This week, we'll be addressing some questions about the next project, Codename Jenga. I'm sure there will be questions left unanswered, and some purposely left vague, but this will be the "go-to" post for a while describing what Codename Jenga is.
Q: Tell us about the game already!
A: Now, now, patience is a virtue, but all right, you've been reading patiently for a couple of sentences! In essence, Codename Jenga is about building a world and managing the chaos that affects it. This is purposely a vague term, because it shares similarities between games as broad as Dwarf Fortress to SimCity, although the depth has more in common with the former.
Dwarf Fortress is about (among many things), building a world that feels alive, due to the depth of gameplay detail its creators have attempted to create. However, anyone who has played (or tried to play) Dwarf Fortress is very aware of its faults. Its interface and graphical design are dated and hard to use. Its player feedback is confusing at best and non-existant at worst. Its world feels alive, but the graphics don't do it justice - a deliberate choice made by the designers that we're taking a different path on.
SimCity shares many of the core "fun ideas" that Dwarf Fortress uses, but is a lot more accessible. Both games share the activity of creating a world, and managing the chaos that ensues. Codename Jenga will be doing the same, although with a different theme than either Dwarf Fortress or SimCity.
Q: That sounds awesome, but I still want to SEE it, and play it! What's the release schedule??
A: We'll announce formally as soon as we have something to show (right now, things are very prototype-ey). The formal announcement will probably be sometime in July or early August, with the demo and preorder becoming available in late August or September. The demo will be available for free to play on the web, PC, or Mac. If you preorder, you'll receive the latest version of the game as its updated, leading up to the release, at a cheaper price than the final cost.
Q: Can't you tell us ANYTHING ELSE?
A: It has tiles, but they're in 3D, sort of.
And that's it for this week! As always, you can contact us with questions, either on Facebook, Twitter, or email (info [at] redbuttongames [dot] com). Follow us on Twitter and Facebook as well!