The game is about a mad scientist-geek and a little enchanting story localization

This is an awesome game and positive about the scientists that we have seen. B> This process will be interesting to those who pleases aytishny Game Development, and those who love the history of long projects with surprises.





So, at the entrance to the English rules were written in the style of minimalism mathematical texts maps and prototypes. All this appeared in 2011, the author Donald Vakarina. Prototypes looked like this: he nadergano clipart to illustrate his point, and prescribed parameters.



We decided to make a game is not just about mad scientists, no. About good, but it absolutely, completely mad scientist in the spirit of "Monday begins on Saturday." And start with the concept illustrations. Relevant concepts right of the prototypes. I>

How it all began h4>
To explain to you the importance of every detail in the process, it is necessary to start with the history of the game. Donald Vakarina - one of the most famous game designers in the world. His "Dominion" was probably one of the most commercially successful games in the world in recent years. So, this guy wanted to make a game of your dreams. As he jokingly said it hurt a lot in school, and so he wanted to invent something such. Did - and sold the world rights to publish the company "ASKOR Geyms."

Published the first printed edition, showed it at the show in Essen (a town in Germany, where the most famous exhibition on table games and other geeky things). Game shattered like hotcakes. There's also found partners in different countries. In the Russian edition of the contenders were we. And then the publisher is missing. Disappeared altogether. It could not find neither we nor the factory where he was booking printing, neither the author of the game.

In the end game, which was to become a best seller, fast prodolbalas. We've been fiddling with Donald that he helped us to release this game yet. Somewhere in six months as the situation with Firefly - like, okay, that's cool, the audience is there, but no content. In our case, it was the turn of the already people willing to buy "Nefariusa." And in advance of liked it. The contract contained a clause that the agreement can be terminated if the publisher has suspended business activities. We waited almost a year. Donald broke the contract with "ASKOR", and in the end we got not just law and international law already on the game. Himself Vakarina two years engaged in balancing and even found a very exotic game situations that doispravlyal in this edition. Some geeks already want the second box.

Let's go back to the project. Unlike some other sites, we do not have to just take the finished images and texts, and to do everything from scratch on the prototype of the author. B> Usually we get already popular in the West, a game that a couple of times published. In the same situation on our hands was a thing similar to our own early prototypes. This meant that we write the rules themselves in his thesis, we draw all the "interfaces" and we're doing the translation with localization.

prototypes h4>
The first prototypes looked like this:



Accordingly, from now on the output of such tables must be obtained ready-made cards.

Gameplay h4>
Each player - a scientist. The task - to get around the other scientists on points. Points are given for the creation of inventions. Every invention changes the world (gives gaming effects like earnings, accelerate research, and so on). Each move is selected action - build a prototype (implementation of the invention), research (theoretical studies), work or espionage. In addition, each batch of the new world every time - that is cheap nuclear energy, the government grants, the restrictions on work with animals, then all contact with the aliens.

Sample Project Plan h4>

Concept h4>
Question destruction and capture of the world - quite delicate. In the sense that in enlightened Europe on how it will prepodnesёn depends on the volume of screeching liberals. Well, most of those who forbade GTA and other games, but not so violently.

Western concept was: "My activator volcanoes saves from earthquakes, freeze ray will help in the transport of fruit and etc. - But does not give me the rector talk about this at the conference. Aha! I will break the TV station and tell everyone. Thanks! And it is already someone broke and already talks about his inventions. So. It's a challenge! ".

We went closer to the concept and made Vakarina still a game about those geeks who are fanatically research, waving away the small side issues. Each has its own laboratory. That is, on the one hand, we have moved from the concept of the "war of scientists", and on the other - have decided that our scientists are generally more gracious and scattered. Why? Because we went through the list of cards - there is bias in favor of cooperation (eg Intercollegiate network of scientists), and there are no obvious indications of something straight specifically aggressive.

First draw pictures, ask Vakarina, whether there digging. He was somewhat taken aback cartoon style (he wanted in the spirit of Red Alert), but confirmed. Ok, work.



