Social Goal Unlocked - Twitter
over 7 years ago
– Fri, Sep 02, 2016 at 12:30:58 AM
You did it! You got Five24 Labs up to the 500 follower mark and beyond! This means the last of the Solo AI cards has been unlocked. Meet Rachael!
Rachael is interesting because she will spend as many mints as possible, for the sake of removing them from the game, hence the title "The Keeper". Playing against Rachael is the only time Mints in Mint Works are a limited supply. If that supply runs out, the game ends and Rachael wins.
You must move quickly and decisively to stop her, before she drains the supply.
Fun Note: This AI was named after my wife Rachael, mainly because she's totally a keeper ;)
Onward!
This is the last of the social goals, thank you all for participating in them! Congrats to the solo players for having 4 different opponents to play against. These 4 may change slightly as the testers continue to play against them, but it will all be for ultimate quality in the end.
I'm working to ensure everything will be as close to ready for manufacturing as possible, at the moment. Keeping files up to date and spot checking. I'll be updating any out of date pieces on the Campaign page tonight as well.
Translations
The crew of translators have really started digging in! On the forums groups are already translating the rule book into Dutch, German, French and Swedish! So awesome!
If you would like to join in, create an account on the community forums and send me a message here on Kickstarter so I can get you access.
Stretch Goal 12 Unlocked - The Crowdfunder
over 7 years ago
– Thu, Sep 01, 2016 at 11:28:58 PM
This was a great way to wake up this morning! I'm feeling much much better and we also hit the next stretch goal! Wahooo!
The Crowdfunder
This is a fun space, it brings a few more mints into the game and forces you to stop and think if you really want to take it, before you do.
When you take this action you get 3 mints back, and everybody else gets 1. Immediately you think "Of course I'll take this action!"
However, you have to make sure you didn't just give somebody the one extra mint they needed to pick up that plan you were fighting for, or maybe now they can buy and build this round without having to take a trip to the production facility.
It adds a nice bit of who's going to go there, you or me?
Rules Updated
I've finally gotten the first draft of the rules updated and you can find them here: http://bit.ly/mwrules
I'll continue to keep them updated from here on out, and this will serve as the foundation of the translations that will be beginning soon.
Onward!
Next up is that super awesome embossed tin upgrade. This will make it so the lid of the tin is embossed around the printing, giving it that super quality 3D look and feel.
This one has been requested many times, and was way out of reach until you pushed so hard and kept knocking these stretch goals out of the park.
Social Goals
We are so close on the twitter followers! As of right now we are at 437, I think we can hit this today - don't you?
Hedgehog Cute Time
Here is Sonic being cute as he scurries around on my wife's hands.
Two Social Goals Unlocked - Facebook & Newsletter
over 7 years ago
– Wed, Aug 31, 2016 at 07:58:57 PM
This is going to be a short update, because I'm still not feeling well. But I did want to get this posted before I went back to bed for the day.
Facebook - Sonic
We managed to hit the Facebook goal of 500 page likes for Five24 Labs and blow it out of the water all the way up to 619! So awesome. That means we have unlocked Sonic.
Feedback on Sonic has been that he is one of the most fun AIs to play against, and seems more human like than Mort. The two turns in a row makes you really think about what you want to do, before doing it.
Newsletter - Justin
The newsletter goal was the one I figured would be tough to get, since you have to subscribe and you can't see the numbers and all that jazz. You guys blew me away with the subscriptions though we destroyed the 200 goal with 288 subscribers to the newsletter. That means we've unlocked... me?
You now get to whoop on me in solo mode. Initial reports say that Justin is a bit easier than Sonic, but his ability to block out the dealership can really mess with a strategy at times.
Onward!
We only have one more social stretch goal and that's Twitter. Currently Five24 Labs has 382 so we don't have much further to go to unlock Rachael as well. Her name was supposed to be Rachael initially, but I didn't get the graphic updated before I posted last time, sorry for the confusion!
Rules Updates
I haven't made much progress on this, because I've been in sick. Hopefully I'll be up to the task tomorrow, but for now I'm going to go back to bed. Also, sorry no hedgehog picture today either.
