I am a massive fan of games like Game Dev Tycoon and other scenario simulators. So when I found Drafting Tales, I thought I would try it out. It was odd to play a game about writing articles and stories, considering all the while how I would write up a post on this game.
Drafting Tales is a simulation game based on you trying to become a renowned and successful author. You start out writing articles as a freelancer and writing your content to publish on various media outlets like newspapers and magazines. Over time you read up and research different genres, topics, and expand to short stories and novels. Each tier that you write on has different requirements. To publish a book, you have to find a publisher who would publish your work. You will also need 10 thousand fans. It would be best if you also balanced the time it takes to write these pieces against your monthly rent expense and the cost of the books you use to research and tools to improve your writing skills. You have skill points you earn after you write and submit your creative works. After getting enough skill points, you can then purchase skills or unlock access to new topics. You will have to strategize on what skills are essential and ones you will want to get later. For instance, I did not prioritize speed, and it made it harder to get higher scores on freelance work and even causing me to miss deadlines.
If you are not sure if this is the game for you to continue reading, I have more information about the gameplay and some things that I liked and things that could use a little more work. This game is still in alpha, so the experience is not set in stone, and I look forward to seeing the updates. There is a lot of potential in this game, and as long as we support indie games and their developers, we can see some great experiences that can be more memorable than traditional AAA games.
Experience
I went into this game curious and seeing how the developer saw writers and what the game loop would be. It was quite surprising to see the number of days that past for writing articles. I would lose a lot of readers if it took me weeks to write a single piece. But I appreciated the time plus rent working against earned income. Also, the landlord increasing the rent year after year was an exciting way to increase tension and have you looking to expand your creative works per month. The skill point system was an excellent way to create ways to improve and show the learning process anyone has when they continue their craft day after day. I had tried to become a famous Crime Detective writer. Starting with Crime, Detective, and Mafia subjects for articles and focusing on those fields to become well known. It turns out though if you stick to a single common theme of writing, it goes against you, and the market research gives you less return for focusing in a genre. I did get some awards. The first novel I wrote took forever to get to a published state, and I think I did a few things out of order.
I eventually went bankrupt. With rising rent every year and not focusing on my speed, I ended up missing dates for turn-in. I also had not to be a perfectionist and turn things in with less quality to hit the deadline and get some income back. But I learned that too late, and I didn’t try to move on to the house that might have locked the monthly payment. I was not able to get there, even after trying again. In the end, I spent five hours trying to get the entire experience. Reading new topics and improving your craft is an excellent way to progress, and I applaud the idea that you have to work and grind hard to get what you want. You can even fail after trying so hard, but appreciate what this game has going for it. It is still in alpha and has many more tweaks, balancing, and features that need to be finished before it can be released.
Graphics and Audio
In the tycoon version of these games, they are more pixel-based, I enjoyed the low poly version of this game. The game is not about extreme realistic graphics. I would be concerned if it was as I would rather the developer focus on mechanics over amazing graphics. The graphics do not detract from the experience either. They are stable and are not too distracting on the screen, so you are not bored. There are some subtle effects like when you buy individual books or items, and they are reflected in the room to show the progression of the player. I am also sure the house you buy later looks nice too. I also like the idea that there are other people in the apartment below you to reinforce the experience of a struggling writer.
I have mixed feelings about the audio in the game. The button presses, in the beginning, is too loud and could use some softening on the tone. The writing, typing, and effect while you are in-game are not bad. The effects of completing events or missions are also not over the top. The background music also changes and is dynamic and not overbearing. I think the game’s core audio is compelling and genuinely helps keep the gamer playing the game. It is more of a polish item that I hope will be reviewed before the game is officially released. Being able to have audio that brings a player in and in sync with the features of the game is an extremely hard thing to master and feel that this can be accomplished.
The Fun Part
The game is fun, it might not be everyone’s favorite game type, and that is okay. Drafting Tales has a lot going for it and figuring out the strategy on how to put your effort points. Including determining the various topics that should be written. Should you freelance on the short novel or write multiple articles. How far ahead should you plan, or should you focus everything into speed to get the words written faster and then take on more jobs or write the novel you want. Try to hit that thirty thousand to purchase the house. With your landlord consistently upping the rent value, you have to think about how to cover your expenses and stay on top of your research so you can get the paid more for your writing.
I tried extremely hard to become the best selling author in the crime and detective genre. I got pretty focused on it. It was working great for a while, and you will have to stay ahead of the market research before you decide what you write next. If you write too much about a single subject, apparently you will lose fans. Which I am glad is not valid; otherwise, the posts focused on indie games only would be a problem. I did enjoy this game, so much so that I played it for over five hours. So I am excited to see new updates for this game and see how this game polished and new mechanics and features to keep your attention.
Constructive Criticism
There are some things that I did not enjoy. Every game has loops that may not be the most engaging, and that is okay. These experiences that you do not enjoy is what these developers need to hear. They want to know constructive feedback. Saying a game “sucks” helps no one. But explaining why a mechanic made them not enjoy the game is extremely helpful and gives the developer a chance to fix it. This is not guaranteed, and perhaps a mechanic is geared toward a particular genre of gamers. But if a lot of people do not like it, then it is a good indication that it needs refinement. Whether it is on Steam or Itch or whenever you find your games, there should be a way to give feedback about your experience. Doing this informs others and the developer. With no input from the players, there is no way to know where things were done incorrectly. Remember, the developers are starring at their games for days and months and sometimes miss things because they are tunnel-visioned on other mechanics.
A few items I would want to be improved for a better experience is more ways to improve inspiration. I am not always writing for this blog. I do other activities, and I would like to see this character doing other things other than just a vacation to get inspiration. It would be interesting to have inspiration for mini-games. Any time a player has to sit and wait and do nothing is a chance for them to get bored and quit. With the rising rent, it would be nice to try to find different apartments and houses. Maybe add complications or bonuses that make the game feel dynamic. The balance of points and gains need some tweaks. I think being able to focus on a single genre or group of the related type can be rewarding but create a challenge trial. Like write ten articles of these topics, then write a trilogy. Then you can create experiences like writers do today that focus in a single group. Please do not make it easy but let them try to become the best selling author in something as its achievement. These kinds of updates would allow for more game loops to emerge.
Thank You
I believe this game has a lot going for it, and in time will be a great game once all the balancing and game loops are closed. The idea behind it is excellent, and I enjoyed playing the game. I sunk over five hours into it. This developer has spent a significant amount of time and continues to improve the game. Check their game out on itch.io and give feedback on your experience. Together we can help make this game more amazing. Much like the writer in the game, these indie developers are continually looking at their expenses. So it is up to us to support them and say there is something here and needs the feedback and time to get it polished.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope it was helpful. I do not get any compensation for you supporting these developers, and I want to ensure these indie developers get the spotlight they deserve just as much as any big named game studio.
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