

Very HARD to READ!

questccg - 10/03/2016 - 22:41

Personally I'm not a fan of the way this composition was made... But the part that bothers me the most is that it is really HARD to read the writing. It looks to be a Times Roman font for an old typewriter and it's difficult to read.

You have also used spinners for the bonus gauges - which won't work... I think I read this was "early" art somewhere (in a Blog or Thread). If so good... FIRST thing you should do is FIX the FONT!

Also using less "colors" for panels might improve the overall feel of this "mat".

There is an issue with the

Rick L - 10/08/2016 - 09:48

There is an issue with the legibility, I agree. I was going with this particular font because my boards are meant to be Victorian era (mid to late 1800's) control panels. The font replicates machine type with double-strike and such "intentional" errors, then I reverse-embossed it to make it look engraved into the metal.

I left it as is so I could focus on the rest of the game material, but now I'm at the point where I can revisit the layout of the main boards. I think the font is ok on the brighter brass-color background, but the four darker panels are the real problem. I'm going to work on those, maybe even eliminate the text & use engraved icons - I'm certainly open to suggestions!

The needles on the vertical gauges are an issue too, as mentioned. I used magnetic tape strips underneath the pointer needles for the prototype, which worked well for keeping the pointers in place, but that's not a good solution for an eventual production model.

Games like Planet Steam use little window-like pieces that frame a number on a linear meter. I'm considering that, and am open to suggestions!

What I meant...

questccg - 10/11/2016 - 23:42

Is that you should have a "Graphic Designer" REDO the entire apparatus. To me, and sorry if I'm being too honest, it looks like a "composition" of stuck on pieces - it doesn't look like a boiler at all.

And the embossed font doesn't help any either... Because it makes it hard to read on any of the surfaces.

Present this "composition" to a "Graphic Designer" and tell him you want the boiler to look more "unified" and present clearer components without the strange typewriter font. I'm sure you'll find someone who can make the end-result much nicer and with a less "composition"-like feel to it.

Because I don't really like the overall image. Again not to offend you in any way - I'm just saying you could present this to a Graphic Designer and he/she will be able to transform it into something more "cohesive"...

Just my opinion...

It is exactly what you said

Rick L - 10/12/2016 - 20:24

It is exactly what you said questccg - a composition of stuck on pieces - I needed to create a prototype to get the ideas across enough so that we could play test and find out if the rest of the game idea was good. Eventually, if it gets to the point of Kickstarter or publishing, I'll definitely hire someone for artwork, but why spend money on that while still in the play testing phase?

Thanks for the input tho - I've been playing around with some changes this week to make it a bit easier on the eyes for the Tabletopia version (which is also just for demonstration/play-testing for now). The game itself isn't sold there, it's just open to anyone who has Tabletopia to play.

Central piece - deserves showcasing

questccg - 10/12/2016 - 20:26

Mokheshur wrote:
...Eventually, if it gets to the point of Kickstarter or publishing, I'll definitely hire someone for artwork, but why spend money on that while still in the play testing phase?

Personally, and it's probably just me, I LIKE to find an artist and have him render ONE (1) piece of artwork that is "central" to my game. In the case of "Tradewars - Homeworld", it was the Box Cover... I conveyed to the artist the ideas I had concerning the Cover and he filled the remainder with his own creativity.

If your "boiler" is such a CENTRAL piece to your game... Why not invest a little bit in having it look as professional as possible BEFORE a Kickstarter. Something like your "piece de resistance" where backers could be like: "Wow cool, that boiler image really looks steampunk-like!"

Make a deal with a Graphics Designer for the "boiler" image. And use your current composition as a SOURCE of "inspiration" for the real thing!

Something that will get people talking about the game!

