LOOKING BACK: LOVE AND WAR; ACT I

Love and War is a tale taking place on the world of Terra. Ever since the birth of the first nation-state on this world, Terra has been wracked by the scourge of war. Five nations managed to survive throughout the ages, yet it seemed as though with each passing day, humanity slipped closer and closer to self-annihilation.

One man made a difference, however. The youthful Emperor of the Zion Empire, Geraud Valtemond, was this man. A brilliant, honorable, and benevolent monarch, he managed to open the eyes of the leaders of the other nations, showing them what lay ahead if Terra persisted down this road. Through diplomacy and sheer force of will, Lord Geraud created the Commonwealth; an international governing body, comprised of democratically elected representatives and Peacekeeping Forces, which would forever make war a thing of the past.

Three centuries have elapsed, and people have forgotten the lessons of the past. Tensions are rising between nations once again, and it seems as if the Commonwealth is powerless to do anything but watch as its order crumbles. Can one man make a difference, once again?

Welcome to Love and War.

Who is Admiral Styles?

I'm a Canadian fellow who's lived in a number of different places throughout the world, including the American South, various parts of Ontario, Canada, and the Middle East. Moving around so much had its challenges, but also advantages: it really gave me a better perspective on people and places, which I think helped to make me a more well rounded individual.


When did you first discover Rpg Maker?

Many years ago, that's for sure... Probably around 2001? I remember someone posting at a forum I frequented about a cool free RPG he'd found, "A Blurred Line". I checked it out, was really impressed, and found myself downloading and experimenting with the editor itself. And so it began...


What was your initial goal for yourself with the program?

When I first started messing around with RM2K, I think I started the way most people do: putting down NPCs and trying to make them talk. It was quite a big moment when the first "Hello, is this message displaying?" message worked! I started downloading and playing more RM RPGs, trying to learn from them. It would be a daunting task, but I definitely started to fell like, "Hey, if they can make an RPG, maybe I can, too!"


How did Love & War come about?

After playing a few RM RPGs, I started writing a text file (actually a Microsoft Word document) in which I just put down all the ideas I had for an RPG I'd like to make. I started forming the setting - the world of Terra, the countries that inhabited it, and also the personalities of the main characters. I actually enjoyed writing in that text file so much that I started writing a bunch more on all sorts of LAW-related topics, which pretty much continues to this day.

Now, not long after that forum post I mentioned above, I ended up joining a small group of forumers who wanted to make a game in RM2K. (I just remembered the proposed name for this group: pretty sure it was "Think No Evil Productions", heh.) As is often the case with these things there was a lot of talk, but no real plan or consensus on where we would start, or what each person would do. Ultimately nothing was made beyond a one minute cutscene (and a pretty funny "Programmer's Room" after that), but I ended up befriending the fellow who made the map for that cutscene, Qjuad, and talking with him about my ideas for my own RPG. After reading some of the text files I'd sent over, Qjuad decided to take a crack at making the first map in this as-yet unnamed RPG, the town of Davenport. I ended up loving the map he sent over, and that's when work began in earnest on Love and War.


What are some other projects you had in mind or were/are making?

There have been a few along the way. Qjuad and I used to make "birthday RPGs" for each other, and those series were lots of fun (and even a learning experience, ultimately). As for potential others projects, there are too many to count: I'd love to do a strategy RPG set during the Varaldian Civil War (a major historical event in LAW, but little referenced), or a more focused, detective-style adventure game. I even talked a little with someone a long time ago about doing some sort of spinoff action platformer! If only there was more time in the day.

One project that never happened was a collaboration with Teo Mathlein (of Sunset over Imdahl fame), which I really regret. We talked quite a bit over a concept that I think had great potential, and would have been very different from anything I'd done in the past. Unfortunately, his free time grew increasingly limited, and we couldn't make it work. That's life, sometimes.


Where's act II already!?

Ah, where indeed? Sorry for the delay, everyone! I can only note that the cause of Love and War has not been abandoned, and I hope to have some new developments to talk about in the near future. :)


What inspired you to go back & add to what was already a pretty decent game?

Well, I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist at times, and also someone who often gets dissatisfied with his own work as time goes by. That, plus my desire to further experiment with voice acting (having done so in the mini-projects C'est Lavie! and Love and 24) opened the door, but it was really the amazing mapper SGCN joining up that convinced me to walk through it. The mapwork in the original version was a little rough in some places (and is something I'm just no good at doing), so it was really nice to have him go back and patch some things up!


Has Love & War been a success or failure in your eyes?

It seems to have been received fairly well, and for that I'm happy. Truth be told, there will probably almost always be some part or another that I'm unhappy with, some bit that I'd want to tinker with, fix, add, remove, or replace. And of course I really regret we aren't further along in the series (where does the time go?). Even so, when I think about all the people who helped me along the way, those that created maps or drew artwork, composed music or recorded audition lines, and even those who just sent along a "Thanks for Love and War, I really enjoyed it!" e-mail my way, I can't help but smile. That's gotta count as some kind of success in my book.


Any other Rpg Maker games you love or are anticipating?

My three favorite RM RPGs (the "classics", some might say) have remained at the top for some years now, those being Three The Hard Way, A Blurred Line, and The Way. Others that I really enjoyed off the top of my head include Exit Fate, Sunset over Imdahl, Demon Legacy/Phantom Legacy and Romancing Walker. I have to admit though, I've very much fallen out of the loop when it comes to new and upcoming RPG Maker games. Definitely need to start playing more recent works!


Any advice for the community moving forward?

Off the top of my head, I'd gently suggest to my fellow RPG Makers that they remember to put a little thought into their NPC characters. Their purpose shouldn't be just to note "I hear the WIZARD'S TOWER to the East has lots of fire monsters!" or to blandly comment on the weather. They can be much more then that - a way to build your world, and your main characters as well. Few things in RPGs disappoint me more then the sight of NPCs never reacting or changing to events that occur in the world. Don't forget 'em!

Oh, and please, please, please beta test your games before releasing. Don't even think of uploading it straight away, as you might just find that you accidentally left in a switch that teleported the starting hero directly to the final boss battle! (True story. Thankfully, I caught that one myself.)

Finally then, if I may conclude with the silly-but-fun practice of posting song lyrics:

"Make your own kind of music,
Sing your own special song,
Make your own kind of music,
Even if nobody else sings along..."