While 2014 up to this point was mostly dominated by the Crossword Dungeon AS3/Starling port, I am taking a short break from that project to collect my thoughts as well as player feedback. I’ve started another project and have a new direction in mind for 2014, details of which follow, roughly in chronological order:

“Hymn” (working title)

Hymn (working title), is an event-based choose-your-own-adventure game set in a low-fantasy, post-apocalyptic medieval-Germany-inspired setting; something I’ve wanted to work on for a while after digging into the excellent games that have cropped up with the recent renaissance of the choose-your-own-adventure / text-based genre. Development is at a fairly early stage, with some of the basic core systems of map generation, movement, and event resolution in place, as well as overall art style. I am collaborating with a friend who will be in charge of the story, told through dynamically-triggered events with a focus on the characters’ personal journeys.

PC-first, open development

Hymn, as well as Adventurers, a game I put on ice while reassessing whether developing in Objective-C/Cocos2d was a viable long-term strategy, will be be coming to you PC-first. These, as well as all projects from now on will also be developed in a more open fashion, similar to what you may be used to if you followed Dance of Death‘s development. Developing Crossword Dungeon in stealth mode hurt its popularity more than it might have helped stave off any paranoid concerns of cloning. Developing a project for a PC-first release not only helps build a more devoted core fanbase, it also allows for a more healthy “release early, release often” approach, with the potential for discounted prices for early builds.

I will continue to develop in a framework that allows for relatively painless crossplatform releases, such that mobile will continue to be a part of the release strategy. Just as releasing Crossword Dungeon as a paid app for very little money on iOS was an experiment in reaching a broader audience at a lower price point, releasing my next games on PC first will be an experiment in reaching a more niche, more indie-friendly audience, at more reasonable prices.

Crossword Dungeon coming to Android and PC

I will be bringing Crossword Dungeon to PC and Android in the coming months, along with a number of enhancements and new features. Though not as expansive as my original vision of the game (saving some material for the sequel ;)), you can expect some subset of the following:

• An explicit ending to the game (e.g. something like “Descend to level 50.”)
• An unlockable new class (TBD)
• Multiple monsters per letter tile (TBD)
• New monsters
• Tweaked difficulty curve
• A lot more content

Adventurers

Adventurers is an adventurer party management game that can be somewhat described as a tycoon-style experience (more details as it develops). Similar to Crossword Dungeon, I’ll be rewriting the initial iOS-only prototype such that it will be primarily a PC experience. This is one of the projects I’m most excited about and have done the most design work for, so I can’t wait to sink my teeth into it once again.

IndieCade?

Lastly, I’ve been giving some thought to submitting Crossword Dungeon to IndieCade, as well as Hymn once it gets a bit more meat around its bones. If I do and if either is chosen, I’ll see you there this October!