24 hours remain! 99% to unlocking card stock paper stretch goal! Italian localization in the works!
over 6 years ago
– Wed, Jun 12, 2019 at 11:44:20 PM
Hi! I have three news items, which I'll bet you will consider (in order) obvious news, great news, and unexpected-yet-pleasantly-surprising news.
First, the obvious news. There are fewer than 24 hours left to the campaign. If you have been considering backing Twisty Little Passages, now is a great time to do it to lock in the highly discounted amount below the MSRP that's available to you till tomorrow in acknowledgment of being a backer.
Second, the great news is that the campaign has experienced excellent momentum today! We started the day by handily hitting a stretch goal unlocking the second secret bonus puzzle, and now we are about 99% of the way to unlocking the next stretch goal of upgrading the quality of the book pages to heavy-duty 10 pt card stock. This is a great upgrade that I'm glad to be able to provide. Thank you for your support of the project, because you are helping to make this happen! If you've been on the fence about backing the project till now, and the first reason above wasn't enough incentive, then maybe helping to unlock this upgrade is enough to make a decision.
The next following stretch goal is to include a secret meta-puzzle in the game (of an undisclosed nature, naturally, as it would be a secret). As I write this, we're sitting at 90% of this stretch goal. With your help sharing the project, having one more day like today, we could easily hit this goal!
Third, behind the scenes, I've been discussing some options on producing localized versions of the book. Most of these are too early in the process to share concrete details about, but one of these projects has actively begun. I've begun collaboration with Stefano Trivellato, who is establishing himself as a tabletop game translator. We've entered an arrangement to partner on producing an Italian print-and-play version of the game! So far it's been a pleasure working with Stefano, and I'm pleased to present to you a proof-of-concept of one of the puzzles, which Stefano has translated into Italian:
Puzzle 1-2: Underground Caverns (Italian version)
On the conclusion of a successful collaboration, I anticipate an Italian PnP version can made be available around the same time that the physical book and English PnP versions are made available.
As I've received some questions on this point, I'd like to clarify that every backer receiving one or more physical copies of Twisty Little Passages during the campaign will also receive access to the digital version. (I'll say that means having the option of receiving a digital copy of any localized version that is produced specifically as part of the Kickstarter fulfillment, which at present tentatively includes Italian.) While I can't 100% promise at this time that an Italian version, or a version in any other language, will definitely become available, I'll commit to making myself available to partner with Stefano to make it happen. I'm also open to considering other arrangements, as long as it's an effort I can reasonably take on in addition to the primary effort of producing and delivering the physical book.
Thanks again for your interest and support. I'm extremely grateful for and humbled by the level of interest exhibited in our project. Here's to a memorable final 24 hours! Let's unlock these next stretch goals and make Twisty Little Passages even better!
-- Mike
Final 48 hours for Twisty Little Passages! Bonus puzzle stretch goal unlocked, developer journal articles #7 and #8, and more!
over 6 years ago
– Wed, Jun 12, 2019 at 02:52:20 AM
The Twisty Little Passages campaign is on the home stretch with fewer than 48 hours to go!
These past weeks have been exciting, and I've personally enjoyed having the opportunity to chat with you and many others in the community during the campaign. Most of all, I've appreciated the constructive feedback and words of support and encouragement I've received to produce the best final product possible. I consider your thoughts and words a gift. Thank you!
And now...drumroll...we've just unlocked the next stretch goal of adding a secret bonus puzzle to the book! Woooooo! This puzzle will involve combining magical ingredients in various ways to unlock powerful upgrades. It's going to be fun and unique, and I'm excited to produce it.
We are over 90% of the way to the next stretch goal of adding a second bonus puzzle and above 81% to unlocking the heavy-duty card stock page upgrade. I've also brought down the threshold for unlocking the secret meta-puzzle stretch goal a bit to give us a better chance of hitting it, while still enabling us to create this bonus at a good level of quality. For my part, I'll continue to do all I can to help get us there. I have a good feeling that we can achieve these goals, and they will add good value to the finished book.
I'd like to share the final two articles from the Twisty Little Passages developer journal, presenting ideas on the many types of mazes that appear in various forms in the games we play, how we included many of these in the game, and also how to provide puzzles that can challenge practically anyone while also providing ways to balance the level of difficulty to make them more generally accessible.
Developer Journal #7: Mazes are interesting, and there may be more kinds of mazes than you think
Developer Journal #8: Balancing puzzle difficulty
I have some more things I'm preparing to share with you. They will take me a bit more time and I will work to have them ready tomorrow. For now, I wanted to publish this update and the great news about hitting this stretch goal as soon as possible.
Here's to a great finish to the Twisty Little Passages campaign!
