15 Days: Part 32 – August 1st to August 15th 2026

There’s A Dragon In This Blog.

Hello again.

Now that I’ve caught up with the previous blogs and recovered from illness, these should be written and published in a more timely manner than in recent months.

Part 32 contains:

• Podcast Appearance – So Many Games
• Heir of the Dog Testing
• Derby Amiga Expo & Live Kickstarter
• AdventureX 2026

Podcast Appearance – So Many Games: This is the third podcast I’ve been invited to talk about QA and testing and I think, finally, I’m slowly starting to get used to it.

The second part of a double interview for their 20th episode, the time flew by and I had a really good time chatting to the host, Jason. There are some really good questions and, although I probably don’t quite answer them exactly (I have a tendency to waver off course sometimes!), I hope there’s some interesting information within that helps give a view of QA and testing from my perspective.

I also have to make slight adjustment to a comment on Blue Prince. I said that the game had been in development for three years by the time I arrived; in actual fact, I believe it was seven years. A little error on my part but it’s right to correct that.

And you can listen to the podcast via the So Many Games website or your podcast platform of choice here: https://somanygames.co.uk/podcast/ or you can catch it on YouTube below.

Heir of the Dog Testing: Oh, it is so good to be back testing another Tall Story Games title! With my time testing Lucy Dreaming being so positive when I started this journey, coming back to this new game has been very interesting and more than a little reflective for me. I can’t help but see how I have changed and streamlined my process, and having worked with developer Tom Hardwidge before, I’m also aware of what works best. I’m also very mindful that previous experience can play no part here; I’ve gone into this test with no bias, one way or the other. I have to treat it as a new, separate test. The same standard applies to Heir of the Dog as it did Lucy Dreaming. However, having gotten to know Tom and being aware of his high standards as well, it made returning for a second game a very easy decision indeed, and I was delighted when I was asked to run through this exciting new project.

The test has been spread out a little over recent weeks and one of the things I’ve enjoyed has been the ease with which I can go a couple of days without testing and then just pick it back up without being confused over where I left off. That’s a nice little tip for anyone testing; stop partway through. Then pick it up a week or so later and check how easy it is to work out where you left off. More game developers than you might think don’t consider this.

Anyway, testing has gone extremely well. Having completed my first ‘player experience’ playthrough, I’ll be on my usual second ‘fun’ run, where I’m going to try to break it into several thousand pieces! Sorry, Tom! Although, to be perfectly honest, he’s done a fantastic job and it is looking very, very strong already. I suspect, although I tempt fate here, what I will find will be minor, if there is anything to be found at all. In my personal opinion, what has been created and developed is a very strong, entertaining, funny, clever, and interesting game; something that I have come to expect from Tall Story Games over the years.

Check out the trailer for Heir of the Dog below.

Derby Amiga Expo & Live Kickstarter: So, this wasn’t on my radar, let alone my calendar this year, but when my Brazen Gameplay pals mentioned they’d be attending and showing off the 16-Bit version of UrbX Warriors to the public, I figured it’s only a train journey away. There was also the chance to attend a couple of talks, where I did listen to Stoo and Tony talk about their respective career journeys (something I have grown to understand over the last couple of years since working with them) and to also listen to a talk given by RJ Mical who, as I am continually learning and where I am likely to not find the appropriate words, is an Amiga legend.

I sat and listened attentively to the condensed story of a very interesting individual who has lived through some of the most intense and exciting decades in video-gaming. I found it all fascinating and that constant desire I have to learn was treated very well. What was more interesting to me, however, was that some of his life views were not too dissimilar to my own, especially the pursuit of living a happy life. I speak only of myself here when I say that sometimes I’ve had to experience some difficult chapters in life to fully understand that concept but, as I sat there listening, I began to suspect he’d also had his own difficult experiences that led him there. I don’t know RJ Mical but I got the impression there are lessons learned from what he shared. It was a very good talk, and I left the conference uplifted.

Having stayed in Derby overnight, I then met up with Tony and Stoo the next day and, along with their other programmer magician, Ruslan, went for a Sunday stroll around the city to see what it was like. And guess what the only photo of the entire weekend is? The inside roof of the Derby Market Hall. Are you surprised by this? If you’ve been following my blogs for a while, probably not! But anyway, here it is:

As I edit this blog, I can tell you the Kickstarter for the 16-Bit versions of UrbX Warriors went live today! If you’re interested, there’s still time for some early bird rewards before they go. And if you click ‘Campaign’ and read through it, you might find something very cool about QA that I’m very excited about…

Kickstarter link:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tonywarriner/urbx-warriors-the-lost-city-16-bit-edition/description

The Very Cool QA thing:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tonywarriner/urbx-warriors-the-lost-city-16-bit-edition/description#h:QA-Testing

AdventureX 2026: Yes, AdventureX 2026! I will be there, and tickets are on sale now. If you are tempted to go, my advice is to decide quickly because tickets tend to sell out fast. That’s not a marketing ploy, that’s just what happens every year. It’s a really worthwhile event and is probably the only time I ever venture into London these days. It’s well worth checking out their website and seeing if what they have to offer is for you.

AdventureX Website: https://www.adventurexpo.org/

And so, we’ve arrived at the end of another 15 Days blog. I hope you enjoyed it. I’ll be back with Part 33 soon.

Until next time, as always, stay safe and thank you for reading.

Paul.