The two forces arrayed against one another. But, are they truly enemies?

The Fall Roundup

I believe games prepare us for the challenges of life. (That and lifitng some heavy iron occasionally...) When things get challenging, remember, you know the rules. You know the strats. You know the combos. Just stick to your guns and you'll come out on top.

That said, between the chaos and the calm, I've been cranking out tons of game work. Here's what's up:

Legacy of the Cage 2 Development Update

My flagship game is still cranking along. Right now, I'm packaging up a prototype release of the digital playtest companion so we can roll THOUSANDS of games of Legacy of the Cage 2 under the new proposed rules. This helper app takes the automated spreadsheets (that you can find under the resources section of the website) and juices them beyond comprehension. You can do all kinds of stuff like manage your promotion (new gameplay mechanic!), your team (another new gameplay mechanic!) and auto-generate matchups - as well as random-roll new fighters for your solo or H2H games.

I love pen and paper as much as the next guy, but when it comes to dialing in the math: this is indispensable.

We'll go back to our beloved pencils and erasers very soon. I hope you check it out when that drops. You'll get a separate email about it and a way to grab the exlusive download.

PackCrack

"What- crack?"

I was on a mission to replicate that oh-so-giddy feeling of opening up a random pack of cards: baseball, football, Magic, Pokemon, you-name-it.

You know that feeling. The foil in your fingertips. That first tear. A glimpse of the sweet, sweet stack of pristine cardboard all in a line.

The smell of factory-fresh ink-on-cardboard.

Then, the magic of hunting through your new bounty for that coveted card. That Bo Jackson rookie. That mythic rare. The foil Charizard.

So, I made a little digital experience that you can rummage through and "rip" digital packs in hopes of finishing out your collection of fake fantasy-themed CCG cards.

Note: this is a tech demo at best. There are bugs. It features heaps of AI-generated placeholder nonsense (imagery, text, etc.). If something in here content-wise doens't make sense, you're right, it probably doesn't. It's temporary. It's a vibe check. I get all the arguments for why it's janky. I'm not going to sell this as-is by a long shot. It's just to play with for now.

I encoruage you to give it a run through and see if you enjoy the experience. It was a trip building my first solo-shipped standalone software (I'm a webapp guy for decades). This is just the beginning, though. Please, hit me with your questions or feedback. I have a million directions to take this thing and I think the bones are solid. It just needs a little push in the right direction and it'll be a total winner.

FYI: This tech demo is exclusively for PlayArchitect Games Newsletter subscribers. If you want in on the action, sign up for the PlayArchitect Games Newsletter today and I'll send you the link in your welcome message.

Disclaimer: This software is provided AS-IS. There is no guarantee of its functionality nor quality or security features. You agree to accept all risks by downloading, installing, and using said software. I am not responsible for any damages, faults, errors, or otherwise incurred as a result of use of this software.

In my professional opinion, it's totally harmless - it's just a database with some images, music, and UI stuff over the top, but you can't be too safe.

Happy pack cracking!

To future worlds, Matt Ventre