Ridere, ludere, hoc est vivere.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Gold on Mars: It's been done

The game that burst
my bubble
I was doing some market research today for my "Gold on Mars" game concept, and I've made that heart-sinking discovery that somebody has already done what I had in mind, better than I could have done it myself.  High Frontier (designer and artist Phil Eklund, publisher Sierra Madre) seems to have all the elements I wanted to manifest in "Gold on Mars," but (based on reviews) better than the prototype I've been crafting.

So, bottom line, I'll have to get a copy of HF.  It looks like fun.

*Heavy sigh*  Meanwhile, back to the drawing board.
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 4, 2012 at 11:03 AM

    Paul, I'm so sorry! Can't imagine the disapointment. Stephen

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  2. Paul OwenMarch 5, 2012 at 8:18 PM

    All is not lost. I picked up a copy of High Frontier at PrezCon. So far, it appears to be much more complicated (and, I imagine, difficult to play) than my concept. I plan to spend some time getting to know HF and figure out how to proceed with "Gold on Mars."

    I also got some encouragement from Lew Pulsipher at the game design seminar that just because there's another game on the same theme doesn't mean I shouldn't continue to develop my prototype. He pointed out that there are numerous games covering such popular topics as the battles of Kursk, Gettysburg, and the Ardennes. So if there's only one "interplanetary mining" game on the market, another approach to the same topic is certainly viable.

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