So I spent a couple of months alternately writing a new game, and making some improvements to my game toolkit. The improvements took, the game didn’t. That’s okay. I’ve learned a lot.

The most important lesson, in fact, wasn’t technical. As a developer, I’m used to working from a plan, a spec, a target. Even if the target is soft, it’s still there, guiding me. As a writer, on the other hand, I’m used to sitting down and banging out something—Pat stood on the edge of the road, watching for a blue car—and just seeing where it can go.

As a gamemaker, I’ve followed the writer pattern, and not the developer pattern. I say: hey, I’d like to explore a cave. Float in space. Talk to a robot. No plan, just an idea. See where it leads.

For the last couple of months, however, I’ve tried to follow the developer pattern. Didn’t work. The hell with it. Back to the writer pattern.

So, here’s a screenshot from a thing I’ve been banging on this week. Don’t know exactly what it is, or where it’s going. Can’t wait to find out.