Hey friends! After a few weeks of jamming out various prototypes for Project BuildyCrafty, we have landed on which game to make. It probably won’t come as a surprise, but let’s take a look at how we arrived at that decision anyway.

How Am I Doing?

I’m good and very excited! Jonas and I have decided to choose Bibidi Bibidi! as the project we will develop into a full game. The feedback y’all provided for both BuildyCrafty prototypes was super valuable for making this decision. A big, heartfelt thanks to all of you!

Other Concepts

There are a couple of reasons we didn’t go for the other game ideas. First off, the other prototype we had, Loopy Folk, felt a bit confused in its design. It wasn’t quite hitting wholesome idle game, and it wasn’t quite hitting hardcore idle game. Your feedback confirmed this: wholesome game lovers thought it was too hectic and stressful, and hardcore idle gamers felt it wasn’t in-depth enough.

I still think there is a version of that game that can work, but we would have to make some strong decisions in its design that would tilt it one way or the other. We both felt that that would open up a can of worms with many unanswered questions.

Then, there was one other concept in our initial selection of game ideas. A Dome Keeper-inspired game in which you mine asteroids to upgrade your house on a tiny planet. You sporadically get attacked by waves of enemies that you have to defend against. I have no doubt that this concept would also garner some enthusiastic feedback, but in a way, that’s why we decided against prototyping it. There were no difficult questions to answer, so there was no real no need to go out of our way to test things out. We probably would have if it wasn’t for…

The Deciding Factor

So, what was the ultimate deciding factor in choosing this one? Well, in the end it just boils down to the fact that, even in its current shitty state, the prototype is already fun! A lot of people have been enjoying the prototype, some even going as far as to say that it’s addictive. All the critiques of it generally point in the same direction: UX and balance. Both of which were fully expected.

So, we have a fun game with a clear trajectory of what it should be. All that’s left is making a bunch of content and smoothing out the experience. In a sense, we chose the path of least resistance.

What Am I Doing?

I was supposed to have a week off, and I did take a couple of days, but at some point, I really wanted to get back to work. I have a morning routine that consists of making a cup of coffee, picking a playlist to listen to, and then grind out some work. It’s early in the morning, my house is quiet, and no one is awake yet. It’s the perfect moment to immerse myself in work.

The result is that I work at least a little bit every day. It’s great for productivity and to keep momentum. And I love the morning moments. The downside is that I’m always thinking about work at least a little. In order to disconnect completely, I need to be physically in a different place for a vacation. Nothing wrong with that, but since our budget is a little tight, we don’t travel around for pleasure that often.

Hopefully, Bibidi Bibidi! will drum up enough support so I can take a proper vacation sometime soon.

Why Am I Doing? (this)

It’s important to ask yourself why. That being said, I run this segment every single week. At some point, I will not have a why to ask myself or a why to answer. So today, I will just leave it at that!

Thanks for sticking around. Hopefully we have more Bibidi Bibidi! news to share next week!