Phew - after the hubbub of the Puzzle Design competition, the Wikigamers thought they could take a well-deserved break, but after the judges threw in their tuppence and the winners were announced, it seems our hard work has just begun!
We ended up with 24 superb puzzles, and now comes the task of integrating them into the synopsis, placing each on the map and deciding which will make it to the final cut given the time we have. As we're aiming to get this baby out in time for September, we've had to cut back on our initial optimism, and are currently working towards integrating nine essential puzzles into the final piece, plus some of our truly excellent red herrings. We're working towards finalising the list of primary puzzles, and once those have been hard-wired into the code, we'll add what secondary ones we can.
To wit, there's a lively discussion going on about which puzzles to include. At the moment, it's decision time on which one to use to find the torch, how to enter the bridge and how to start the engines. If you'd like to get involved, head here and discover the hard work and creativity of your fellow gamesbloggers for yourselves. The puzzles will be finalised by the end of this week and then the coding begins!
If you don't have the time, there are, as always, a couple of new Quick Helps that will take less than 5 minutes to complete. Today we're looking for assistance on the following:
Object Watch: There are plenty of objects, but so few have descriptions. What does the Bottle of Rum look like, for example? What does the plunger do? If you have an idea and are a dab hand at effluent description, we need you! Add your words here.
The Engine: Engines are currently made up of many small parts, and in the future, I expect there to be many many more. We need people to suggest bits and bobs that go into a spaceship's engine (from the duct tape holding the improbability drive to the fuel widget to the candy wrapper carelessly shoved in between the doohicky next to the exhaust pipe). You can do that here.
We also hold regular meetings on Mondays at 6pm GMT. If you'd like to take part, send an email to gamesblog +at+ gmail +dot+ com and we'll add you to the joviality.
