Setting the scope for alphabet superset 2023
Tags: alphabetsuperset, creativity, design
Published: 2023-08-24 02:42:18

The YouTube algorithm has revealed to me some of my favorite media. This week it gave yet another unearned surprise (well I guess I paid for it by watching YouTube ads XD). The YouTuber `struthless` released a [call to action] (https://youtu.be/0tTOQT4HhXI) for creative people to build 26 parts of a cohesive body of work in 26 weeks (one week for each letter of alphabet). Although I'm feeling fulfilled in my day job, I was feeling in a bit of a rut on my side projects. I haven't made progress on my [simulation of eldritch beings](https://github.com/joedaws/lofi-eldritch-cosmos) in a few months. I think **ALPHABET SUPERSET** is a good chance to make some progress on my creative endeavors. So following the [guide](https://www.alphabetsuperset.com/worksheets) provided, here is my attempt to properly scope and define a theme for my 26 creations.

# Week 1 -- constraints

The goal of weeks 1 and 2 is prepare a creative framework to make the 26 weeks streamlined. In week one `struthless` asks creatives to contemplate certain constraints to guide a framework where your creativity will bloom. I really appreciate this guidance. So far in my project I've just let my creative heart dictate scope expansion after scope expansion. Even though I've never used them seriously in creative work, I do believe well chosen constraints accelerate creativity! The constraints are 

- [medium constraints](#Medium-Constraints)
- [style constraints](#Style-Constraints)
- [output constraints](#Output-Constraints)
- [theme constraints](#Theme-Constraints)

## Medium Constraints

### Core Medium

I intend to make my [simulation of eldritch beings](https://github.com/joedaws/lofi-eldritch-cosmos) as my core medium of creativity. This will include building a UI for viewing the simulation and interacting with it. I need to learn about how to design a properly compelling "game loop" to keep the viewer/player engaged with the simulation. Right now it's a bit aimless. My original goal was to create a simulation of a system which invites the viewer to question how agents interacting in a system both influence and become influenced by the system. And in particular, what kind of systems tend to encourage agents to behave selfishly, and which kinds of systems encourage and reward agents to take actions which benefit the others? I don't have a solid plan for conveying this, so I hope to figure it out in part by partaking in this exercise.

### Communication Medium

I'd like to use blog posts here on dev! I'll also make direct updates to my UI and simulation itself. 

- words and drawings
- Simple UI work using [`scenic`](https://hexdocs.pm/scenic/welcome.html#:~:text=Scenic%20Scenic%20is%20an%20application%20framework%20written%20directly,operating%20systems%2C%20including%20MacOS%2C%20Ubuntu%2C%20Nerves%2FLinux%2C%20and%20more.)
- Simulation built using `elixir`

## Style Constraints

Five aesthetic rules

1. UI assets will be created with pen and paper this is consistent with the initial design of the UI being a book
2. Unique and specific beings will be prioritized over fully procedurally generated beings
3. Sound is not to be integrated into the UI
4. Animations are not to be integrated into the UI
5. Keep is simple, if I can't figure out how to implement it in a week, then it's not going to be built during **alphabetsuperset**

## Output Constraints

**What thing will you make every week**

1 asset, 1 design choice, 1 story element, or 1 code improvement to the simulation.

**How will you post this every week**

I'll create a tweet or a blog post (or both about the creation). This will require the additional work of writing down what was created and why it was created.

**How long will this take**

I guess about 3 -- 6 hours per week.

## Theme Constraints

My theme is **systems and relations of eldritch beings**

Systems and relations are core components which influence individual behavior. They are themselves also influenced by a collection of individual actions. Understanding the relationships between systems and individuals acting in those systems is important to me because discovering and promoting systems and relations that support all individuals involved is a path for world growth and peace that I'd like to advocate for. However, there are major barriers to communicating about such things. 

- I'm not an expert in systems and relations and have limited capacity to communicate about it using prose or mathematics. I need to improve (and I think I can do this through this creative endeavour).
- Communicating with others through purely informational or purely mathematical frameworks will have a limited reach. Stories and interactive media have a better chance of conveying what can be done to improve our systems and relations since they ground abstract ideas in familiar or semi-familiar narrative structures.
- I am fascinated by "weird science fiction" and the Cthulhu mythos so it will be fun to united systems and relations with a specific genre of science fiction.

## Conclusion

I'm not sure I've appropriately scoped the project, but that's part of the learning process. I'm also looking forward to seeing what other participants in **alphabetsuperset** create, especially those creating interactive media.