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Post by inrepose on Jan 11, 2012 18:54:22 GMT -5
Finally managed to get back into the desktop publishing tool to continue 1.1. updates tonight. However I then suffered a 3 hour web site outage at my "day job" which resulting in some distractions from 8pm.. Now wrapping up work at midnight.
I did manage to get the tank table re-designed and updated, which should then flow through easily to the other vehicles which follow the same setup but with different numbers. I am currently focusing on making it easier to make updates and changes to the vehicle builders which I had created in a separate design package. I had to change this way of working because it resulted in many hours of work if I needed to update a few tables across two different design packages. Why I did it this way in the first place I don't know!
It is at least great to be motoring on again tonight and I will post updates on this thread over the next few weeks as I work toward the print on demand release. Please keep the pressure on me - I am really focused on trying to make it right with all the feedback from players but it is hard work pulling everything together in a balanced way.
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Post by inrepose on Jan 11, 2012 19:20:24 GMT -5
By way of explanation for those interested in the process. It took many hundreds of hours in Excel and Adobe products to get Gruntz into the shape it is for the current release. The process of building the stats and points system started out quick and simple, but managing the stats in a way where I could quickly change a key points or skill factor became difficult. I think the master spreadsheet alone was edited for 300hours+ to get things working in a way where I could change the points for one statistic and see the results flow across the different unit builders.
..... Then I had to playtest.. Which was a combination of games with friends and on my own trying to get a feel for how the units interacted. It helped that I was also planning convention games where further feedback would come in from players which were brand new to it.
Finally armed with some stats and points I felt almost ready with, I then translated them into the rules via a set of tables I drew up in an art package. These were very static though, and a tweak to the points system or a stat would result in me jumping back to the spreadsheet to complete a version update, then back to the art package before getting it into the rules document itself.
In addition to this I was taking short breaks from the actual rules "mongering" to work on the maps and play charts in the rules which were a combination of textures and layout work. In many ways these maps also helped me work through how I might explain a rule and were handy to frame a concept that I needed to explain. I originally had an idea for many more diagrams but the workload got to much..
I often feel like I should be able to get these things done quickly but when I start working at full speed an evening might be lost to something as simple as 6 new tables and the subsequent issues of re-pagination across several pages of the rules. I then also start spotting small typos and clean ups but generally I do manage to stay on target and work to finish a particular key area.
There is also a certain amount of settling down in my brain. What I mean by this is that I have various heated conversations with players on certain aspects of the rules, then I get a few very positive comments from others with some new ideas. I then mull over them for sometime and try playtesting and writing notes. Finally I feel settled that something is right and can get to work on translating into the rules. This settling of thought can take Months on certain aspects of the rules...
After this 1.1 update I have a feeling the rules might break the 100 page mark and I am introducing new artwork, some maps and some new miniature photos which will make owning the printed copy worthwhile. All the artwork I use costs money which is what happens to all the funds from the current sales of the rules. Hopefully this will continue, where I re-invest into miniature designs, production and other items for the continued growth of the rules. This 1.1 release won't be the last but I do want to leave it as is for longer than a year, so players can recognise some stability in versions. I also don't think I have the energy or creativity / time / money to complete any more major updates and will need to re-charge once 1.1 is out and focus on simply supporting the players.
I also spent a black hole of time (can time escape a black hole?) creating the profile cards. These went through about 6 Months of iterations and I had great help from several community members in making them into a solid design. Behind the scenes though I had to build a process where I could translate my "ever changing magical statistic spreadsheet" into generated PDF play cards. I cracked it in the end after exploring options for Java script in data-merged Adobe templates. So I can now import artwork, overlay the stats from the database and generate cards relatively quickly. I am hoping to have some good news about cards and the builder process soon but my main focus is still to get 1.1. out.
More rambling notes soon.
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Post by comstar on Jan 11, 2012 20:11:09 GMT -5
Keep at it Robin
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Post by timsnoddy on Jan 12, 2012 14:20:38 GMT -5
I am sure I can speak for everyone on these forums and say we all truly appreciate the work you have put into an already astoundingly good set of rules. Keep at it so we can see the 1.1 editon and start making unit cards and armies.
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Post by blackknight on Jan 12, 2012 16:51:36 GMT -5
heckle heckle !!!
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Post by millsy on Jan 12, 2012 20:48:56 GMT -5
I'm getting edgy man! Work harder d@mnit! Consider yourself duly pressured. ;D
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Post by gypsycomet on Jan 12, 2012 23:16:48 GMT -5
I'm seeing a lot of homonyms sneaking through the spell/context checking in 1.0. Would you appreciate a red-pen review of the document?
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Post by inrepose on Jan 13, 2012 6:00:17 GMT -5
gypsycomet. I will drop you a note when I have the current one update. I would certainly appreciate a clean up.
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Post by zombie4prophet on Jan 13, 2012 6:30:57 GMT -5
Just keep plugging away, I for one would rather see you put out something you are content with than to have something you felt obligated to put out in a rush to please the more vocal players.
If you need any help testing points, let me know.
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shep
Recruit
Posts: 14
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Post by shep on Jan 13, 2012 12:23:27 GMT -5
It's great to hear you're hard at it. Keep it up and keep the updates coming, it's fascinating to hear about the process too.
Listening to all of these changes, have you considered calling it Version 2?
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Post by louien on Jan 13, 2012 14:42:12 GMT -5
Thanks for the Update
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Post by fjodin on Jan 14, 2012 7:23:43 GMT -5
Thanx for giving us info about update!
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Post by gorath on Jan 14, 2012 10:24:07 GMT -5
Looking forward to it. Keep up the good work
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Post by pancake on Jan 14, 2012 12:49:27 GMT -5
i need that chunky 100 page plus book now.... so keep at it... ;D
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2012 6:54:21 GMT -5
The update is much appreciated. In the meantime I'll just keep playing v1, painting models, and waiting patiently.
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