It seems to be a bit of a trend lately for a developer to discuss their development process a while after completing a game, once they have gotten some distance from the project and had time to reflect on it. So, why not? Far be it from me to assume anyone is actually interested in this, I am writing this mostly for myself, but I will put it out there on the off chance someone is bored.

Avarice was definitely a very new kind of experience for me. I had never completed a project before, much less with a two week deadline, when Anaryu approached me about collaborating for the Winter Game contest. Naturally, I dismissed this as temporary insanity, but he was insistent. We tossed a few ideas around, one of which happened to fit quite nicely with Game Chill's theme once it was revealed, and thus Avarice was born.

The development cycle definitely had its highs and lows. Anaryu was frequently busy with work and his family, there was Christmas to think about, and I, of course, had no real idea what the hell I was doing. Fortunately, Team Anamei had done these contests a dozen times in the past and they were seasoned pros at it, and I had confidence they knew what they were doing. Were it not for Anaryu's reassurance that everything was right on schedule, I'd surely have lost my nerve on the project.

As for the finished product, I have some mixed feelings about it. I really feel like Anaryu deserves a ton of the credit for really making...well, almost everything in the entire game. At a time when the site was aflame with arguments about the weaknesses of RPG Maker-based Action Battle Systems, he actually made a game that featured one that really worked quite brilliantly. When the game first came out there were definite balance issues, but I feel most of those had mostly been addressed. People still have a few concerns with it, and I am generally willing to agree with some of them. Many felt the bosses were not quite epic enough, and I do not disagree (though I think the Waterfall Ruin Boss is pretty cool).

Others had issue with the difficulty. Some found it much too easy, others found it extremely hard. I think this is to be expected in a system like this, where the player's skill level is a huge factor. Better players will obviously have a much easier time with the game than others. The game's difficulty was more or less built around making the game accessible to everyone. An unfortunate side effect to this might be that the game offers little challenge to more skilled players. The difficulty setting is there, however, for those looking for more (or less!) challenge.

As for the writing, I was really not quite satisfied with it. There were many things I intended to include that were cut for lack of time. A few side quests were cut because we did not have time to give them the attention they needed. Calian, the Imperial officer found in the town, was intended to have a much larger role. Lexi, one of the main characters, was sorely lacking in development, more or less overshadowed by Vandeli, who has a much more prominent role in the game's main narrative. Many people seemed to like Vandeli, but I don't think it was because my writing was great. The writing relies mostly on sarcasm, commonly cited as a sign of weak writing. The dialogue is void of subtlety and grace. The humor is mostly to deflect the reader away from other weaknesses. The plot, when you strip everything else away from it, is pretty lifeless and cliché. Had I had more time to work on this project, and especially if the project had been longer, I'd likely have approached things much differently. But I do not recommend anyone take any lessons on writing from this game.

Finally, a few words about the setting. The world of Arvera is a world I created a long time ago for another project. Upon seeing the theme I decided it was an ideal world to set this game in. The world was originally envisioned as Steampunk, although I do not feel that the small part of the world seen in Avarice accurately reflects that label. But several people have commented on the level of detail seen in the world, which I appreciate. Avarice is just one of the stories taking place in the world. It is possible I will revisit this setting in future projects, but that relies on the presumption that I ever actually finish anything again.

As of now, many people have enjoyed the game, we even have a few nicely written reviews (thanks Drakonais and Nessiah!). We have gotten little in the way of true critical feedback, which is important to me as a developer, but as long as people continue play and be entertained by the game, that is the most important thing to me. I am very thankful to every single person who plays and enjoys the game, and I hope players will continue to be able to enjoy it in the future.

Regards,
Solitayre