    against the grain |
| A. West | 10:30 PM EST |
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| A. West | 11:45 PM EST |
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| A. West | 11:45 PM EST |
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| A. West | 11:45 PM EST |
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| A. West | 11:45 PM EST |
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| D. Schnake | 12:00 AM EST |
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| A. West | 11:30 PM EST |
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| A. West | 11:00 PM EST |
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| Sunday, February 20th |
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Item: You'll begin to notice some changes on the web pages over the next few days. I want to give us a cleaner, more professional look and integrate in the new message board a bit more. I also want to set us up for receipt of library files from all the incredible Creators brewing out yonder there.
Item: We'll be putting together patch v0.9.93 by the end of the week. It'll include the first round of suggestions including several changes to Creator's Map Painter (Undo/Redo, Eye-Dropper, Brush Sizes and more) and some nifty things in Tosspot like camping! Whoo-hoo! A. West: February 20 11:10 pm |
| Saturday, February 19th |
|
Updated the Known Bugs list and the Suggestions list.
A. West: February 19 04:30 pm |
| Friday, February 18th |
|
The new Message Board is now active! Please begin posting all new messages there.
I've tweaked it out now and I think you'll be pleased. Check out the new search capability where you can search for messages with certain words. Cool! And also take note that you can Sign Up for special goodies. For example, the new board will remember when you last signed in and let you know of any new messages. You'll also be registered with us at RuneSword and who knows what wonderful things you might receive? Maybe a trip for two on board the Bioware Learjet. What? You say you didn't know that Bioware had a Learjet? Apparently you're not the only one.... The old message board will stick around for a bit, but no longer has any links to it from RuneSword. Never fear: we'll be sure to take all your suggestions and notes to heart from the Old Board. Let me know if you have any questions or quandaries regarding the new board. A. West: February 18 11:30 pm |
| Thursday, February 17th |
|
The new Message Board has been fixed up a bit more, so please take a look. Note: This is still just testing and we're not monitoring those boards too much just yet. If you have burning questions, please post them on the normal board here.
On the other front, I have more suggestions implemented. Got Undo/Redo working today and it's a fine thing indeed. Thanks much to everyone who keeps cranking in ideas and suggestions. We're just trying to keep up! A. West: February 15 11:30 pm |
| Wednesday, February 16th |
|
I'm well underway with the suggestions now. Specifically, I'm putting in the "masking" levels option in Map Painer along with the much desired "undo/redo" option (not sure how many undo's I'll be able to support, but quite a few I imagine) and some other little tasty treats. Dan is finishing up the new ability to "camp" while on an adventure (yes, all inside a trigger --- Creator is *that* capable) and then will be moving right on into expanding Tosspot for our production copy.
Concerning the new message board format, I hear you! I like it myself, but I understand the white background is a bit much right now. Working on it.... A. West: February 15 11:30 pm |
| Tuesday, February 15th |
|
The observant reader will notice I've updated the Suggestions list. You'll see some brief comments on what's going on with all the suggestions and even some that are already complete in v0.9.93. Give me your feedback if you have further questions or suggestions.
I also have a test version of the new Message Boards. You can try out some posting there if you like. Give me your thoughts on it as well. Does it make sense? How's the speed? Do you like having three boards? Sound off! A. West: February 14 10:30 pm |
| Sunday, February 13th |
|
Patch v0.9.92 is available for download! Nearly all the bugs reported so far have been fixed. Next, I'll get crackin' on all those juicy Suggestions!
From the Other News Department: I've found a more modern message board which I'm in the process of configuring. We'll divide the current message board into Bugs, Creator Questions, and General Discussion. We can enable E-Mail back when somebody responds to a message, password protected forums and several other nifty options. Anybody want to be a Forum Moderator out there? We can do it. If you have any other suggestions for Message board configuration, let your thoughts be known! A. West: February 13 4:00 pm |
| Saturday, February 12th |
|
As stated earlier, Dan also has nearly all the bugs fixed listed under Tosspot, but is finishing up some touches on Arlis as everyone found several little annoying things with her (and we found some additional little bugs). She appears to be behaving much better now, but we need final testing on the changes. Patch v0.9.92 is pushed back until tomorrow.
