My last development post went up in late 2023, right as I was assembling the first physical prototype.
Since then life has been one long boss‑level encounter:
- We packed up and moved.
- A full‑scale house renovation swallowed evenings and weekends.
- I married Katy and, plot twist, became a dad to little Charlotte this March.
- And work never eased off the throttle.
AURA Inc. never stopped lurking in the background. I kept a running Google Keep list of half‑baked mechanics, creepy event ideas, and the occasional “what if the ghost did this?” brainstorm session. Forward momentum, though, was basically zero.
The Haunt Intensifies
Honestly, things haven’t slowed down that much but life has more of a rhythm than it has in a long time. It feels like I could carve out dev time for the game so I’m getting back at it.
One thing I have had time to do is think. While Charlotte is feeding or napping, I can think. And that’s led me to question many fundamentals of AURA Inc.
- Map Format?
– Point-to-point like Stop Thief! – This is the movement style I’ve used up to this point for the game map. Players move 3 places per action between points that are connected with little footstep symbols.
– Hex grid like Gloomhaven – I’ve considered a map made up of hexagons to allow players a little more freedom than point-to-point but still structured.
– Modular tiles like Mansions of Madness – The house could be made of modular tiles so that each game is different but movement paths would be more limited. - Co-op or 1-versus-Many?
I’ve put a lot of thought and effort into making the house and ghost feel active and reactive against a team of ghost hunting players. However, could the game be more interesting if one player gets to play as the ghost? I have some ideas. - “Lite” version first?
Perhaps I should build a stripped‑down, 30‑minute version focused on evidence hunting. I’d be able to stress‑test the core of the game without having to develop campaign stories and full banishment rituals.
What’s Next?
The next step: app-assisted prototypes.
I know, I know. I said in 2023 that I don’t want the game to be app-assisted, and I’m sticking to that for the final version. However, I can more rapidly prototype if some of the heavy lifting is done with a web app during the development phase.
I can relatively quickly spin up HTML/JS web apps that can handle things like the various cards, evidence checks, house events, etc. Changing the content on the cards is as easy as changing JSON entries. I don’t have to keep writing out new cards when I want to make a change.
So that’s what I’m working on. A web app that will handle the backend of the game while we play with a minimal amount of physical pieces on the table.