15 Days: Part 36

15 Days: Part 36 – October 1st to October 15th

I Use Way Too Many Commas When Writing These Blogs

Hello, everyone. How are you? I sit at my desk, writing this blog in the peace and quiet of a cold autumnal day. I’ll be honest, the scorching weather from earlier in the year is not something I enjoy. Give me darker nights and a bit of rain, and I’m a happy man. I’ll explain why later.

Also, a note on Part 35. I wasn’t really sure I should post it. It was a little more vulnerable than usual (not that I haven’t shared personal stuff before) and I was in two minds whether to delete it and start over. But a couple of things happened. First, whenever I feel uncomfortable, sometimes the best approach is to sit with it and see what happens. That way I see what actually comes of it and whether my doubts are real or imagined. Then whatever it is that caused those initial doubts is lessened the next time. And secondly, one of my wonderful subscribers contacted me to say they thought it was one of my best, if not the best blog I’ve written. And that was more than enough to stay my hand and leave it online. I said I would always try to be as authentic as I can. Blogs like Part 35 are a commitment to that promise.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that and move on. For Part 36 I have:

A New Type Of Testing
Too Many Magazines
Fitness Update
Time for Testing
Time For Gaming

A New Type Of Testing: Yes, as experienced as I am, I still like to switch things up a bit and try different perspectives, and when the opportunity to try something new comes along, I will go for it. And this time it is a book.

“Testing comes in many forms.” is the answer I give to the question “How do you test a book?”. It’s a vague answer but true, nonetheless. And even though I’ve being testing games for over five years now, I do keep a note of projects where I’d like to expand my skill set and portfolio. My projects worked on will soon list over forty titles, albeit a few are yet to be announced (they’re coming soon) and I am the type of person who loves to push my boundaries and keep learning. So, when a call to beta-read a new novel by Ben Galley arrived (regular readers will know I’m a fan of his work), I immediately offered my time. Not only does this break from games testing for a short while but it also gives me a chance to stretch my testing skills in a different way.

My approach to this beta-read has been very similar to a straight-forward player experience playtest. Am I enjoying it? Does it make sense? What questions are unanswered? Suggestions? More or less of anything? And so on.

Being a test, I can’t share the details but I can tell you that the sample of the first fifteen chapters of Fate’s Razor is some of the best stuff I’ve read in a while. To explain myself, I’ve been trying to spend time reading the many books I have on my shelves, not having had much time to commit to them for quite a few years. But to speed things up, I tend to get about 100 to 125 pages in and if I’m not really connecting with the story, I’ll skip to the end (I usually know the characters well enough by now so there won’t be any major surprises) and find out what happens. My teenage self would be horrified but I’m older now and time is more important to me than almost anything else these days. Of the last four books I’ve read, this is exactly what has happened. And I’m not saying they are badly written, in fact one of them was exquisite, I just couldn’t feel a real connection with them as a reader. So, with Ben’s newest work-in-progress, the best compliment I can give these fifteen chapters is that I read them in two sittings, thoroughly absorbed by this new world and connected with the characters in a way that still keeps me thinking about them ever since. No 100 to 125 pages audit. No skipping to the end. And I’m hoping the rest of the book arrives soon because I really need to know how it plays out.

I asked Ben for a Fate’s Razor image. This isn’t the official finished version but you lucky subscribers get to see it before most people. I love a little behind-the-scenes look.

Too Many Magazines: Yeah, so, um, with the whole reading thing…another admission is the ridiculous number of magazines that I seem to have acquired over the last few years from various subscriptions. A mix of Edge, Retro Gamer, PC Gamer and some others, I was wondering why the contents of my shelves were spilling over onto the floor. Turns out I have over 200!!! magazines to read!

Not to be deterred, I am actually reading through these with the intention that I keep some for reference and sell the rest. And because some are a few years old, I’ve started viewing them as historical documents. There’s quite a lot to read and be reminded of and if I get through them at a rate of one per day, I’ll be finished in… May 2027. Wow. Let’s not talk about the current subscriptions, shall we? Moving on.

Fitness Update: I’ve been really excited to share this lately because I didn’t think the progress made since May was going to translate into what’s happened in recent weeks. I am running again! And injury-free! And during the cold, rainy weather! Which is what I love to do!

It’s been very stop/start, meaning I jog for a bit then walk, then run, then walk, etc., but to simply be doing this fills my heart with joy and relief. Previous injuries and a lack of motivation definitely diminished any desire to go. But over the last three or four weeks, only once did I have to force myself out. And you know what? It was the best run I’ve done since restarting. That’s usually how it works for me. I don’t want to go. I go. I get a personal best. And every single time, I am glad I get out there. It’s also a great way to clear my mind and dust off the nonsense of daily life. I prefer running at night, especially in the rain, hence the comment at the start of this blog, mostly because there are very few people out. Who is crazy enough to go running in terrible weather when they can be warm and cosy at home? Me. I am. Because I get fresh air and a clear run with no interruptions, aside from an occasional fox staring at me, or a lost hedgehog wandering across my path. It’s one of my favourite things in life.

Time For Testing: Nothing massively different here to share that you aren’t already aware of. Heir Of The Dog and Sleepytime Village march ever closer to their release dates of October 29th and October 30th, respectively. They’re both looking really, really strong; as one would hope being so close to launch. It’s interesting from my perspective having two games releasing a day apart and I am very happy and proud to be associated with them both. If you’re interested, you can find more information on them both via the links below.

https://tallstorygames.com

https://www.lightfootbrosgames.com

Aside from this, UrbX Warriors testing is going very well. There’s CRASH! Live coming up, an event I’ve talked about before that I really enjoy, and the latest build of UrbX will be on show for all to play. This Spectrum Next version is looking awesome; the hard work of everyone involved is paying off and I’ll let you know what happens at CRASH! in Part 37.

Time For Gaming: Over the last month or so, I have deliberately spent time playing games. I test and test and test and my worry is that I will miss out on that feeling of simply enjoying a game for what it is. Too many times I play a game and can’t quite switch the QA button off. Not a bad thing as it means I am ‘in the zone’ so to speak, somewhere I need to be, but sometimes I also need to just play.

I’ve jumped around a bit. Halo: Campaign Evolved was really enjoyable. I’d replay that. I’m skipping between Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced and God of War: Ragnarök; Black Flag being much newer and Ragnarök has been the same playthrough for several years according to my save games. There’s been a run through Dredge which I’m enjoying more than I expected. That’s quite chill with a sense of impending horror. I’ve also been spending time playing demos that catch my eye. They work really well when I want a short session. Sometimes I post them on social media, and the two I’ve shared recently are Murder Meet Cute and Curse of Resthaven. Both very different and both good fun. I might do this a bit more often; play demos. I could do with jumping into different genres and, with shorter sessions for gaming, it fits in well with the rest of my day-to-day. Something to think about.