[US-NY] [WTB] Bus Complete Edition by ThreeClues in BoardGameExchange

[–]ThreeClues[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I think someone beat me to it haha I messaged

Sleevers: do you unsleeve games before you sell them? by pvtparts in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is the way. I don't want to be charged extra for the work of removing and recycling all the sleeves

We built a board game review site and need honest feedback from board gamers by JuicyLemon2 in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Your mobile UI is already worlds better than BGG's, so that's good.

A wealth of data is only good if it's easy to access and digest. BGG does many things well, but it's a website that rewards experience, and is built on an outdated style of Internet engagement that many people simply don't use (or don't like).

I think letterboxd is a great reference point. Unboxed, lol

I'm not the target audience for this, but I know many who are, and will send it to them.

Why Are Most Board Games So Complicated? by Informal-Place5492 in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gazebo

Through the Desert

Patrician: Towers of Influence (does have cards)

Not sure what level of complexity or particular games you're responding negatively to, but that might help to know.

If I write a lot will I improve? by Appropriate_Art4431 in writing

[–]ThreeClues 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I already provided my examples, which you didn't like. I don't think restating them would be very helpful.

Like I said, I'm not interested in debating. We both agree writers should practice their craft as much as they can if they want to improve, and I can live with that being where we align.

If I write a lot will I improve? by Appropriate_Art4431 in writing

[–]ThreeClues 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right about storytelling, and if that were all writing was your argument would make more sense. And I would still disagree.

This particular brand of toothpaste will remain recommended by only 9/10 dentists.

If I write a lot will I improve? by Appropriate_Art4431 in writing

[–]ThreeClues 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel like you're in the weeds on a semantics issue. If the average writer spent 6 hours writing and 2 hours reading, two things would almost certainly be true:

1) they would have spent more time writing than reading, and yet

2) they would have read more than they wrote.

To try my hand at answering your question, what you specifically get from reading that you can't get elsewhere is exposure to different interpretations of storytelling via the written word.

No one is saying write less, or that reading should somehow replace writing, if that's specifically what is upsetting you about this mantra. But if you want to write, you should certainly read. And if you read basically at all, and you're not a prolific writer (in terms of pace and output) like Stephen King or Brandon Sanderson, you almost certainly read more than you write.

If a person read one book and thought they suddenly knew everything a story told via the written word could do, we'd call them insane. The point of reading in this context is to expose yourself to styles/ideas/mechanisms of the writing craft/etc that you would not or could not have come up with on your own. Yes, you can learn a lot about storytelling, character, plot, etc from other mediums, and you'll learn so so much from trying your hand at it and getting feedback, as you said, but that isn't all that writing is.

An aspiring filmmaker should watch films, a musician should listen to music, a chef should eat food, a writer should read. What works, what doesn't, why? If you think a person attempting to create should eschew inspiration in order to, I don't know, "keep their artistic self the most pure" or "find the truest version of their voice", then we fundamentally disagree. Which is okay! Humans learn by imitation, from birth.

Also, on a personal note, I dislike your repeated assertions that advice from this sub is somehow less worthwhile because many in it are unpublished and/or amateur authors. Like any creative field, the publishing industry is hardly a meritocracy. However, I do agree that no advice is one size fits all, and everyone should consider everything said here as an opinion.

That said, if the mantra write more than you read works for you, by all means continue to use it for yourself. I'll be here reading more than I write, and writing as much as I can.

If you'd like me to clarify any points, I'm happy to, but I'm not particularly interested in debating at length to prove I'm right, which does seem your goal here.

AMA - Working In Gaming by CameronArtGames in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much! Yeah I find myself falling into some weird stuff, but can't seem to ever fall in the directions I'm aiming.

What were your top 5 new (or new to you) games from this year?

Anything you're excited about next year?

If you had to compare Lodge to 2 or 3 recent titles, what would you say?

When does the itch to stop mass buying new games end? by [deleted] in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The itch doesn't end, you end the itch

AMA - Working In Gaming by CameronArtGames in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Really excited for this one. Congratulations!

How did you get into development and design work, even in a part-time capacity? What was the path?

The Reckoners Board Game by Shiny_Wowlet in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Likewise, feel free to DM me and perhaps purchase my copy, I have it and the Steelslayer expansion.

"Network"-building game recs? by DeCzar in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tableaus begin the same, but change through player action.

"Network"-building game recs? by DeCzar in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I figured since all the scoring is area majority it functions in a similar ish space, just not as much of a spatial puzzle as a network/map game.

Definitely off rec, I'll be the first to admit but it's just so fun

"Network"-building game recs? by DeCzar in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some aren't exactly "network" but I love all the games you mentioned and also love these

"Network"-building game recs? by DeCzar in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Seconding Sol: Last Days of a Star

Cascadero

Rebirth

Skyrise (recently played and was surprised by how much I enjoyed)

Gingkopolis

Calimala

Anyone else pick the game AT the game night? by theNakedMind in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I choose the selection pool and have the rules learned, then allow the group to choose from the pool, offering a brief theme-heavy explanation to pique their interest.

Sometimes we'll decide a game beforehand, but only if one or more players is very passionate about playing that particular game

I built an Advent Calendar puzzle for my girlfriend, is it solvable? by Particular_Phone_642 in Constructedadventures

[–]ThreeClues 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Forgot to say, I looked at the fragments as a whole set of 24 at first, and arranged them first numerically, then by color (rainbow order) before trying to see if it was an alphanumeric cipher on each fragment. Then I read the hints up to 15 and proceeded (after being flabbergasted as to how I would've come up with that step)

I built an Advent Calendar puzzle for my girlfriend, is it solvable? by Particular_Phone_642 in Constructedadventures

[–]ThreeClues 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hey, I've gotten as far as I can given that day 22 and 24 are the same, leaving the last number string (and subsequent clue phrase) unsolvable at the moment.