Dan and I also discussed pricing and distribution of RuneSword. Here's the basic plan: release v0.9.92 followed a week or so later by v0.9.93 with as many suggestions implemented as possible (I'm itching to do those suggestions dealing with Map painting in Creator). In the mean time, Dan will line out the final story arcs around Tosspot, adding probably another half dozen (give or take) levels to the game and alot more elements pointing to our back story. This will also include several new graphic elements (TileSets, Creatures and Items) which I'll prepare. All that is to be wrapped up in 4-6 weeks. Overall, we're very happy with our current beta testing and all your wonderful suggestions to make RuneSword better. After the production release, we're not stopping. We'll be adding even more suggestions as the come up, much more content and a whole host of surprises for registered users (like maybe a private spot on the web site just for you with extra goodies only you can get to). A. West: February 12 11:59 pm |
| Friday, February 11th |
|
As you can see, nearly all Known Bugs will be fixed in our next patch. The list of bugs in Tosspot will be fixed as well --- Dan's working on that now along with some enhancements. So Patch v0.9.92 should be ready for upload tomorrow if all goes well with testing.
Next up: I'll be working through all those suggestions! Some of them are very, very good and will definitely be done. Some of them are pretty easy and will be done as well. Others are either just too difficult right now or too time consuming to get done along with everything else in the next few weeks. I'll let you know how it all shakes out in the next few days. And Dan and I are having a face-to-face tomorrow as well. We'll be discussing plans for the final release, what it should include, how much to charge, etc. Stay tuned! A. West: February 11 11:00 pm |
| Thursday, February 10th |
|
I took off tonight and saw a movie. And you may well ask: "How dare Adam take off time to see a movie? He has BUGS to fix and SUGGESTIONS to implement." You'd be right on both counts. But rest assured, dear reader. The helm of RuneSword was never without a steady hand, guiding and delivering all the wonder and enchantment that can be crammed into a shareware CRPG. Dan, in the finest vein of heroes of old, stayed the course. He worked on while I loafed. And with his mighty hands, with the wind and lightning behind him, moved heaven and earth to give you the very best in adventure.
So be at peace, friend. Rest your weary heart. RuneSword will be completed and all will be well once more in the world. A. West: February 10 11:00 pm |
| Wednesday, February 9th |
|
More Known Bugs and Suggestions added. Ok, so there's alot to do. But hey, this is all for the good. Once again, you're making the game and we're only too pleased to do what we can.
Please continue to post your impressions of our pricing and general comments about RuneSword. I haven't heard much at all about the Tome Wizard. Is it what you expected? Not valuable? Too confusing? Need to know more? Sound off! And has anyone solved the Cave of Wonders in Tosspot? Or gotten to the bottom of the Sea Mage's tower? Or solved that quest from the green guy in the bar? A. West: February 9 11:30 pm |
| Tuesday, February 8th |
|
Updated Known Bugs again, but still have several to plow through --- probably on the order of a few dozen not yet categorized or listed on the web page. It takes some time to go through the messages, reproduce the bugs here and then clarify what the problem is. We are making progress, however, and should have a patch put together soon. I want to try to include some of those great suggestions and Dan is fixing the last nigglies of Tosspot.
We're probably looking at 4 to 6 weeks before the release version is ready. This is just an estimate based on the number of bugs and suggestions thus far. We'll be taking credit card registration orders right over our web site. Fax and phone orders will be accepted as well. Once you pay, you'll receive an E-Mail with your registration number so you can immediately continue playing. Price will be probably $30US with a slight fee if you want a CD mailed. And yeah, I'm looking for feedback on this. Let me know if you think we're loopy. Once v1.0 is out, we'll be working on continual improvements, more library files, and new Tomes to play. Registered ones will be valid for all our future updates. A. West: February 8 11:30 pm |
| Monday, February 7th |
|
Bug hunting today. Already have several fixed and more are on the way. As stated, we'll have a patch out in the next few days after we shake this latest version down a bit. Overall, I'm pretty pleased today. Not too many fatal bugs and we've passed 1,000 downloads.
Thanks to everyone who's helping out. You are definitely making RuneSword better with each suggestion and bug report! We truly appreciate the dedicated fan base because your enthusiasm drives us to even greater heights. A. West: February 7 11:30 pm |
| Sunday, February 6th 5:30 PM |
|
Updated Known Bugs and Suggestions. Keep it coming!
