Get your copy of Bubble Net, its expansions and accessories right here!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
The goal is in sight!
about 1 year ago
– Mon, Feb 17, 2025 at 05:13:58 AM
Two weeks ago, the lovely people at @redcastlegames hosted us for a Locals Only Expo!
I thought I already posted this, but... it was still a draft! So here you go! A great day for Bubble Net - we were solidly busy the whole time, from 11am to 7pm, and we got a lot of wonderful feedback on the final tweaks to our designs for Bubble Net. We even showed up in the Portland Mercury, a local paper!
We have been finalising layouts, I finally got to illustrate the box for the expansion, we have all the measurements and details from our manufacturer, and it's feeling very real.
We just sent the files to our graphic design team, had our meeting with @chiptheorygames about the next stage of fulfilment and distribution, and it's all go!
Next week, we are off to GAMA Expo, see you there!
And if you like supporting local businesses like Red Castle Games, please check out the fundraiser on their page. Small local businesses just can't survive constant break-ins like this.
It's nearly the holidays!
about 1 year ago
– Sun, Dec 22, 2024 at 08:31:07 AM
We had the great privilege of being able to road-test our initial preproduction samples at PAXU earlier this month. Since then, we have been poring over them, looking for everything we want fixed and everything we need to tweak.
Yesterday, we had a very productive team meeting with Kate, our project manager, and we know exactly what technical changes need to happen.
The team is working on increasing the contrast in the art files, too - as soon as those are ready, we will be looking for PNP testers to make sure the files are correctly formatted and everything is in order, so if that's something you want to do, comment below or send us a message.
Martin Gonzalvez has started work on the PNP layouts and will be finalising them after the holiday break, so we are all winding down for some much-needed rest.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday period - see you in 2025!
Files away!
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Nov 16, 2024 at 08:41:50 PM
Hello Podmates!
It's been quite a process to get things just as we want them, but we're excited to announce that we've sent our first batch of files to our manufacturing partners at Gameland! It's not all just graphic design and logistics either; we've got new art as well. Above is teaser piece from the revised Fish Deck!
Print & Play fans, we haven't forgotten you! We appreciate your patience, and are pleased to let you know that Martin, of Martin's Print and Play Hideaway, has our files in hand and will be working on putting together the best possible experience for you in the very near future. Watch this space!
Going to PAX Unplugged? So is Drayer Ink! We've a full schedule of demo appearances, including Knight Moves Cafe and the PAX Together Intersection (PTI). We'll be doing demos, showing off the newest assets for Bubble Net, and doing some usability testing around the Fish Clock expansion. Come visit us at one of the below times, we'd love to see you!
That's all for now. Thank you all for your support, and talk to you soon!
Rulebook updates: we'd love your input!
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Oct 01, 2024 at 09:36:59 PM
Hi Team! We've just received a new revision of the Bubble Net rulebook, and thought we'd give you all a look and get your feedback. We've got some of our own notes but it'd be valuable to hear what you have to say. After all, this is really for you!
Thank you all again for your participation!
Fish Clocks and files
over 1 year ago
– Wed, Sep 18, 2024 at 09:13:53 AM
August/September Update
Hello Podmates!
It's been a minute since our last update on here. That's deliberate - we will not be updating on Kickstarter as often unless we specifically have something to tell you, but if you want more regular updates on what we are doing (which includes conventions, other games, and general life stuff), you are invited to join our Facebook group or follow our other social media channels!
TL;DR
Almost all assets complete
Still to do:
Fish Clock design (testing in progress)
Fish Clock box (awaiting box dimensions)
Rules editing (in progress)
PNP file formatting (ready to start!)
So, a brief summary:
We recently lost two of our pets, Shasha and Lizzie, and it was a huge blow to us both. We have needed a bit of time to mourn.
We also had lots of other things going on: GenCon, PAX West, George's new job, Cat's game design course (and preparing 8 students' games for printing!), but we have been able to fit in some design and development work on Bubble Net and the Fish Clocks expansion, which we will cover below.
The team over at Jovial Graphics have been working hard on the game assets - we think they are looking pretty good! Here are previews of the two player boards:
And an example of the Fish cards:
And a mock-up of the box cover (this folds around the lid, so the writing around the edges is actually on the sides of the box):
What do you think, shall we go ahead and add our Drayer Ink logo and call it finished?
We have worked together to simplify the Podmate tokens:
And the icons on the Dice expansion (the pink outline is the "no print" zone):
And mainly, we have been working on the rulebook, which is nearly ready to show you. That will be in another update!
Fish Clocks
George and Morgan have been working on the best way to combine the requirements for a compact expansion with the best shape for the hands of the Clocks - we originally tested with clock hands, but they were pretty flimsy and we worried they would wear out easily, especially as they were unsupported.
So George tested circles with finger holes, which worked well, but felt pretty unwieldy - and took up too much space on the punchboard slug.
In our last meeting, Morgan suggested a teardrop shape, so that will be our test project this week - we are going to make a version on our Cricut and make sure the shape works at the size we need, and we will post about that on social media.
Print and Play
We know it's partway through September. We are still tracking to have PNP files for you this month, but it might be a bit tight for Martin - it has taken longer than expected to finalise the files.
The base game assets are ready for handing over now, though, so we are starting that process, and as soon as the Fish Clock testing is complete, we will be able to send everything out!
Expansion Box art
Ignore the text, it's just a placeholder - this is a quick draft, our graphic designer will make that bit look great!
I have a draft layout for the illustration in progress, but until we have the exact box dimensions, I won't be able to complete it, so that is the last task on my plate.
The box dimensions rely on the slug size, which relies on our completed testing for the Fish Clocks, and we want to be sure we have that right, so it might take a little longer than planned - we would prefer to send out the files a week late than have to send out several fixes as we figure out what's wrong, but done is also better than perfect!
As soon as the rulebook is back from Jovial and our editor, we will post it here as well, so you can help us make sure it's clear and we haven't missed any typos!
And that's our update! How are things in your world, friends?
