It’s been a while since the last time I’ve posted. It’s not due to lack of activity. If anything, it’s that everything’s insane all the time. Card Ace: Casino is growing like a weed, and Fleck’s undergone so much change in the last month and a half that if you haven’t played it in a while, I’d encourage you almost to start fresh, just because the new tutorial is so good.
There are times when work sucks. Things are stressful, uncertain, need to happen yesterday, have exploded, or are just messy in ways that cause you abject misery. I think that’s the same about anything that you really care about, or anything that’s worth doing. But then there are so many moments when I’m reminded why I absolutely love what we do. Times when a piece of art perfectly conveys what it needs to. Times when a gameplay mechanic “clicks” and makes perfect sense, after literally months of effort. Times when the changes work, and when you can see how everything will build off them.
In the case of Fleck, it came from a bit of focus. It’s a game that can be everything. One day, I hope it will be. But right now it needed less, and finding the right less that made it more has been a spectacular challenge. But one that’s had immediate, tangible, and fantastic results. I’ll post more about the specifics sometime soon. There are two other posts that are waiting in the wings.
1.) Why – a followup to an earlier post – The Why. Like everything else we do, I’ve iterated a bit, and have a better answer than I had before. The thought process had a specific structure, and I’d like to get that across, so finding the right way to capture that might take some time.
2.) On Being a Fraud – why insecurity isn’t always a bad thing, and how Donald Rumsfeld, of all people, said it best when he talked about the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns.
If you have a preference for which comes first of the three potential posts, lemme know in comments.
I am curious about why you believe insecurity isn’t always a bad thing? A little fear of the unknown can be a healthy response that triggers physiological responses that can keep you focused and alert for “danger”, but fear, coupled with indecisiveness, equates to insecurity and doubt in my book. If you are surrounded by the very best, and they are all trusted, then perhaps a little insecurity can be internalized thereby allowing others around to think outside the box. However, if merely the perception of the leader is that they are insecure, a negative chain reaction can start to build within the team.
To be clear, professing knowledge in an area where knowledge is lacking is primary attribute for a fool. I think it is correct to say, “I don’t know enough about this subject yet to render an opinion.” But sometimes the best course of action in the short term when faced with the unknown is to button up and observe – for a bit.
I once met Mr. Rumsfeld in a receiving line while stationed in Iwakuni, Japan but I wouldn’t claim to know the man himself – or his philosophy.
I am curious now to see your thoughts about the merits of insecurity (in moderation of course), and what exactly brought this to be a potential topic of interest.
Cheers! And fleck is awesome.