I definitely would want some

Rick L - 10/12/2016 - 20:53

I definitely would want some real artwork before starting a Kickstarter campaign, but that's a very good idea about having a central piece like these player boards professionally done. The stuff I did myself has been good enough for family & friend groups to help me work out the bugs in game play, but I want to get a few new prototypes printed up so I can enter it into contests, and that would definitely be worth getting a good pro image for these boards. I'm sure it would help with Tabletopia too

Puts ideas into reality

questccg - 10/12/2016 - 21:18

We often talk about how "ideas" are not very "worthwhile", it's the EFFORT you put in to transform those ideas into a tangible result.

Having a professionally fully rendered "Boiler" might help crystallize your vision of the game.

And if the game gets shelved, well at least you have something to show! And that may, at a later time, give you fresh ideas and new energy.

To me, I know I've seen my Box Cover everywhere. But still I remember how amazed it looked when the first version came out (and BTW there was only 1 version of the Box cover). It was so AMAZING that my stupid game Logo sucked SO BAD! :P I had to go back to the drawing board and design a more fitting Logo...

You'd be amazed what can be designed after someone comes out with a NEW version of some part of your game.

Cheers and best of luck with your game!

Thanks again! Any

Rick L - 10/13/2016 - 09:11

Thanks again! Any recommendations for artwork? Who did your box cover, and what price range can I expect, more or less?

My artist is unavailable

questccg - 10/13/2016 - 10:49

Due to other commitments, my artist is unavailable. He teaches three (3) days a week. The rate I pay for artwork is $100.00 per piece. The Box Cover went for about $200.00 since it was a larger image.

But you may get an artist that can do it for less (like $100.00) The easiest thing to do is "negotiate" a rate based on VOLUME. So if you have 50 illustrations that need to do... Maybe you can get them done for $90. Something like that.

The more you have, the cheaper it should be per piece since in essence you are giving the artist more money (in total).

So if you can get the Box Cover done for $100.00, maybe you can get the other illustrations for $90 (depending on volume).

Just a heads up...

Thanks again, going to start

Rick L - 10/13/2016 - 15:31

Thanks again, going to start researching and contacting artists soon

Do US all a favor

questccg - 10/13/2016 - 23:16

If you do get the "Boiler" professionally rendered, please UPLOAD it to BGDF!

It's awesome seeing the progress of game from one version to another. It's also cool to see the different artwork produced by people all around the country. You can try to find artists at your local College/University or on-line and in another part of the world...

Whatever your preference, please let us know about your progression!

I definitely will want to

Rick L - 10/14/2016 - 16:18

I definitely will want to show the progress of the artwork, even tho that might be a little while coming. Hopefully I can find a good artist soon!

Also, what was it that you didn't see working with the pointer needles in your original post? Was it the tendency for them to get bumped or moved around, or something else? They've been pretty useful so far in our games.

Nothing like that

questccg - 10/14/2016 - 20:03

I'm just thinking that you won't be able to prototype such a "complex" component with a service like "The Game Crafter".

You'll rely solely on homemade prototypes for that specific component.

Sure I understand if you deal with offshore (China) they can make whatever you like, all you need to do is meet the Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) and they'll do anything you could possibly dream of.

It may be more costly, so your game will need to cost more (retail)...

But you'll have a lot of challenges if you cannot find a way to prototype that component without the use of several dials.

It's very impracticable and will make it "difficult" to get reviewers to take a look at your game - unless you need to produce this custom component manually and you are okay with that... You may find yourself spending a lot of time making this component work for people who want to review your upcoming game.

That's what concerns me...

I have considered that issue

Rick L - 10/15/2016 - 10:37

I have considered that issue - have you seen or played Elder Sign (Fantasy Flight games)? They have a clock that uses a cardboard cutout for the pointer, which you fasten to the clock dial with a plastic rivet when you first open the box and get out all the components. I'm sure there are other games like that, but I was imagining something like that, although it could be more difficult to do on a game board. Maybe the dials could be on a single cutout piece with the pointers attached, then set on the player boards. Game Crafter does have that type of dial product available.

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image | by Dr. Radut