DETHMETAL'S PROFILE

author=Aegix_Drakan
One of my own.

Mayhem Maiden is basically on Hiatus right now, because whenever I work on it, I get tired of it really quick, since my high standards mean that each dungeon segment has it's own unique gimmick and it's very complicated to get the gimmicks right in a way that's actually fun.

I still open it up from time to time and fix bugs or dialogue issues, but progress is mostly stalled for now. I want to get back to it hardcore again soon...But I'm more motivated to make more stuff for the Shackles of Varn series (which are usually shorter games), and I'm also more motivated to work on this thief-based game I've started (that lockpicking minigame I made is GREAT). >_>

I go through periods where I can't seem to do anything other than edit a map for five minutes or fix some dialogue, too. However, I often am overcome with a desire to work on my game rather than anything else and I make a ton of progress.

You can either wait for those moments of extreme determination to come, or alternatively you can simply force yourself to work on it. Set aside an hour, say to yourself "I'm going to work on dungeon for this hour and not let myself get distracted", and get to work. After that first hour, you may find that you don't want to stop.

Also, I've thought of another game that I wish was never cancelled: Eternal Star. I first played it over ten years ago and to this day I remember it fondly. I've replayed it a few times since, and every time I do, I'm filled with melancholy over the fact that it will never be finished. I'd say that Eternal Star is the number one game I would like to see finished (other than ABL).

If it's your first game, or you're not well-known yet, I'd suggest releasing it for free. Market it extensively. If the game's good enough, your fans may be willing to pay for your next game.

My girlfriend is, so far, my most valued playtester. I don't rely on her for story advice or anything, though. She just finds bugs for me.

I plan on relying for a third party when it comes to receiving advice concerning the story, characters, dialogue, dungeons, etc. Sometimes I feel like my girlfriend would be too afraid to criticize my work for fear of insulting me.

author=Gretgor

author=emmych
Different testers have different purposes, you can't have one type of tester and expect your game to be fully tested. You gotta throw it at a lot of different people before it's ready to go!

While you're definitely right, that's exactly my greatest fear. I mean, testing seems to be the hardest part to do right in a game development cycle, and I'm very afraid I'm going to forget something or simply screw it up completely. The more detailed I have to be in defining my group of testers, the greater my fear becomes that I'll fail.

Is there a way to keep solid intellectual control over how we design our testing groups, and how we study the data provided by them, so we don't get overwhelmed?

While I don't have an answer for my question, I'd just like to say that I have similar fears regarding playtesters. Ideally, I'd like to have two separate groups of playtesters for my game: a group I can rely on to find bugs for me, and another group I can rely on for story advice, dialogue, finding plot holes, etc. I'm not sure if I can actually manage to make that happen, and I'm not really sure how many playtesters I'll be able to find at all.

Are those trees in that lower level up top supposed to be shrouded in fog? That's a really sweet effect.

I prefer the green trees, by the way.

@Froggy: Thanks for the input. They might be hard to see because of the screen tint, but I do have a few trees scattered throughout the map. Perhaps I'll try adding a few more.

@BizarreMonkey: Thanks for the input! Looks good. I really like the sprites for the animals, they are well made. My only problem with the screenshot is those shelves that are on the walls: they shouldn't be so far down, in my opinion. The way they are, they would be behind the counters, which doesn't make sense. Try placing them higher up on the wall. I also think the counters should be more pressed up against the wall. As well, using those windows as a wall behind that elevator looking thing is kind of strange, unless you're trying to go for a "windowed elevator" kind of thing, in which case I suppose it's fine.