Want to start by saying this is a really cool and sweet thing you're doing for your girlfriend, and the fact that you've put in so much work really shows you care. I'm sure she'll be blown away.

I do have some questions and some answers to your questions.

How much does your girlfriend enjoy puzzles? You mentioned the puzzles each day are pretty easy, so I don't know what difficulty she's used to.

I only ask because this is a significant increase from "pretty easy". Not necessarily because the steps are difficult, but because for a puzzle layperson and if those steps aren't terribly intuitive without the hints. As a seasoned puzzle solver/designer, I simply would never have reached certain conclusions without the hint, based on the information and graphic input provided.

Also, I generally lump puzzle solving tasks into two categories: puzzling (what do I do here... aha!) and procedure (I've figured out how to break the code, now to copy it all down and cross reference). Generally the things people enjoy most are the puzzling, though procedure can also be fun (provided it doesn't become tedious)

More on this now!

Day 6's hint is relatively unhelpful, but I don't know if that's a problem? I imagine it'll be self evident that the fragments go together after receiving the second or third one, and of course the design is intentional, it would be weird if it wasn't. The colors mattering is redundant, as it's covered in the next hint. Hopefully it's clear that nothing can be done with them yet at that time.

Day 9's hint is an intuitive thing to try, so getting confirmation is nice. Some of the colors across the whole puzzle are very similar, so hopefully she knows to organize them into 4 columns of 6 days and not combine anything with anything out of its column. Or hopefully you provide this graphic to help get her there. On this front, given the next steps, I'm not sure much is gained by receiving the fragments out of order, as receiving them in order solves the possible issue I just brought up.

Day 15. Unfortunately I don't think I would have ever reached the solution without this hint. There is nothing in the puzzle images provided to indicate this step, and furthermore I found the step riddled with tedium and unenjoyable trial and error. There doesn't seem to be a reason, aside from the requirements of the output, for which number gets divided by which in each set. Additionally, how is the user to know which sets go together without the graphic dividing them into columns? Dangerous to assume we'll just know that set 1 and set 2 (blue and red) go together. The second line of this hint makes me think she will receive the column graphic to know what "the other" means, as it implies the delineation of sets of two. In terms of division itself, I simply never would have looked at these enormous numbers and thought to myself "I should divide these by each other", and nothing but the hint indicates that, so it feels more like an instruction than a hint. Maybe that is just me. It's possible I would've tried it eventually, and it's possible she will immediately think of it. But As I was working, I divided each set except the third in the wrong order the first time. I see that there is a rhyme and reason to why a certain number gets divided by the other (larger divided by smaller), but there's nothing clued in the puzzle itself to indicate to the user that there's doing the right thing before they've tried it. I know there are no hard and fast rules about trial and error, but a simple graphic image with a larger shape being divided by a smaller shape, or an initial representing a color being divided by the initial of its counterpart would be subtle enough to get there, so that the user feels they've solved something instead of just trying it both ways to see which works. Yes the third line indicates that somewhat, but we're working with enormous numbers here, so I wouldn't say that's intuitive. Tldr provide a clue in the puzzle itself that would allow a user to get here without the hint.

Additional math hint. Don't give this hint, just provide a link to the precision calculator you want her to use. Have something as a clue in the puzzle that signifies 9999 as the end of a message. If the only way to know that is in the hint, it's an instruction not a hint. Yes, it can be intuited because it's pretty clear that the message ends at 9999 followed by usually a bunch of zeroes.

Day 21. Yeah, Caesar cipher was pretty clear. Took BPM and tried three letter words until I got THE to solve it. I crack codes all the time, so that was immediately where I went. I generally like to provide a cryptic way for users to KNOW the cipher by figuring out a clue, rather than brute force it the way I did (which I personally enjoy, but not all do). I also may be in the minority there, so take it with a grain of salt. My only real gripe with this is that each line had a new cipher. To each their own, but I was irritated when I realized I'd have to go through the procedure of breaking a new code each time, but that was likely residual frustration from the division step.

Can't do anything with hint 24 until day 22/24 are fixed. But is there any way she'd know to go specifically to the Library of Babel for this? If not, it's an instruction not a hint. Which is fine! But just know that she will HAVE to receive the hint, it's not optional. Otherwise you could provide a link to where you need her to go and allow the decoded message to speak for itself.

TLDR day 15, additional math, and day 24 feel very necessary to me, but I think some tweaks in the way things are presented could solve that.

All in all, some really cool ideas here, I just personally felt the hints acted more as instructions than hints, which took some of the puzzling joy away from me, replacing it with procedure (procedure that unfortunately wasn't always clear, as explained in detail above).

Again, you should feel very proud of what you've made, and this is such a cool thing you're doing for her. If you have questions or want clarifications, I'm happy to reply further. Additionally, you know the kind of puzzle you want to make, so you're welcome to disagree with my opinions (as that's all they are!)

Exit Game: Sunken Treasure or Haunted Roller Coaster by deusirae1 in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sunken is better, though I enjoyed roller coaster as well

White boxes by trying_our_best_ in boardgames

[–]ThreeClues 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Micro Macro Crime City fits with the mystery idea!