Deception

This is the first game I have produced explicitly for the RMN website.
The efforts that went into its creation have been massive... and unexpected.
At first I felt that it would be simple, but the more I worked with the time constraints in my mind, the more I wanted to cram in there.

Through production I had TWO computers (one desktop, one laptop) die untimely deaths, with the laptop being resurrected just in time to allow me to complete the project. When the desktop failed, all the data files in "Deception" were in process. I had the fortune that I could transfer what I was working on to the laptop (from the desktop hard disk, which was not destroyed when the CPU got zapped/dead). When the Laptop got tired of working, the program was open and ALL the data files in the game were corrupted with the sudden loss of power. When the laptop was up and running again, I was almost in tears looking at two weeks' intensive work vaporized.

My wonderful wife mentioned that I had the data on the hard disk from the desktop machine, and that I could use that. Initially I said it was 4 days back, and the contest ends in less than 36 hours, but my wife insisted and I decided to have a look. Lo and behold, the data files were the only part that was corrupted, and I could combine the finalized map files with the back-dated data files...!!!

This lead to the game as it is now. A few changes have been made (there were some monsters updated, and some items were replaced) but the main difference is the last area (homage to a certain final fantasy) which was not nearly as shiny previously. This final area was banished to the nether-verse by the map-swapping business (tileset data was gone) so it was re-done in its current splendor.

I hope to get feedback on this game, as I have several other large projects in mind and this seems like a good community to assist in making that a reality. I have been working on a chapter-by-chapter game series to learn the program, and "Deception" is the 3rd game I have completed, with a 4th currently on hold for the contest duration. Hopefully at some point I manage to upload the other two so you wonderful people can critique the hell out of it.

Thanks for reading (and playing)...