SERIES MASTER! PART 12- DEATH PROCLAIMED WITH FIDCHELL

Welcome to the twelfth issue of Series Master!

Rounding our way to the end now, folks! Series Master concludes in the next article. But before I finish these off for a while, I’d like to move on to an action series of games that have been around for quite a few years, Fidchell’s “Death Proclaimed” series. Unlike all the previous series covered so far, I haven’t had the chance to play these myself yet, but I definitely plan on doing so soon. And here is why you should too!


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Sbester: Can you briefly explain the origins of the series and how it came to be?

Fidchell: The first game started out as a simple Action Battle System test. I liked how it turned out, as bad as it looks now, and decided to make a simple, full-blown horror game with the system, something relatively simple, but also something I can expel a bit of my imagination into.


Sbester: How have they evolved from game to game?

Fidchell: I realized how messy and clunky the first game's battle system was. Death Proclaimed 2 came by when I eventually decided to branch the first game into different endings. I had wanted to improve the battle system in some way, so I ran a bunch of tests on some scripts I made up until I created something I was happy with. The battle system had been greatly improved and, like the first game, I wanted to make a full game with the system.

I also wanted to take a lot more creative turns in this sequel, so I made more of my own monsters and chipset graphics. The atmosphere in the second game has also taken a turn from the oppressive, intense atmosphere of the first and into a more depressing, dreary one.


Image from DP1.

Sbester: You’ve taken your time in releasing these through the years. Can you describe the process of making these games?

Fidchell: Lots of factors caused the huge time gap between releases (especially for Valerie's Letter at the moment).

Firstly, back then I had a lot of time to myself and a relatively stress-free life. In 2009, I decided to join the military, so I was occupied with that for a while. When I was able to relax again, I became engrossed in other personal projects of mine, such as comics and 3D modelling, not to mention the fact that I was starting to go to school again. Coupled with the stressful military life and other things, I realized that making RPG Maker games wasn't really the best way to invest my time, which leads me to the second factor:

Lack of motivation. I've been working with RPG Maker for a long, long time now and have been contributing my games wherever the internet provided a place to submit these sorts of games. I never received much feedback or anything for my work, therefore I became less and less motivated to even work on games. Around recent years, I came to realize that the games I've submitted really aren't that good. I have a habit of making something and not seeing the bigger picture of how it actually plays in the eyes of others. This includes my art.

I hope that with Valerie's Letter, I can show that I've improved much over the years and hopefully inspire people to believe this is worth being shared. I can say that this is currently my magnum opus, but we'll see what the community thinks when it's out.


Image from DP2.

Sbester: How did you come to the decision to make Valerie’s Letter, rather than another full out sequel?

Fidchell: I wanted to make a full out sequel at first, and I've also labelled one in the credits of Death Proclaimed 2, but Valerie's Letter will probably be my last game in this series.

In the time I was working on Death Proclaimed 3, I advanced the battle system even further and made it where enemies had to swing to hit you. I also added more functions, like dodging and blocking. It was ultimately unfinished, and around that time I brought Valerie's Letter to light.

What inspired the game is not too clear in my head. I thought DP3 had a ridiculous story that I just couldn't form together in a coherent manner, so I gave up on it and continued development on Valerie's Letter. Honestly, there really doesn't have to be another sequel to this series. It could've also had to do with the demotivation thing.


Sbester: What are your main sources of inspiration for these games?

Fidchell: Silent Hill goes without saying. In the credits to previous games I've mentioned the largest bit of inspiration coming from this amazing series. Other inspirations include Gibmaker's "Longing Ribbon", which inspired me to make RPG Maker horror in the first place, and the Half-Life mod "Afraid of Monsters." There could be other things, but by now I've forgotten about them.


Image from DP2:VL.

Sbester: What advice do you have to others who are trying to create their own series of games?

Fidchell: When you aren't receiving feedback for your projects, don't give in like I have. If you keep doing what you love, you will eventually get better at it. Work often, and people should begin to notice.

But if you truly think that there is something better you could be doing and using your talents for, by all means go for it.


Sbester: Any final thoughts?

Fidchell: I'm putting a lot of love into Valerie's Letter, what with custom graphics and systems. I hope everyone will find something they enjoy in this game when I release it. Horror is difficult to pull off in RPG Maker games for obvious reasons, but I hope that I have reached closely to that with Valerie's Letter and I hope that I can engross players in its twisted world.

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You heard it from the source. Start playing, people!

I'll be back next week with the final (awwwww) issue of Series Master!