-Justin
Stretch Goal 11 Unlocked - The Landfill
over 7 years ago
– Tue, Aug 30, 2016 at 08:30:34 PM
Way to go everybody! We still continue to churn through the stretch goals at a great pace! Today we unlock a new Utility plan that has not been fully tested yet but is still in good shape. I will be making sure it's fully balanced before we go off to Manufacturing!
The Landfill can be a pretty interesting card depending on who is staring it down and how the game has gone for them already. 3 mints for 3 points in a color other than green is an outstanding deal!
The drawback that green plans do not provide as many points for the owner of the Landfill is both a little thematic and an interesting decision people will have to make. Is it worth picking this up to nullify my windmill? Will that end up costing me the game due to a tiebreaker?
Mint Token Color
In the last update I had mentioned that the mint tokens would be wooden and minty green. My thought behind this decision was to stand apart from the typical white mint color. This was not a popular decision at all, and I've come to my senses.
The idea here is to fit within assumptions for the sake of keeping the game easy to teach and learn.
I want this game to be an obvious gateway choice, if people are always having to explain why the mints are green and not white that's taking away from the enjoyment. So to that end, the mint tokens will be white.
I will look into potentially screen printing the tokens to look even more like the wonderful icon, but I can't promise anything on that end just yet.
Onward!
I'm going about this next set of stretch goals a little different. We have reached the end of all of my stretch goals that I can offer at the moment. It's possible that something else might come up that isn't card related, but as of right now. We have a finite list of stretch goals.
Since the list is finite, I've decided to go ahead and reveal the names of each of the goals that are ahead to give ideas into what the cards might be. Feel free to speculate! I'd love to hear your ideas.
If we unlock the last 3 card stretch goals, and the 3 social goals that will put is at 33 cards in the tin. (31 Plans/Locations, 2 Solo AI Opponent Cards) This is our limit - tokens plus cards and rule book get us nice and snug in the tin, without being too full.
Social Stretch Goals
We have nearly hit 2 of them (Facebook and Newsletter.) Twitter is lagging behind a bit. Thank you for the awesome response to these social stretch goals!
Solo Mode - Officially Included
Due to the success of the testing of Solo mode so far, I've decided to make it officially part of Mint Works. Solo mode will have up to 4 different AI Opponents to play against, the first of which is Mort.
Mort's card will make more sense when I release the updated rules here in the next day or two. Which brings us to...
Updated Rules / Translations
I'm in the process of getting the rules copy updated and into an unformatted document, once that is updated I'll be releasing that for you to see. It will have all of the updated rules that came as a result of the campaign, as well as clarification and cleanup of the existing rules.
This updated document will serve as a basis for the translations of Mint Work's rule book into other languages. An effort that we will be working on over at the Five24 Labs community forums.
If you would like to take part in the translation process, please create an account over on the community forums and message me here on Kickstarter so I can get you access.
Other Campaigns
I haven't had a chance to share out any other campaigns that I've been watching yet, but I have been watching and backing a few. I just want to mention a couple here. One gaming and one not directly gaming but still neat.
PolyHero Dice - Wizard Set
These dice are so awesome, I backed and have received the Warrior's set that they did last year, and I've backed for a set of the wizard ones now as well. Not only is this a super awesome idea, but the guys running it are great guys! You should definitely check it out.
The MSTR KEY (Master Key) 20-in-1 Multi-Tool Keytool
Next is the MSTR KEY, I'm kind of a sucker for neat gadgets and this one seems like one I'll actually use, since it's the size of a key and I can keep it in my pocket on my key ring. Also, I won't have to go hunt down a screwdriver when I see a random screw to tighten, which happens surprisingly more than I would have ever thought. If you like gadgety type things, check this campaign out, it's a neat one.
Hedgehog Strategy
Sonic found out that he was an AI opponent in Solo Play, so he decided he should start practicing. (I don't think he knows how solo play works.)
Stretch Goal 10 Unlocked - The Recycler
over 7 years ago
– Tue, Aug 30, 2016 at 10:14:43 AM
You guys have done it again! Yet another stretch goal. So awesome! I still can't quite fully believe this is happening. Eventually I will I suppose, but for now this is still so mind-blowing.
We are going to be going over a lot to day, so feel free to skip around, or grab a snack, it's a long one!