A. West: February 6 03:30 pm |
| Sunday, February 6th 3:30 PM |
|
Ah, the soothing flood of bug reports. It kinda gives me a warm feeling in my heart. Sigh.
Seriously, every one is doing just a terrific job. Haven't I said that public betas are the only way to go? I'm swiming in notes right now and will compile my bug report today. Dan has already patched several things in Tosspot and we'll probably have another patch ready in the next few days. Note: There's only been a few complaints about the length of the beta copy. It limits you to 50 Encounters. I want to clarify that you can quit a Tome that reaches that point and start it again, once again playing 50 Encounters. You can do this with any Tome in RuneSword --- even one that you make with Creator. So the limit is per Tome session if you will. Sound fair? If not, do you think this should be changed? Increased? If so, let us know! A. West: February 6 03:30 pm |
| Sunday, February 6th 1:00 AM |
|
First patch is out! A fatal bug was found, thus the reason for the quick patch. The bug happened when you clicked on Inventory immediately after starting the game. TC reports that if you walk around a bit before bringing up inventory, you should be OK. In any case, the patch fixes it.
This is also a good time to remind everyone of the Known Bugs page. If you encounter a bug, please check out this page before you report it. We'll be tracking things there as we're able. If you don't see a bug you recently reported, don't panic! We're probably just assessing the problem and will categorize it as soon as we can. As enough bugs are fixed or enhancements added, we'll make a brand new full install. Otherwise, check out the download page for the lastest patches. They're normally pretty small and will save you plenty of frustration. Also, if you're sending E-mails, thanks! But please understand you might not always get a reply. There will be *alot* of people sending notes in and I simply can't reply to everyone. Rest assured I read each and every one, however! A. West: February 6 12:30 am |
| Saturday, February 5th 7:00 PM |
|
RuneSword Gold Beta v0.9.90 is ready for download! Get it now!
Gold Beta contains over 200 enhancements including the Tome Wizard, revamped graphics, new "paper doll" inventory, auto mapping, quest and adventure log, unlimited save games, and much more. Tosspot Island, the demo Tome with Gold Beta, boasts double the amount of game play. You can create unlimited characters, selecting from 31 skills scattered through 12 Kingdoms and over 40 new spells. And in the Gold Beta, the Creator is completely uncrippled! You can make Tomes as big as you like. No artificial limits, only your imagination. The Player is limited to 50 Encounters for the Beta period. A. West: February 5 07:00 pm |
| Friday, February 4th |
|
Full documentation is ready for download! Some games lumber along with nary a scrap of high quality documentation. Not so RuneSword. In the Library of Alexandria, your questions will be answered, your imagination stirred, and the possibilities realized. This one installs itself, so it should be a breeze to use. It's about 3.1Mb uncompressed. You'll need either Netscape or Internet Explorer to read the docs.
Tomorrow: The Gold Beta! After a heaping helping of tutorials and documenation, you're ready for the real thing. Be here tomorrow and play what is certain to be the new standard in Shareware CRPGs. A. West: February 3 11:00 pm |
| Thursday, February 3rd |
|
The sixth video is ready for download! Dan takes you through painting a Map: what tiles are for and how they work, the different levels of maps and other nifty tidbits. It weighs in at 15.8Mb uncompressed. Plus a bonus video on making Triggers! You'll see a how to make a monster perform a special attack, how to make a magic item and how to make a trap. Warning: the video on Triggers is a whopping 45.3Mb uncompressed.
Tomorrow: full documentation! It's all here in the The Library of Alexandria, a complete guide to making Tomes and playing RuneSword. Not some flimsy text file, but the whole enchilada smothered in way-cool sauce! You'll see a comprehensive reference guide on Triggers, every property of Items, Creatures, Encounters, every piece of RuneScript, a screen-shot walk through of the game, dozens of examples... the inside scoop that is sure to please. Who thought of a video on Triggers? You! Who wanted to have full documentation? You! With RuneSword, you make the game, we're just giving you the tools. A. West: February 2 10:00 pm |
| Wednesday, February 2nd |
|
The fifth video is ready for download! Finally, a first hand look at one of the most anticipated features of Gold Beta: the Tome Wizard. You say you don't have time to build an adventure? Don't know where to start? With Tome Wizard, you can make it happen. Just a few clicks, and you have a complete adventure --- full to the brim with surprises and challenges. This one's only a tiny 12Mb uncompressed.
