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Author Topic: Interview with Donald X.  (Read 2127342 times)

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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3475 on: November 11, 2016, 09:24:43 am »
+5

1.) A lot of the Landmarks are basically "do this specific thing, get 2VP for it six times". Did you every try those with 1 or 3VP?
The ones that take the VP from the card were always 2 VP (some gave different amounts not-from-the-card, like the Colonnade example or Tomb). Being consistent like that helps you learn the cards. It ends up easy on the components too, we included 2 VP tokens and you just put those on the card and don't make change as often.

2.) Messenger seems like the perfect replacement for Woodcutter and Chancellor, yet you said that you started working on the second edition after Adventures was released. Did the card infuence your decision to get rid of the old ones?
No. It had been clear for some years that Chancellor was too confusing and weak, and I had already one-upped it with Scavenger. And Woodcutter only left because I could put something more interesting in.

3.) There hasn't been a draw to X card in quite a while, what's up with that? Do you consider that mechanic more of an exotic variant to regular draw instead of a basic game mechanic? It saddens me a little that draw to X engines are pretty rare, they're so much fun.
There's nothing up. I think "draw up to X" is fine, and try it sometimes. There was one in Adventures; it didn't survive because it wasn't good enough, Artificer had nothing to do with it (sorawotobu), and Villa wouldn't have stopped one from being in Empires, there just wasn't one.

4.) Do you consider Travellers to have an Adventures flavour or could they fit into any expansion?
The mechanic could reappear, but it takes a lot of cards, and most sets wouldn't be happy giving up the slots.

5.) The japanese community found out about forum/trader/goons/cost reduction. This is a lot less complicated than the last infinite loop people were presenting, so it may actually come up in a game. If you had time machine, would you have worded anything differently to avoid that or is it too unimportant?
I don't know that I would change Trader just to kill the super-rare combo (your 4-item list leaves out "more copies of the cost reduction card" and for some of them "way to play the cost reduction card a bunch of times" and "way to draw enough cards to do this"). But I do think Trader is a mistake, and fixing it as it happens would kill the combo. I would either have no reaction at all (a sweet simple card that people would still use), or the reaction would be something like "When you gain a card other than Silver, you may reveal this from your hand, to trash that card. If you do, gain a Silver." The "would" part is super-confusing and bad. And as it happens creates an infinite combo.
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Accatitippi

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3476 on: November 11, 2016, 10:12:38 am »
0

Why did Trader get the wording it has in the first place? Was there a specific reason, like uh, cursers or Prizes or Ironworks, or did it just happen? :)
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sorawotobu

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3477 on: November 11, 2016, 01:44:09 pm »
0

I got Adventures the other day and noticed that the events have the same background as kingdom cards, not the one used for randomizers. Why is that? Wasn't the idea for choosing which events to play with "shuffle them into the randomizer pile, flip over cards until you have ten kingdom cards, ignore events past the first two"? There doesn't seem to be any upside to events looking like cards (in the rules sense) from behind since you're never shuffling them into your deck or looking at the backside at all during gameplay.
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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3478 on: November 11, 2016, 02:10:08 pm »
+2

I got Adventures the other day and noticed that the events have the same background as kingdom cards, not the one used for randomizers. Why is that? Wasn't the idea for choosing which events to play with "shuffle them into the randomizer pile, flip over cards until you have ten kingdom cards, ignore events past the first two"? There doesn't seem to be any upside to events looking like cards (in the rules sense) from behind since you're never shuffling them into your deck or looking at the backside at all during gameplay.

It was originally an error; they were meant to have the randomizer back. But now it's canon because otherwise Rio Grande would seem obliged to replace them out of pocket.
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3479 on: November 11, 2016, 03:40:30 pm »
+4

Why did Trader get the wording it has in the first place? Was there a specific reason, like uh, cursers or Prizes or Ironworks, or did it just happen? :)
That ability - mostly with different other halves - tried on different wordings. One issue with the non-would wordings was that, at the time, I didn't say "to" and so it ends up with two if-you-do's. "When you gain a card, you may reveal this from your hand. If you do, trash that card. If you do, gain a Silver."

