Take 5: August News
With less than 2 months to go until the A.E.G.I.S. Kickstarter launches, things are extremely busy here at Zephyr Workshop! We’ve been hard at work tweaking robot designs, developing new play modes, and making sure you the players get the most high-quality combining robots we can pack into each box! (And no, pre-combining them sadly does not make them take up less space. We wish it did.)
With that, here are the top five news bits for August 2015!
While you’ve come to know and love our core Commanders and their unique abilities, it’s time for a makeover! In mid-August we put out a call on our Facebook Page for artists who would be interested in helping us breathe new life into our art, and we’re very happy with all the interest we’ve received! Expect to get a glimpse of our new Commander art very soon!
We still need board illustrations, graphic design help for game assets and/or promotional pieces, and anyone who’s capable of drawing robots in our cel-shaded, cartoony style. If you or anyone you know think you’re qualified and are interested in learning more, send us an email and/or link to your portfolio at: zephyrworkshop@gmail.com with the word “Art” in the subject line!
This month we had several extensive design sessions devoted to ensuring optimal balance and fun in each robot combination. Some robots are going to be cut or altered in the final game, others will be added, and some abilities may be scrapped/altered/expanded upon as well. We’ve got so many robots we want to bring to you, but only the best will make the box! As well, we’ve been further testing new game modes such as Point Control and 4-Player Battles, and they’ve been very well-received so far. We can’t wait to share them with you!
Even as we hammer out the details on our flagship game, Zephyr Workshop continues to support the Worcester, MA game design community through the Worcester Game Pile. Several members of our team hosted and participated in the first US jam site for the Fukushima Game Jam, a 30-hour game jam created shortly after the 2011 earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster that hit the region to bring attention to the struggles they face even today. The jam was streamed online, and we had check-ins with designers all over the world to show off our progress. We had a lot of fun, and made some cool games using the theme “Soaring.” Breeze and Ryan worked on the Oculus Rift-enabled first-person flying ferret simulator Ferret Typhoon, and our intern Michael helped develop a complete card game called Flighty Fliers, where you race chariots pulled by scared flying horses. An article about the game jam appeared in Worcester Magazine, which you can find here.
During our time at Gen Con, A.E.G.I.S. was featured in several videos and interviews, and those videos are now up! Check out the prototype Arc Buster boxes, hear a bit about what we’ve been up to, and get a glimpse of Gen Con in these videos, found here on our publisher’s site. We’re also going to be sending out review copies of the game shortly, so stay tuned for those links showing up soon!
Finally, we are currently preparing for our next convention appearance! A.E.G.I.S. will once again have a table at the Boston Festival of Indie Games on Saturday, September 12th, 2015. We love this convention, and hope to see you there at MIT for some combining robot action. With the Kickstarter looming right around the corner, it’s now or never to get your ‘bots in gear and play some A.E.G.I.S. at BFIG!
We’re going to have one more major Take 5 post for September before the A.E.G.I.S. Kickstarter launches in October, so keep checking back, and spread the word about us! We need your support to help bring this game to the world!
Fight and Unite!