On Thursday, two videos! The first will show you how to paint Maps in RuneSword --- multiple levels, tricks with tiles and other fun stuff. Plus a bonus video on Triggers. Yes, by popular demand, a tutorial you can hang your hat on. Deep details on making Creatures attack with intelligence, magic items and even traps! A. West: February 1 09:30 pm |
| Tuesday, February 1st |
|
The fourth video is ready for download! In this one, Dan shows Items and all their properties. What makes a container a container? How do the new weapons work in RuneSword? Is it a whipped topping or a floor polish? Yes, these questions and more will all be answered. This one is a mere 14.5Mb uncompressed.
Wednesday's video will take you through the highly anticipated and fabled Tome Wizard. If it's so easy, why do we need a tutorial, you ask? Why, because it's in the same class as chess and othello: a few minutes to learn, a life time to master. A. West: January 31 08:00 pm |
| Sunday, February 20th |
|
Item: You'll begin to notice some changes on the web pages over the next few days. I want to give us a cleaner, more professional look and integrate in the new message board a bit more. I also want to set us up for receipt of library files from all the incredible Creators brewing out yonder there.
Item: We'll be putting together patch v0.9.93 by the end of the week. It'll include the first round of suggestions including several changes to Creator's Map Painter (Undo/Redo, Eye-Dropper, Brush Sizes and more) and some nifty things in Tosspot like camping! Whoo-hoo! A. West: February 20 11:10 pm |
| Saturday, February 19th |
|
Updated the Known Bugs list and the Suggestions list.
A. West: February 19 04:30 pm |
| Friday, February 18th |
|
The new Message Board is now active! Please begin posting all new messages there.
I've tweaked it out now and I think you'll be pleased. Check out the new search capability where you can search for messages with certain words. Cool! And also take note that you can Sign Up for special goodies. For example, the new board will remember when you last signed in and let you know of any new messages. You'll also be registered with us at RuneSword and who knows what wonderful things you might receive? Maybe a trip for two on board the Bioware Learjet. What? You say you didn't know that Bioware had a Learjet? Apparently you're not the only one.... The old message board will stick around for a bit, but no longer has any links to it from RuneSword. Never fear: we'll be sure to take all your suggestions and notes to heart from the Old Board. Let me know if you have any questions or quandaries regarding the new board. A. West: February 18 11:30 pm |
| Thursday, February 17th |
|
The new Message Board has been fixed up a bit more, so please take a look. Note: This is still just testing and we're not monitoring those boards too much just yet. If you have burning questions, please post them on the normal board here.
On the other front, I have more suggestions implemented. Got Undo/Redo working today and it's a fine thing indeed. Thanks much to everyone who keeps cranking in ideas and suggestions. We're just trying to keep up! A. West: February 15 11:30 pm |
| Wednesday, February 16th |
|
I'm well underway with the suggestions now. Specifically, I'm putting in the "masking" levels option in Map Painer along with the much desired "undo/redo" option (not sure how many undo's I'll be able to support, but quite a few I imagine) and some other little tasty treats. Dan is finishing up the new ability to "camp" while on an adventure (yes, all inside a trigger --- Creator is *that* capable) and then will be moving right on into expanding Tosspot for our production copy.
Concerning the new message board format, I hear you! I like it myself, but I understand the white background is a bit much right now. Working on it.... A. West: February 15 11:30 pm |
| Tuesday, February 15th |
|
The observant reader will notice I've updated the Suggestions list. You'll see some brief comments on what's going on with all the suggestions and even some that are already complete in v0.9.93. Give me your feedback if you have further questions or suggestions.
I also have a test version of the new Message Boards. You can try out some posting there if you like. Give me your thoughts on it as well. Does it make sense? How's the speed? Do you like having three boards? Sound off! A. West: February 14 10:30 pm |
| Sunday, February 13th |
|
Patch v0.9.92 is available for download! Nearly all the bugs reported so far have been fixed. Next, I'll get crackin' on all those juicy Suggestions!