But I mean, there's no interesting story here. I tried to get a good wording for the ability, that made interactions clear. I ended up with what you see in Hinterlands. It was a mistake but I didn't realize that in time.
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trivialknot

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3480 on: November 12, 2016, 10:19:03 pm »
+1

Earlier you said Temporum: Alternate Realities might be released in November.  Is that still on schedule?
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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3481 on: November 12, 2016, 11:58:55 pm »
+1

Do you see Dominion as something you work on, a hobby you happen to be paid to develop, or as a legacy of sorts?
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3482 on: November 13, 2016, 06:38:03 am »
+3

Earlier you said Temporum: Alternate Realities might be released in November.  Is that still on schedule?
Now my best guess is early next year.
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3483 on: November 13, 2016, 06:45:42 am »
+6

Do you see Dominion as something you work on, a hobby you happen to be paid to develop, or as a legacy of sorts?
I don't know what you mean by "legacy" in contrast to those other options.

There is work-like work that is definitely a job and not a hobby (e.g. proofreading). And uh it pays. And like, my computer programming career, I liked computer programming, that's how I got into it. It's more fun to do your own thing than to program dialysis machines, but there was fun to be had on the dialysis machines too. So it's not like I am comparing "play this game for a living" with "do this awful job." There were things I hated about the programming jobs, but still.

Really, like, there is the classic bit about how easy ideas are, the work is the hard part. Thinking of a game is just good times, but there is endless centering of text and so on in your future if you want to try it out. It's not something you would confuse with goofing off.
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pacovf

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3484 on: November 13, 2016, 10:58:49 am »
0

The "legacy" part was meant to say, when you are working on it, how much are you influenced by the thought that the product is going to impact your standing in the boardgame World, or whether people respect you, or you are going to win a Spiel des Jahres or what have you. I don't know what sort of longevity euro games have, but yeah, basically, do you ever wonder how people will remember you/your work after you stop publishing, and does that impact your work process.
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3485 on: November 13, 2016, 02:46:09 pm »
+6

The "legacy" part was meant to say, when you are working on it, how much are you influenced by the thought that the product is going to impact your standing in the boardgame World, or whether people respect you, or you are going to win a Spiel des Jahres or what have you. I don't know what sort of longevity euro games have, but yeah, basically, do you ever wonder how people will remember you/your work after you stop publishing, and does that impact your work process.
Working on Dominion expansions I have mostly thought "this is awesome." I expected Dominion players to love Empires. I didn't think of it in terms of any kind of impact on me as a designer, I mean I think it has no impact, it's just another Dominion expansion, people already knew I could make those.

For other games I mostly think, "this is great but people will hate it." I don't know why they will but I do expect them to, based on how things have gone. I just try to make the game good though; I don't think, how do I make this more of an SdJ contender, or should I do something different because of future generations. I do worry about like what I think the audience for this kind of game might like, though I haven't always. You know, at first you just do what you can to make a good game, whatever it turns out to be, but if it's going great and you're polishing it, you want to slant it further towards the fans it might actually get. Like how Dominion expansions started going lighter on attacks.

I imagine I will have to do some kind of thing where they remember your name, if I want my name to be remembered.
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Roadrunner7671

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3486 on: November 13, 2016, 02:51:10 pm »
0

Do people ever walk up to you on the street and be like "OMG! You're that Dominion guy!"?
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Accatitippi

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3487 on: November 13, 2016, 04:55:01 pm »
+1

I imagine I will have to do some kind of thing where they remember your name, if I want my name to be remembered.
You mean something like:
Statue - Action
Name the designer of this game. If you did, +5 coins.
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3488 on: November 13, 2016, 05:08:41 pm »
+19

Do people ever walk up to you on the street and be like "OMG! You're that Dominion guy!"?
They do not. At best they walk up to me at a game store and say, "Someone said the Dominion guy was here. Uh. Is it you?"

