I didn't want to write another "almost there!" development log, but I am almost there - and since it feels like I'm creating this puzzle book in a vacuum, I think it's appropriate from time to time to be publicly excited as well. Not that there are many of you out there who are following the project, but I received some very warm feedback in the past couple of months since I posted the last development log and I want to share the current status with as many of you as possible.

So, LOK is 99% finished. All the puzzles are finished, all the artwork is more or less finished, what I have to do at this point really is to import everything into Photoshop, centre everything and maybe add some final graphic touches. If you're interested in the game itself and don't mind some things not being aligned as they will be in the final product, feel free to download the PDF and check out my almost-intended vision of LOK.

On the other hand, if you are interested in the physical book, you will be able to get a limited edition copy for a pretty good price quite soon (most likely 11 euros + whatever will the shipping cost be - I'm a bit worried about the shipping cost, but sadly I have no say about it). I'll print 100 numbered spiral-bound books which will include a single transparent sheet to place over any page and draw on it with a marker pen, if you won't want to mark the book with a pencil.

Front and back cover of the book

At this point I'm a bit unsure when to officially release this thing. I've worked in music publishing for the past 7 years and even if some music-related trends aren't translatable to the game industry (puzzle book industry?), I think the warning "Never release in the middle of summer, because people are on vacations!" rings true. However I want to finish the book as soon as possible, it feels strange sitting on it, in a large part also because my reach is so small that it doesn't really matter when it's out. I can release LOK next week and still work on the promotion in the autumn. Who knows, maybe the release of the first edition will be only the beginning of something greater.

Speaking of the book being only the beginning - fellow game developer Raindrinker (https://raindrinker.com/) has made a rough digital adaptation of the first few chapter of LOK, because he liked the original concept. We came to a conclusion that I must first finish and release the book before he'd get serious with the development - that is, if he'll still be interested in it. So, not wanting to jinx anything, just a quick shout-out to Raindrinker, but this is certainly something I'm quite excited about!

A screenshot from Raindrinker's digital adaptation

I'm very proud of what LOK has become. Finishing projects has always been a difficult stage of the process and I can quickly feel disenchanted, especially if the final product doesn't match the original vision, but I can confidently say LOK matches the first burst of inspiration pretty much completely. It's my favourite thing that I've done in a very long time.

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Also, a quick non-LOK related news: I have discovered The Game Crafter a few months ago and decided to offer my card game All Is Bomb on its platfrom. The Game Crafter is a print-on-demand service, so All Is Bomb is now available for purchase as a physical product - my first physical product! All Is Bomb is a quick, but puzzly 1-2 player card game that won the YouTubers' Choice Award at the last year's Solitaire Print And Play Contest on BoardGameGeek. Check it out here:

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/all-is-bomb

This is it - hope you're safe and having fun!

Blaž