From the Other News Department: I've found a more modern message board which I'm in the process of configuring. We'll divide the current message board into Bugs, Creator Questions, and General Discussion. We can enable E-Mail back when somebody responds to a message, password protected forums and several other nifty options. Anybody want to be a Forum Moderator out there? We can do it. If you have any other suggestions for Message board configuration, let your thoughts be known! A. West: February 13 4:00 pm |
| Saturday, February 12th |
|
As stated earlier, Dan also has nearly all the bugs fixed listed under Tosspot, but is finishing up some touches on Arlis as everyone found several little annoying things with her (and we found some additional little bugs). She appears to be behaving much better now, but we need final testing on the changes. Patch v0.9.92 is pushed back until tomorrow.
Dan and I also discussed pricing and distribution of RuneSword. Here's the basic plan: release v0.9.92 followed a week or so later by v0.9.93 with as many suggestions implemented as possible (I'm itching to do those suggestions dealing with Map painting in Creator). In the mean time, Dan will line out the final story arcs around Tosspot, adding probably another half dozen (give or take) levels to the game and alot more elements pointing to our back story. This will also include several new graphic elements (TileSets, Creatures and Items) which I'll prepare. All that is to be wrapped up in 4-6 weeks. Overall, we're very happy with our current beta testing and all your wonderful suggestions to make RuneSword better. After the production release, we're not stopping. We'll be adding even more suggestions as the come up, much more content and a whole host of surprises for registered users (like maybe a private spot on the web site just for you with extra goodies only you can get to). A. West: February 12 11:59 pm |
| Friday, February 11th |
|
As you can see, nearly all Known Bugs will be fixed in our next patch. The list of bugs in Tosspot will be fixed as well --- Dan's working on that now along with some enhancements. So Patch v0.9.92 should be ready for upload tomorrow if all goes well with testing.
Next up: I'll be working through all those suggestions! Some of them are very, very good and will definitely be done. Some of them are pretty easy and will be done as well. Others are either just too difficult right now or too time consuming to get done along with everything else in the next few weeks. I'll let you know how it all shakes out in the next few days. And Dan and I are having a face-to-face tomorrow as well. We'll be discussing plans for the final release, what it should include, how much to charge, etc. Stay tuned! A. West: February 11 11:00 pm |
| Thursday, February 10th |
|
I took off tonight and saw a movie. And you may well ask: "How dare Adam take off time to see a movie? He has BUGS to fix and SUGGESTIONS to implement." You'd be right on both counts. But rest assured, dear reader. The helm of RuneSword was never without a steady hand, guiding and delivering all the wonder and enchantment that can be crammed into a shareware CRPG. Dan, in the finest vein of heroes of old, stayed the course. He worked on while I loafed. And with his mighty hands, with the wind and lightning behind him, moved heaven and earth to give you the very best in adventure.
So be at peace, friend. Rest your weary heart. RuneSword will be completed and all will be well once more in the world. A. West: February 10 11:00 pm |
| Wednesday, February 9th |
|
More Known Bugs and Suggestions added. Ok, so there's alot to do. But hey, this is all for the good. Once again, you're making the game and we're only too pleased to do what we can.
Please continue to post your impressions of our pricing and general comments about RuneSword. I haven't heard much at all about the Tome Wizard. Is it what you expected? Not valuable? Too confusing? Need to know more? Sound off! And has anyone solved the Cave of Wonders in Tosspot? Or gotten to the bottom of the Sea Mage's tower? Or solved that quest from the green guy in the bar? A. West: February 9 11:30 pm |
| Tuesday, February 8th |
|
Updated Known Bugs again, but still have several to plow through --- probably on the order of a few dozen not yet categorized or listed on the web page. It takes some time to go through the messages, reproduce the bugs here and then clarify what the problem is. We are making progress, however, and should have a patch put together soon. I want to try to include some of those great suggestions and Dan is fixing the last nigglies of Tosspot.
We're probably looking at 4 to 6 weeks before the release version is ready. This is just an estimate based on the number of bugs and suggestions thus far. We'll be taking credit card registration orders right over our web site. Fax and phone orders will be accepted as well. Once you pay, you'll receive an E-Mail with your registration number so you can immediately continue playing. Price will be probably $30US with a slight fee if you want a CD mailed. And yeah, I'm looking for feedback on this. Let me know if you think we're loopy. Once v1.0 is out, we'll be working on continual improvements, more library files, and new Tomes to play. Registered ones will be valid for all our future updates. A. West: February 8 11:30 pm |
| Monday, February 7th |
|
Bug hunting today. Already have several fixed and more are on the way. As stated, we'll have a patch out in the next few days after we shake this latest version down a bit. Overall, I'm pretty pleased today. Not too many fatal bugs and we've passed 1,000 downloads.