A story I always tell: I have had someone be introduced to me as Donald X., be standing there holding Dominion, and say, "so we were going to play Dominion. Have you played it?"
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Jimmmmm

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3489 on: November 13, 2016, 05:26:11 pm »
+5

Do people ever walk up to you on the street and be like "OMG! You're that Dominion guy!"?
They do not. At best they walk up to me at a game store and say, "Someone said the Dominion guy was here. Uh. Is it you?"

A story I always tell: I have had someone be introduced to me as Donald X., be standing there holding Dominion, and say, "so we were going to play Dominion. Have you played it?"

Did you set them straight or let them have a go at teaching you the game?
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GendoIkari

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3490 on: November 13, 2016, 05:27:01 pm »
+14

I imagine I will have to do some kind of thing where they remember your name, if I want my name to be remembered.
You mean something like:
Statue - Action
Name the designer of this game. If you did, +5 coins.

The online interface would be interesting, having to list every game designer in history, plus the ace of spades.
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ipofanes

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3491 on: November 14, 2016, 05:52:19 am »
+2

but there was fun to be had on the dialysis machines too.

I'll remember this quote as consolation if I ever come down with renal failure.
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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3492 on: November 14, 2016, 06:46:20 am »
+2

Do people ever walk up to you on the street and be like "OMG! You're that Dominion guy!"?
They do not. At best they walk up to me at a game store and say, "Someone said the Dominion guy was here. Uh. Is it you?"

A story I always tell: I have had someone be introduced to me as Donald X., be standing there holding Dominion, and say, "so we were going to play Dominion. Have you played it?"

Clearly you have to print your face on the cover.
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3493 on: November 14, 2016, 08:04:26 am »
+23

Did you set them straight or let them have a go at teaching you the game?
Neither; something like, "I have played that a lot actually, but I have other stuff to do tonight."

For a while I preferred not to advertise that I was that guy. Someone would say, oh it's your own homemade Dominion expansion, and I would say, yes, yes it is. And someone at the table would laugh, and maybe the person would find out the deal, maybe they wouldn't. Certainly other people would sometimes helplessly blurt it out, or point me out if someone brought up Dominion at another table.

But then one evening a couple that was leaving said "huh you made your own homemade copy of Kingdom Builder," and seemed disgusted as they left. So now I just say I'm the guy. I don't lead with it but when it comes up, yes, this is my own homemade Dominion expansion, pause for chuckles, but we are playtesting it for publication, I am the Dominion guy.
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GendoIkari

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3494 on: November 14, 2016, 10:44:09 am »
+14

But then one evening a couple that was leaving said "huh you made your own homemade copy of Kingdom Builder," and seemed disgusted as they left.

Well what do you expect making home made copies of people's games? Shameful that the guy who made Dominion would go and rip off the poor designer that made Kingdom Builder.
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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3495 on: November 14, 2016, 11:33:13 am »
+3

Do you plan on playing the new Dominion Online for pleasure when it launches next year? If so, will you be incognito?
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Donald X.

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3496 on: November 14, 2016, 05:03:49 pm »
+6

Do you plan on playing the new Dominion Online for pleasure when it launches next year? If so, will you be incognito?
It will depend on how much fun I'm having and on what other games I could be playing. Probably I will not be incognito.
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Kirian

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3497 on: November 14, 2016, 05:17:46 pm »
+3

* Kirian goes to reserve username "incognito"
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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3498 on: November 14, 2016, 05:22:58 pm »
+4

* Kirian goes to reserve username "incognito"
* ThetaSigma12 goes to reserve username "Donald X."
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Marcory

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Re: Interview with Donald X.
« Reply #3499 on: November 15, 2016, 03:17:30 pm »
+3

So does this mean that DROP {DATABASE | SCHEMA} [IF EXISTS] is already taken?
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