Second Edition Brainstorm

[Hobbiton Lad]

Also, FYI, I think I've come up with a nicer looking design for foil cards than Gemp's current implementation:

Here you see the regular version of The One Ring: http://postimage.org/image/mpi71s9n3/

And here is the foil version of The One Ring: http://postimage.org/image/jvr7xr6bz/

It's subtle, and not animated, but I think it's a nice effect and clearly has the "foil" look. That's not to downplay what MarcinS has done thus far. I think his current implementation is actually quite good, but with 2E I'm really looking to go the extra mile to give the game the highest level of visual appeal possible.

Critiques?

[Helkadal]

I like it better, it's a lot closer to the original foil, really nice job there!

While I'd have a lot of time to spend on the project, I have zero skills when it comes to design. Since I'm also not familiar with programming, I guess all I could do is help with the thinking part and doing long stupid repetitive tasks so you good ones can concentrate on more important things.

[Hobbiton Lad]

I like it better, it's a lot closer to the original foil, really nice job there!

While I'd have a lot of time to spend on the project, I have zero skills when it comes to design. Since I'm also not familiar with programming, I guess all I could do is help with the thinking part and doing long stupid repetitive tasks so you good ones can concentrate on more important things.

There's always room for help if you're serious about it. MarcinS is going to handle the programming since we'll likely be using the Gemp engine. I've got the graphic design in hand. What I really need is help designing the cards for the cultures at this point.

[Helkadal]

I wish I could help you with the visual part, but I can't. The best image I could come up with (took me a couple of hours, I guess lol) was this goomba...

But I can help with card texts, yeah, that I can do.

[Hobbiton Lad]

That's what I mean. Game text. We actually need to conceptualize how the cultures will work.

[estel]

Hey guys, I'm kinda new to these forums but an old time fan of LotR. This seems to be an amazing project I'd really like to help out with. I'm a web developer, and have looked at the source to Gemp prior, (though not extensively) and would be able to help on the technical side. I also have a bit of game design experience and would love to discuss this further. Is there an IRC channel or some place everyone hangs out to chat about this stuff in real time?

[Hobbiton Lad]

Not currently, but I'm sure one could be arranged.

[Helkadal]

That's what I mean. Game text. We actually need to conceptualize how the cultures will work.

Ok, but how? When are we going to "sit down together" and discuss all this? This should be real-time conversation, not people dropping opinions here and there, right? Maybe that IRC channel...?

[hsiale]

I would definitely be willing to get involved into such discussion and can find time for it. But I think IRC channel is not the way to go and it should not be real-time conversation. Real time maybe could work if we could meet face to face. On the internet some kind of message board is always better - it allows to think more before posting, browsing archive content is easy, text formatting is available to make your thoughts better readable. And it doesn't require being online at the same time, which is always a problem when people involved live in different time zones.

@Hobbiton Lad - how do you communicate with fenix now?

[MarcinS]

Also, FYI, I think I've come up with a nicer looking design for foil cards than Gemp's current implementation:

Here you see the regular version of The One Ring: http://postimage.org/image/mpi71s9n3/

And here is the foil version of The One Ring: http://postimage.org/image/jvr7xr6bz/

It's subtle, and not animated, but I think it's a nice effect and clearly has the "foil" look. That's not to downplay what MarcinS has done thus far. I think his current implementation is actually quite good, but with 2E I'm really looking to go the extra mile to give the game the highest level of visual appeal possible.

Critiques?

It's looking really good, however it would mean, we will have to have two images for each card, one for normal version and one for foil.

That is because browsers are unable to make any kind of image manipulations (I believe your foils are actually a hue-shift?) The only thing you can do in browsers is overlaying images on top of each other, including semi-transparent ones, which is what I'm doing with foils in Gemp-LotR. Normal card image is overlaid with a foil animated GIF with opaque set to 20%:
http://www.gempukku.com/gemp-lotr/images/foil.gif

[Hobbiton Lad]

@Hobbiton Lad - how do you communicate with fenix now?

We've been collaborating on Google Documents with the Dunland and Isengard cultures, creating cards and then critiquing them, discussing how they might be overpowered, and making necessary changes.

[nolwestel]

Apparently, my user got locked (estel), so posting as a new user.

I think message boards and persistent communication is important for logging semi-formal ideas for feedback. Real time chatting is for the fleshing out of ideas. I don't want to brainstorm in a place where people read it 2 months from now and accept it as truth. I would prefer to be able to collaborate on vague ideas quickly and with high context.

I went ahead and created a IRC room on freenode #lotr2e. If people use it, great. If not, no loss.

[nolwestel]

HobbitonLad: Can I get you to share these docs with me: nolwestel@gmail.com

[Hobbiton Lad]

I don't know if I want to share docs with a bunch of people, simply for the confusion that can come about. What would you guys suggest as a better collaboration method for design? I can post cards that we've come up with in a different thread if you guys like. Maybe one for each culture?

[Helkadal]

I don't know if I want to share docs with a bunch of people, simply for the confusion that can come about. What would you guys suggest as a better collaboration method for design? I can post cards that we've come up with in a different thread if you guys like. Maybe one for each culture?

I think there should be a team ahead of the project. Those would be the people who'd have a lot of time to spend on the project. Also, those people should have access to all cards. If you wanna show one card from each culture for the community to discuss, those cards should be only those which the team's having trouble with. At the same time, how are supposed to have ideas for cards if we can't see the whole thing? This idea seems doomed right off the bat. At least, you could share the docs, just don't allow us to make changes.