Thanks to everyone who's helping out. You are definitely making RuneSword better with each suggestion and bug report! We truly appreciate the dedicated fan base because your enthusiasm drives us to even greater heights. A. West: February 7 11:30 pm |
| Sunday, February 6th 5:30 PM |
|
Updated Known Bugs and Suggestions. Keep it coming!
A. West: February 6 03:30 pm |
| Sunday, February 6th 3:30 PM |
|
Ah, the soothing flood of bug reports. It kinda gives me a warm feeling in my heart. Sigh.
Seriously, every one is doing just a terrific job. Haven't I said that public betas are the only way to go? I'm swiming in notes right now and will compile my bug report today. Dan has already patched several things in Tosspot and we'll probably have another patch ready in the next few days. Note: There's only been a few complaints about the length of the beta copy. It limits you to 50 Encounters. I want to clarify that you can quit a Tome that reaches that point and start it again, once again playing 50 Encounters. You can do this with any Tome in RuneSword --- even one that you make with Creator. So the limit is per Tome session if you will. Sound fair? If not, do you think this should be changed? Increased? If so, let us know! A. West: February 6 03:30 pm |
| Sunday, February 6th 1:00 AM |
|
First patch is out! A fatal bug was found, thus the reason for the quick patch. The bug happened when you clicked on Inventory immediately after starting the game. TC reports that if you walk around a bit before bringing up inventory, you should be OK. In any case, the patch fixes it.
This is also a good time to remind everyone of the Known Bugs page. If you encounter a bug, please check out this page before you report it. We'll be tracking things there as we're able. If you don't see a bug you recently reported, don't panic! We're probably just assessing the problem and will categorize it as soon as we can. As enough bugs are fixed or enhancements added, we'll make a brand new full install. Otherwise, check out the download page for the lastest patches. They're normally pretty small and will save you plenty of frustration. Also, if you're sending E-mails, thanks! But please understand you might not always get a reply. There will be *alot* of people sending notes in and I simply can't reply to everyone. Rest assured I read each and every one, however! A. West: February 6 12:30 am |
| Saturday, February 5th 7:00 PM |
|
RuneSword Gold Beta v0.9.90 is ready for download! Get it now!
Gold Beta contains over 200 enhancements including the Tome Wizard, revamped graphics, new "paper doll" inventory, auto mapping, quest and adventure log, unlimited save games, and much more. Tosspot Island, the demo Tome with Gold Beta, boasts double the amount of game play. You can create unlimited characters, selecting from 31 skills scattered through 12 Kingdoms and over 40 new spells. And in the Gold Beta, the Creator is completely uncrippled! You can make Tomes as big as you like. No artificial limits, only your imagination. The Player is limited to 50 Encounters for the Beta period. A. West: February 5 07:00 pm |
| Friday, February 4th |
|
Full documentation is ready for download! Some games lumber along with nary a scrap of high quality documentation. Not so RuneSword. In the Library of Alexandria, your questions will be answered, your imagination stirred, and the possibilities realized. This one installs itself, so it should be a breeze to use. It's about 3.1Mb uncompressed. You'll need either Netscape or Internet Explorer to read the docs.
Tomorrow: The Gold Beta! After a heaping helping of tutorials and documenation, you're ready for the real thing. Be here tomorrow and play what is certain to be the new standard in Shareware CRPGs. A. West: February 3 11:00 pm |
| Thursday, February 3rd |
|
The sixth video is ready for download! Dan takes you through painting a Map: what tiles are for and how they work, the different levels of maps and other nifty tidbits. It weighs in at 15.8Mb uncompressed. Plus a bonus video on making Triggers! You'll see a how to make a monster perform a special attack, how to make a magic item and how to make a trap. Warning: the video on Triggers is a whopping 45.3Mb uncompressed.
