The World of Cards: Appendix

Postmortem

It feels weird to finally be done with a project, but here we are. The World of Cards has been an incredibly fun project to work on, even back when it started in January. The World of Cards initially launched with a plot, where the first two images were hid behind some HTML puzzles. My initial thoughts about those puzzles can be read here.

The plot and the reception to it changed the entire trajectory of this website. What began as just a repository for my photographs and a home for the Visualize! project became a much larger space. I have been designing a future plot that's even more interactive and has even more game to it, based on the previous one.

The World of Cards simply began as an easier series of photos based on The Hierophant, but ended up becoming more of a space to explore more techniques and implement new systems. The Artifice was the first photo to use a javascript-based riddle switcher, with a hidden secret that would permanently unlock if you found it. This system has been implemented in all future images, though the extra riddles are not yet unlockable. Yet.

My biggest takeaway from this whole project is my rapidly evolving technique. Comparing the earliest World of Cards photos to the most recent ones shows a dramatic increase in editing and photography ability. I'm still learning rapidly and using new techniques all the time, so there's a huge difference from beginning to end. I've used a new lens, multiple editing programs, a new lighting system, and even a new table background as the series has gone on, all of which contribute to each photo, one element at a time.

In the end, I'm so, so glad I embarked on this project. What began as a little side project from Visualize: The Tarot became its own whole world of puzzles and pictures. I've learned so much from just working on the World of Cards series, all of which will carry forward to all of my future projects.

Acknowledgements

There are quite a number of people I must thank for their contributions to this project. First, I must thank my assistants. As much as I joked with them about being interns, without them holding lights for me during the early phases of this project, the photos would have simply looked awful. Those people, who put up with my nonsense, are my current roommates, and my parents, while I was at their house. Additionally, I must thank my playtesters, Crackin' Crocodiles, Spavven, and BeanMachine, on discord, for helping me test the difficulty of different riddles. Finally, I have to thank the whole community on the Can You See What I Spy discord, for helping keep me motivated to work on this project. Thank you all so, so much, for your feedback and support!

Bonus Puzzles

The photo above shows some of my favorite cards. How many times do these cards appear in the World of Cards series altogether?

How many different card games are represented in the World of Cards series?