Original Style i>

The illustrations and translations h4>
Good localization starts with a couple of pictures, set the style. We immediately wanted something a cartoon, but it is interesting enough for viewing. Here are the options:



This is too evil, but the things in the background quite a anything i>



There is something there, try on in the same vein, i>



That's cool i>



There is a right mood. It becomes clear that we need still two scientists, as above, but those who give a damn. You know, a little off the Strugatsky bit of children's cartoons. I>

More concepts:



Very pleased with this one in conjunction with the previous "grandfather". Take his original concept and consistently changing. Here is the source code.



Think about the box:



Try on the original style of the first edition of the West:



And in the end still do as they pleased themselves. Here are our beauties on the box:



The Future box game i>

The general style h4>
The important thing was the card inventions. In the original, there comes forth the issue blueprints and mechanical font. We immediately replaced by domestic drawings (they positive, not negative), and the font is designed for guests to their signing. Here are the prototypes and the result:



An early version of i>



prototype later i>

The author used locally memes and wordplay. When translating the humor is lost in a game of words, but you need to consider when localizing our features. Here is a sample card, the essence flavora (decorating text without carrying load game) which he did not understand. But believe us, that's better. But with EALom even they know this anecdote.



On the Harmonization asked to redraw a couple of pictures. Example:



«The Hobbit" was too home i>



He wanted a special story on this map. At the same time shows how little changed arrow and coins during this time i>



And the result is i>

Final Test h4>
Then we made here is a prototype of paper and paperboard:



And gave it to people unfamiliar with nastolki all. Then - for those who only plays them. Basically, the beta testers said about the complexity of the rules. Here is an example of a report by tests:

Page 6 - about the operation of the invention - at first reading was quite incomprehensible phrase "pay the cost of invention" - who pays and who (in the bank or opponents)? the value of his invention or someone? then it is clear, of course, but again have to go back and reread.

Page 7 - "played invention" - might be worth to add "played and paid for," because at this point is still not very clear what it means to "play".

page 8 - "who at the end of the course scored 20 points or more" - you want to add a "first scored." In principle, it should be clear, but clarity must not interfere) blockquote>

Final h4>
Dopilivat rules (example page):

Options h4>
The important question was what to choose for the money - out of cardboard circles (well, you know that with a crunch squeezed out of the matrix) or money transactions, as in Monopoly. In testing, it became clear that the circles easier, but money from the paper cheaper to produce. We believe the resulting difference just a couple of percent up on the shelf. Ok, how do better - mugs.

In the arrangement of circles on the sheet had a chance to draw something. I offered to draw more "coin" with the root of minus two - it will not be able to squeeze, and joy will be the sea. But the production manager says that Easter eggs Easter eggs, and with his head then customers will be removed, because the coin is not squeezed - an obvious marriage of same. I understand that he is right and I agree. So without complex numbers, sorry.

Box h4>
Where there is a seller sells a box. In Europe, the seller almost nowhere to be, so we tried to make the box immediately sharpened by their market. It means - a lot of text.

And, of course, we could not resist a pair of small easter eggs on it.



One of our rules of translation - the author's name on the box in Russian, that it is clear how to read (and in the original - in the output of the rules). But, alas, are under contract for the license you need it in English - perhaps to Don someone came up on one show, and greeted with a hard Croatian accent. Here he is now, and insured.

Then - corrector and prepress. And the game is on the shelves. Two weeks without announcements - boxes are simply not enough, they sold out to the rates, the appearance in stores.

minutes of advertising and discount h4>
Everything. Download the complete rules and to look deeper into the box, you can here . As usual - talk « Habrahabr » - get a nice little discount in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and Ufa. Word work week.



P.S. B> Yes, that's another thing. I have a couple of new sealed boxes that I want to use the maximum positive. One think to send mail RF nuclear physicist from the Moscow State University (just in order to submit their faces on delivery), but what to do with the second until it came up. If you prompt the idea - would be great.

Source: habrahabr.ru/company/mosigra/blog/216133/