Grid Sage Games

DECEMBER 22, 2023

In previous years I’ve opened the review with a collage of dev images of varying themes and content, but approaching the end of this year we have one major theme that stands out, and that I’ll be writing more about below, so let’s hear it for the interface mockups! The first three years there are Alpha, followed by Beta.

Beta 105

Beta Alpha Mechanics Build 105

PreMortem.Games

AUGUST 15, 2023

I’ve been interviewing developers since 2013, talking to dozens of candidates at companies such as King, Foxglove and Yager, writing job specs for various roles, and providing hiring decisions. During the following Playtesting session, the game designer is unimpressed with the current state, mentioning missing features.

Studios 104

Studios Engine Engineering Communications 104

Big Games

DECEMBER 5, 2023

Voice actors breathe life into characters, and developers write thousands of lines of code. For independent studios, creative marketing strategies like crowdfunding and early-access Beta releases play a crucial role. Playtesters are vital in finding bugs, glitches, and potential issues. Testing Testing is like quality control.

Game Developer 52

Game Developer Game Development Development Bug 52

Grid Sage Games

MARCH 10, 2022

Beta 11 is finally tackling this project, and we’ve already seen it manifested across propulsion , weapon mechanics , storage units , fabrication and more, but the comprehensive item-by-item review has only come to pass as part of the conclusion to this dev cycle. Categorical Approach.

Balance 52

Balance Mechanics Beta Prototyping 52

Grumpy Gamer

JANUARY 18, 2018

When I write, music is helpful. Lancelot's Hangover: After beta testing, what do you do if you realize a series of puzzles doesn't work. I assume you mean "playtesting" since we don't do beta testing. How you divide your time between making games and living "real life" ? I work on a Mac exclusively.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Point and Click Playtesting AI 52

Grid Sage Games

JULY 17, 2022

For Beta 12 I decided to include it on the patron feature voting list, and… it won. This might help spot areas I wanted to adjust, or at least offer a clearer picture of the total challenges and rewards possible in a given map as of Beta 11. Sample Garrison content list from Beta 11. or large (hard to fit the work in?),

Beta 52

Beta Content Balance Mechanics 52

Grid Sage Games

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

I’m going to go ahead and just make this a SPOILER discussion as far as game content goes, so that I can write freely about related mechanics, so maybe don’t read this one if you’re spoiler averse and not familiar with teleporting.

Mechanics 52

Mechanics Concepts Balance Terrain 52