How do you know if a game idea/project is obsolete?

1: "Original Mechanics"

If the game has "Original Mechanics" those mechanics can be applied to OTHER games or other product. I TRY (I don't always achieve and I get distracted) to make games which are all DIFFERENT from one-another.

And yeah ... You are going to say "ALL GAMES are DIFFERENT". Which is TRUE but IF I make a "Trading Card Game" like "Quest Adventure Cards(tm)", I'm not keen on working on ANOTHER TCG. Only recently have I created a "RE-BOOT" of the older game and improved the gameplay such that the game is much more streamlined and has a simplified method of play kids can enjoy. But the "RE-BOOT" is purely a "70 Card Game". Not a TCG...

2: "Original Art"

If you have ART for the game that can help you PRESERVE the game and see if there is something still viable in that game. I (personally) like to INTRODUCE art into my prototypes (as you saw Quest AC) with art, graphic design and a more complete product than just white paper stock.

This is just me... It allows me to FOCUS and do more with something that looks prettier than just cardstock with marking on it. But that varies according to HOW serious you are. Take for example: "Fallen Kingdoms". This is one of your self-published design and you took the time to create art for the entire game.

That's how I stay FOCUSED. I remember what I've invested and what needs to be worked on to get it to the "NEXT LEVEL"! (Pun intended)

3: "Original Components"

If you have COMPONENTS that can work in multiple games... Sometimes I borrow (or steal) from my own designs sometimes pillaging a game or two for the sake of another one. This is your case where you BORROW stuff from some of your other designs.

Again I've been doing that with ONE (1) Design that has yet to see much publicity or word of mouth. In any event, borrowing Hex Tiles that I had a CLEAR direction for and moving to another game because they work better there... Is just one example of how taking something from one game leaves another game cannibalized... Hehehe. It happens.

4: "Card games and abilities"

When working with Card Games ... You often run into the "What can I do to upset my opponent?" More specifically "Take-That" cards. I find that I often run into this issue of where can I use this ability and sometimes I see it creep up in several designs. An example of this is: "Scry". Games with Decks all can have a USE for such an ability. But I find I am using it in 3 Games already and that's enough for that type of ability.

Same goes with Interactions in Card Games. There is only so much you CAN do... But WotC are experts at designing new and different cards abilities which keep on changing from one Edition to the next.

5: Lastly to answer your question(!?)

I think Mechanics that are interesting (and same goes for components too) can be used in newer ideas. Leaving old games with a whole bunch of nothing (if you design like me ... Then you don't like to repeat things) and may allow you to squeeze something new out of something old.

Is the concept DEAD or COPIED, etc. Like I said Mechanics and components can be re-used given your desired to actually USE them in something new. Sometimes you need to make that a PRIORITY and say: "Yes I WANT to use Mechanic 'X' because I feel like it is very clever..." And there you have it ... A REASON to include it.

Best of success with your designs!

The only real issue with Physical space ... Is what you DO with all your NOTES. I personally don't want to have to "burn" notebooks and I certainly don't want to put them in recycling. So I want to "stop the bleeding NOW" so I don't run into that issue. I probably have like five (5) notebooks ALREADY. Most of them are full with information and little room for more "ideas", "mechanics", "themes", etc.

So the issue was ... "What do I do with my future notes???"

And I remember blogging about the "Blackboard" Boogie Board. It was a cheap little device that worked for writing notes, it's just that the templates would be part of the page (lines, squares, dots, etc.) and there was little you can do. I will say that the "reMarkable 2" allows you to choose a template and then use it to write... But after your do OCR or convert to text, you can remove the template and make the background BLANK again. VERY USEFUL!

The other problem with the "Blackboard" is that I needed to take PICTURES of the device and THAT'S how I digitally store it. Not great... Very bad actually because of lighting and so forth, you always came out with a picture which is mediocre. But that device cost me $75 CAD not $949 CAD...!

So you do get what you pay for ... And maybe the "reMarkable 2" is pricey, I doubt seeing the price go down because for people who DON'T need color, it's still the best product (eInk Device) to buy.

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To make a long story short. I decided to not have the SCAN my notes and go with a device that allows me to write with EASE (it really is great at taking notes, simple formatting when converting to TEXT) and it will no doubt serve me well.

But I get what you are doing and yeah ... Converting to a digital medium is the best for SAVING and KEEPING information.

Did I mention this? The "reMarkable 2" allows you to assign TAGS to each page you write. You can EASILY add a TAG "TODO" and this means that the page or subject matter requires more attention as is INCOMPLETE. You can also SEARCH for TAGS too...

So if I'm like: "What should I work on for 30 minutes tonight???"

I can easily search "TODO" and pick a page which deserves some more attention! That is super neat as it allows me to CHANNEL or FOCUS my attention on a specific topic in one of my projects.

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I'm just pointing out good and bad when it comes to the device. But I do applaud your effort to DIGITIZE your notes, I am doing the same thing with a different approach. Right now ... I have about a dozen pages and probably re-typed like 6 to 8 of them and can move forwards.

I WISH I could EDIT my shared documents but that seems like I must EXPORT them first as PDFs and then EDIT them. Otherwise I need to pay $4.99 CAD/month as a subscription to be able to EDIT my notes elsewhere than on the device itself.

BS... Forcing people to pay.

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So it's not a MIRACLE device. The problem is that I don't want to keep buying Notebooks with 300 pages and 5 Subjects. Because I run out of space (physical pages per subject) and am forced to have the SAME topic in multiple books. Not at all handy and not great overall.

I will continue on the other thread to share my thoughts.

With more experience, I may be able to become more masterful using the device. And I realize with its high price point. It is cost prohibitive for most people. I mean I could sit at a computer and type away my ideas. But the GOAL of the device is to avoid blue-light and to relax in a non-pc environment where all you have are your thoughts and a blank page waiting for ideas.

I will continue my journey with the device and point out what I believe is its strong points AND weak points. To have an unbiased opinion. Even thought for Note-taking ... It's a pretty good device.

Cheers!