-- Mike
Sneak peak of Puzzle #7 and Developer Journals #5 and #6
over 6 years ago
– Mon, Jun 10, 2019 at 08:08:09 PM
Hi!
Hope you had a great weekend. There's been good, steady progress on the Twisty Little Passages campaign. We're about 96% of the way to unlocking the first bonus puzzle and over 85% of the way to unlocking a second. I have two great puzzle designs coming together in anticipation of hitting these stretch goals, as I have a good feeling about them. There are 3 1/2 days left, and I'm doing what I can to socialize and raise visibility of the campaign these final days to hit all revealed stretch goals in the time available.
If you have venues, sites and forums you frequent with other gamers and puzzle lovers, I'd like to ask a favor to share the campaign in those spots so we can unlock all the bonus content we can. In addition to being a great puzzle game book, you can share that Twisty Little Passages is being offered during the campaign at a great discount off MSRP, and also if you can combine pledges with others, it will net you both a great discount on shipping.
I have a couple fun bits of news for you. First, as I've indicated previously, our team has been actively working on the rest of the book. I'm really liking how the finished design of later puzzles is coming together, and I'd like to share an early preview of another map area. If you're interested, you can check out how a new area looks:
Sneak peek of puzzle #7: Smuggler's Archipelago
Second, here are two more blog articles I've published on BoardGameGeek on physical and conceptual aspects of good puzzle design, and how we've incorporated these into Twisty Little Passages:
Developer Journal #5: Letting your hands play
Developer Journal #6: Layered and progressive elements
Here's to a great final week!
Mike
Background on the Creation of Twisty Little Passages, and Developer Journals #3 and #4
over 6 years ago
– Fri, Jun 07, 2019 at 12:38:32 AM
Hi!
There is exactly one week remaining to the Twisty Little Passages campaign. We are making steady progress, now 93% of the way to unlocking the first bonus puzzle stretch goal and 82% of the way to the second. Additional ones like the card stock upgrade and bonus metapuzzle are right beyond these, and I'd love to provide them all. I appreciate your feedback to make TLP the best it can be and am grateful for your ongoing support of the campaign and for sharing our unique puzzle gaming experience with others. Thank you!
Behind the scenes, our team is hard at work on completing Twisty Little Passages. Meanwhile, the campaign and game are getting some great fresh coverage. One of these is an interview on the background of Twisty Little Passages between Thomas Gorner of Honest Meeple and myself that I'd like to share with you.
Plus, here are two more entries from my developer journal going over design considerations in putting together the game rules and establishing graphical elements, with the purpose of making play fun, easy and intuitive so you can immerse yourself more fully in the puzzles and adventure.
Developer Journal #3: Puzzle game rules
Developer Journal #4: Puzzle game graphic design
More to come soon! Here's to a great final week of the campaign!
Mike
New Print-and-Play Backer Level, Developer Journal Parts 1 + 2, and Added Stretch Goal for Twisty Little Passages!
almost 7 years ago
– Mon, Jun 03, 2019 at 09:08:09 PM
I've been listening carefully to feedback offered during the first three weeks of the campaign and I have good news to share for additions to Twisty Little Passages. As a labor-of-love project to provide a uniquely engaging gaming experience, my goal is to do what I can to provide the best product that fits your needs. I'd like to meet that goal on multiple fronts.
First, some demand for an electronic version has been expressed. I've been researching that option and am pleased to announce that a backer level for a digital-only version is now available for print-and-play. I'd personally recommend the physical book as providing the superior play experience, but if you'd rather not receive a physical book (though it will play well in your hands and look gorgeous on your shelf!) or deal with international shipping, this is an option for you to consider.
Second, I've compiled a journal on the development of Twisty Little Passages on BoardGameGeek that I'd like to share with you. It covers additional details on the background of the project and how multiple aspects of the design came together. Here are the first two parts:
Part 1: Dungeon crawl puzzle design - intro
Part 2: Puzzles with and without randomness
More developer journal articles to come in the near future. I welcome your thoughts on these aspects of puzzle design and classic adventure gaming!
And last, but not least, I've made a couple of beneficial adjustments to upcoming stretch goals. We are 90% of the way to the first stretch goal to add a bonus puzzle and 80% of the way to the second stretch goal. I've brought in the stretch goal for the card stock pages upgrade to give it a much better chance of being hit during the campaign. I'd like to provide that option if possible, and this is the best I can do. Plus, I've added a new stretch goal for a secret meta-puzzle.
Thank you again for your support! I am humbled and grateful for your interest in Twisty Little Passages, and so excited for the opportunity to produce it for you.
Have a great week, and let's hit those stretch goals!