- Updated Location Card Layout
- The Recycler
- Full Card Listing
- Decision: Token Material
- Decision: Card Size
- Solo Testing
- Social Stretch Goals
- Updated Print and Play Status
- Onward!
- Hedgehog Picture
Updated Location Card Layout
Now, before I show you the new card, I want to give you a heads up that it will look a little different, but I think you'll be OK with that. I did some re-working of the Location cards to make the important parts bigger and everything a little more clear.
The Recycler
The Recycler is an interesting location, because it provides people with an alternate means to earn some mints, while potentially affecting another player.
Somebody have 4 points, and the Garden just came up? Snatch it up and recycle it to make a few extra mints. Spend too much on the Assembler early on? Recycle it before you build it to end up ahead in mints right when you need it!
These are just a couple instances that make the Recycler interesting, I'm sure you will find plenty more great opportunities to use it!
Full Card Listing
I've been asked a few times for a full card listing so I've supplied one - on the campaign page and here in this update. Enjoy!
Decision: Token Material
I know the poll doesn't close for a few more hours, but the way it's been going I don't think anything dramatic will be happening there.
As of right now, this is how the poll looks
Wood is by far the most voted for, more than 2 to 1 in favor over plastic. I can't say I'm all that surprised, it's a euro style game and wooden components seem like a good fit.
Plastic has a significant vote behind it as well, more than I would have expected honestly. So, armed with this and some numbers I've come to a decision on the Token material.
The tokens will be wood.
Yes, we will be going wood, It won't be natural wood it will be painted mint green (similar to the lighter green color in the bar graph actually) and have a glossy finish. This will ensure they are well preserved and feel nice and solid when we are handling them during play.
The Mint tokens will be a 12mm diameter cylinder 4mm thick.
The First Player token will also be getting a wood upgrade, but I haven't settled on the color of it yet. It will be a 18mm diameter cylinder 4mm thick.
Decision: Card Size
Ok, so this poll is a different beast all together! When I bought this up, I didn't think it would be a big deal at all and boy was I surprised! This is what the results look like at the moment
This poll does not look much like I expected it to at all! I had a feeling that we were going to see a 60% - 70% showing of OK either way, and a pretty close vote between the other two.
I was wrong on that one! I've been doing a ton of research and testing with the card sizes and everything around the potential changes.
Testing thickness of the stack of cards in sleeves vs out of sleeves, seeing if we can fit an entire copy into the tin sleeved. Seeing how the cards moved around when they were smaller and not sleeved.
It wasn't an easy decision to come to, but I have and I firmly believe it's the right way to go for Mint Works.
The cards will not be reduced to Mini Euro size.
All of the testing I did lead to more steps, and obstacles to making the game store nicely in the box for non-sleevers. Sleevers had their own problems with this too - if we add 3 or 4 more cards, the tin would not close without properly due to the thickness introduced by sleeves.
Plastic cards I just don't think are a good way to go on this, so we will stick with the upgrade card stock we are on (300gsm Blue Core) and at the size of 50mm x 86mm.
Solo Testing Update
I've messaged all of the solo testers and have started to get some really good feedback, and because of this I'm fairly sure we will be able to include a Solo variant within the base of Mint Works.
The basic premise is that You play 1 vs 1 against an AI opponent that has an advantage. Testers have not reported any major issues with running the AI and overall have been enjoying the difficulty and decisions they have to make.
This means that I want to add Solo play to the game and I have just the way to do it...
Social Stretch Goals
On several occasions I have been told I'm "Doing it wrong" because I don't have any social stretch goals, and I'm really not pushing a lot of the social stuff. So fine lets do that, but I'm going to be Ironic about it!
We now have 3 social stretch goals, as they are unlocked It will add a new AI for Solo mode. Yes, all of the Solo variant rewards are being unlocked via social goals. Like I said, Ironic or something like that.
All of these should be pretty easy to hit I would think. Here are some links to get to the social stuff easy:
Updated Print and Play Status
I'm in the process of updating the Print and Play for Mint Works, it's not quite ready yet, but I'll let you know when it is!
Onward!
We have a new plan and a new location coming up, then at 50k we will be getting an upgrade to the tin! Very exciting!
Hedgehog
And finally the moment you've all been patiently waiting for! A hedgehog Picture! Here is my daughter holding Sonic being all cute and such.
