The Lincoln Letter

I’ve always loved comic books. So, some time during college, I made a few myself. Here is The Lincoln Letter, a story filled to the gills with educational value.

Whenever I make a game, I spend a large amount of time iterating and experimenting. The start of a project is particularly daunting - the game can go in any direction, so having to choose just one path can sometimes be paralyzing.

This little comic project was no different. Here’s a rough draft of the above story:

The script went through the wringer a few times. Then the script and the layout had to be reconciled: fitting together the text bubbles, images, and flow from one panel to the next. With those pieces, the process became a matter of figuring out how to best put the puzzle together - tweaking word usage, moving the panels around, cutting material.

This is not unlike reconciling between art & gameplay. A basic example: a modern military shooter game. Gameplay-wise, I want players to instantly recognize who is and isn’t on my team. Art-wise, I want the game to look gritty and realistic: everyone wears dark camouflage uniforms. So how do I instantly differentiate friend and foe if everyone wears very similar uniforms?  There is no one correct way to resolve this discrepancy - just a lot of different ways to fit the puzzle together.

(Personally, I’d add pink bunny ears and call it a day.)