Caldesian Dreams

Well it has been almost a year since I gave up on my Epic Masterpiece. The remake is not happening as I barely made it past the first area. I'm leaving the old download up (maybe 5% complete) in hopes that others may learn from my failures as this project could very well stand the test of time as an object lesson on what not to do with your first game... Let's try to list these lessons.

-Spend at least a year playing around with the engine BEFORE you release anything to the public. I didn't know what a variable or a conditional branch was when I started this game!

-Your Massive Epic Plot is too fucking massive! Scale down your first few projects. If you come up with an great idea for a long game wait until you have a better grasp of the game-making process. Take notes and plan for you long game while you work and complete several shorter games.

-"I'll fix the graphics later". No you won't.

-Your jokes are not as funny as you think they are. Make a joke game or make a serious game don't try to mash the two together.

-When people offer criticism don't just brush them off as a bunch of assholes. Even assholes are right now and then.

-More game does not equal better game. I was actually intentionally slowing level progress in order to strench out the game. NEVER DO THIS

-Don't plan a game with major features you have no idea how to make. Again scale down your first few projects.

-Other people will not make your game for you. Suck it up princess.

And finally... When you realize your game sucks and you've painted yourself into a corner. STOP making it. It's time to move on to a new project.

Of course in my case that new project was Crystals of Kerdesh which turned out to be an even more epic fail but at least the whole CoK fustercluck was a learning experience.
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Thoughts on the Characters. I'm planning to recycle many of the ideas of this game into the Elfquest series including the lead characters at some point. Notice I've stopped using the terms Drow and Half-Drow in Elfquest: Get the Shiny. I'm trying to ease away from D&D and towards something a little more original.

Kataline:
It's interesting that Kataline which I considered the Female Lead when I made this game has become the least important of the four starting characters. Kataline is probably the most Drow-like of the four and fitting her into the Elfquest World is going to take some thought.

Kell:
Kell the Tunnelrunner has become a bit of an archetype with Wooter simply being an older more mature version of Kell.

Zunni:
Zunni has slowly turned from absent minded ditz constantly high on mushrooms into one of my deepest and best thought out characters. She's also my favorite and I'm still using a picture of her as my avatar. I haven't had a chance to really develop her yet but I will get around to it at some point. Phoenix Mystics are also very important religious figures but I'll have to develop that thought more.

Rheen:
Rheen or 'Pinky 'started out a joke character. I mean he can take a bong hit at any point in the game ;) but again like Zunni he's become a more thought out character over time. Going from a limp wristed whiner to a thoughtful philosopher unafraid to face the world.

Gort:
Gort makes only a token appearance in the download but the idea of the rowdy Berserker-like Brave as a section of Half-Dark Elf society is now rather firmly in my work. Especially in contrast to the careful lonely courage of the Tunnelrunner.