With the end of the year fast approaching I wanted to take a moment and say thanks to all the players who continue to support TBG. As I reflect back on 2013 (and run a few statistics) I can see that we had a good year, not great, but good, and for that I am thankful. For those of you who ask me occasionally if the game is profitable, I will not lie to you, it is not. But neither is it any risk of going away soon so please do not worry. I started "GamesByRobc" as a retirement business and it will be around until I actually do retire and certainly beyond. TBG and my project management game (ThatPMGame.com) are flagship products and even if it takes me several years to bring them up to where they need to be you can rest assured that they will not go offline just because of a little red ink. My challenge remains to bring it to the black while never losing focus on the things that make the game fun.

So what's next?? I have started laying out development plans for the upcoming year and I think you will find TBG gets better all the time. Whether or not I get my ambitious plans accomplished is another question, but fail to plan I have not.

As I have frequently mentioned, bringing TBG to the mobile platform is my first priority. But my plans are changing and twisting all the time and I want to share with you one particular twist that is rapidly coming into shape. Some of you are aware that I also own the domain name ThatBEERGame.com and that it currently points here. I have always wanted to spin that off into a separate game but could never settle on the nature of the game, until recently that is. By midsummer this coming year I hope to launch a completely new game with this domain name. This will be a mobile platform title and the focus will be a social party game for beer drinkers. But here's that twist I told you about... the beer you drink in the new game will be brewed by players in TBG.

I am not prepared to release the details at this time because they are still largely in development. But I will say that TBG will also change with the reintroduction of the "Mega" brewery albeit in a completely different form from the original game concept. Suffice it to say that I believe the demand for your TBG beer will skyrocket and the quantities required to meet that demand will require players to strive toward the Mega. At the same time you will be able to keep the brewery you have now... there will not be the usual loss of all of your upgrades and the need to "start over"

Since TBG will remain largely intact and as it is now, the mobile version of TBG proper will still be released as a separate project although delayed slightly to make sure that it is consistant with the new game. I would like the transition between the two to be as seamless as possible.

Also on the docket this coming year for TBG is a facelift. Many new players have told me that the "game" page/tab is too complex and it is a primary reason they did not stay. The interface was designed for and accommodates veteran players who wish to brew beer and play in the pub at the same time and have a great deal of information at their fingertips with a few clicks. It is great for players with large monitors on their desktop. The reality is that most players first encounter TBG on smaller devices and many regular players continue to access the game from small screens. Visitor rates to the game are wonderfully high and I want to reduce the loss of players who feel overwhelmed by the interface. Rest assured that I have no intention of "dumbing down" the game itself... but I need to guide new players into the fold slowly and that may mean that our veterans will have to dive deeper into the site and expend a few more clicks to find stuff.

There are many smaller projects and enhancements on my list that I have talked about in the past and even started coding, they all remain consistant with the changes in the game as described above and all will eventually (I hope) be completed. Perhaps I change my focus and priorities a little too often but staying nimble is one advantage that I never want to lose. Player feedback is my guide and I hope that each year brings a new and better experience for all.

In other business... you will find the style competition schedule has been tentatively established for the upcoming year. Check it out at Contest Schedule

Brew Beer... Drink Beer... Play!

-Robc