Developer Diary: General Updates

I haven't had much opportunity to post lately. In the aftermath of Prototype Con, I've been busy incorporating the feedback I received and making a bunch of minor changes to the game. No major game-changers, but a few minor balance tweaks and many graphical improvements. Since there really isn't a topic that stands out that I should report on, I figured I'd just lump everything together.

• Prototype Con: The convention was fantastic! A solid weekend of playtests for Manaforge, plus I got the opportunity to try out some other great upcoming games. Manaforge was playtested a total of seven times over the weekend, and each time I got some great feedback from the players. (Not to mention several people stopping by to say they wanted to play; apparently my game table was constantly full so a few people that wanted to play were unable to.)  Thanks to the SUP Guild for hosting, and I hope there's another convention like that sooner rather than later. :)
• Cart art: Phase One of my card art is almost complete. As of this writing, I have exactly one piece of art left outstanding. Now that doesn't mean that the card art is entirely done; what it does mean is that this is the last of the art before the Kickstarter. When this is complete, about 60% of the cards will be illustrated. The rest will have to wait until after the campaign funds.
• Box art: Work has started on the box cover for the game. The graphical design has already started; we already have a working idea and we're just arranging the bits and making tweaks. The illustration for the box cover is expected to start soon.
• Production quotes: While I am still gathering quotes for having the game made, I currently have one company that is standing out above the others as the one I'd like to work with. Without naming names (yet), this company has consistently provided me with prompt responses to all of my queries, given me a pricing breakdown by component, including extra costs for adding on additional components, and is very competitive as far as the exact pricing numbers. I'm hoping I can lock this down soon.
• Intro video: Without having any clue as to what I'm doing, I downloaded a video editing utility called Lightworks, and I'm currently messing around with that in an attempt to make a catchy video for showing of the game. Now, I expect this initial video will be more of an attention getter, heavy on style but light on substance, so don't expect to learn how to play the game from it. I just wanted something that will direct attention to my game and hopefully my website so that potential players can learn more. It's slow going, mostly because of my inexperience, but I'll eventually figure it out.
• Fulfillment: I'm starting to investigate how to get Manaforge from the production factory into the hands of backers and to retail outlets. I've heard a couple of company names thrown around that exist for this purpose, and I've begun looking into those.

Couple all of that with the craziness of getting ready to start a new job, and you could say I've been busy lately. Hopefully there won't be as long of a break until my next post. :)