Tomorrow: full documentation! It's all here in the The Library of Alexandria, a complete guide to making Tomes and playing RuneSword. Not some flimsy text file, but the whole enchilada smothered in way-cool sauce! You'll see a comprehensive reference guide on Triggers, every property of Items, Creatures, Encounters, every piece of RuneScript, a screen-shot walk through of the game, dozens of examples... the inside scoop that is sure to please. Who thought of a video on Triggers? You! Who wanted to have full documentation? You! With RuneSword, you make the game, we're just giving you the tools. A. West: February 2 10:00 pm |
| Wednesday, February 2nd |
|
The fifth video is ready for download! Finally, a first hand look at one of the most anticipated features of Gold Beta: the Tome Wizard. You say you don't have time to build an adventure? Don't know where to start? With Tome Wizard, you can make it happen. Just a few clicks, and you have a complete adventure --- full to the brim with surprises and challenges. This one's only a tiny 12Mb uncompressed.
On Thursday, two videos! The first will show you how to paint Maps in RuneSword --- multiple levels, tricks with tiles and other fun stuff. Plus a bonus video on Triggers. Yes, by popular demand, a tutorial you can hang your hat on. Deep details on making Creatures attack with intelligence, magic items and even traps! A. West: February 1 09:30 pm |
| Tuesday, February 1st |
|
The fourth video is ready for download! In this one, Dan shows Items and all their properties. What makes a container a container? How do the new weapons work in RuneSword? Is it a whipped topping or a floor polish? Yes, these questions and more will all be answered. This one is a mere 14.5Mb uncompressed.
Wednesday's video will take you through the highly anticipated and fabled Tome Wizard. If it's so easy, why do we need a tutorial, you ask? Why, because it's in the same class as chess and othello: a few minutes to learn, a life time to master. A. West: January 31 08:00 pm |
| Monday, January 31st |
|
The third video is ready for download! This time, Dan speaks up on Creatures: what are they made of? What are all those little check boxes for anyhow? And how can I kill off a Party of adventures so they'll come back for more? It's all right here in the latest tutorial video. This one's just over 23Mb uncompressed.
Tuesday's video will take you through Items in RuneSword. Swords, Treasure, Chests, Magic Wands --- yes, you'll be an expert in filling your adventure with the very highest quality stuff. A. West: January 30 08:00 pm |
| Sunday, January 30th |
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The second video is ready for download! This one takes you through one of the more powerful features of Creator: cut and paste. In it, Dan demonstrates how to take objects from the library and paste them into your adventure. He'll also show some of the quick tricks available only in RuneSword. This one's about 23Mb uncompressed. Again, it's in black and white (so don't adjust that dial).
Monday's tutorial video will be on making Creatures in RuneSword. Just how do you set up fancy attacks? What are all those properties used for? Dan answers these questions and more. A. West: January 29 11:30 pm |
| Saturday, January 29th |
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The first video is ready for download! This one is an overview of Creator, that magic place where your dream adventure comes to life. You'll need just over 26Mb free to uncompress and view it. It was recorded in black and white (hey, the one in color *really* took up the space) and should run fine in any Windows AVI player (like the Windows Media Player). It's best viewed in 800x600. The sound is a little soft so after you start it, you'll probably have to crank up your volume.
Tomorrow's tutorial video will be on Cut and Paste in Creator: how it works, what libraries are used for and some little tricks to make creating adventures easy. Have fun! A. West: January 28 08:30 pm |
| Wednesday, January 26th |
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We'll be releasing our Tutorial Videos starting January 29th. One per day for 6 days. Then on Friday, February 4th, we'll release our new Documentation. It's massive and detailed. Then on Saturday, February 5th: Gold Beta.
Shareware CRPGs will never be the same. A. West: January 26 11:30 pm |
| Monday, January 17th |
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Here's our final list of skills: Arcane Lore, Athleticism, Appraise, Remove Traps, Body Building, Fine Arts, Acrobatics, Health, Backstab, Battle Armor, Critical Strike, Fencing, First Aid, Heroism, Bloodshield, Weapon (Axe, Bow, Staff, Sword, Dagger), Pick Locks, Ambidex, Martial Arts, Healing Hands, Moon Wizardry, Moon Sorcery, Moon Magery, Moon Mastery, Sun Wizardry, Sun Sorcery, Sun Magery, and Sun Mastery. A fine list indeed allowing for all types of role-playing. And of course, this is just a start. You can add as many as you like using Creator --- just like we did.
The final list of Spells is: Essence Touch, Wind of Hope, Phase Self, Sybyl's Dance, Rictus Grin, Finger of Death, Frezied Mortis, Thought Loss, Bravado Delusion, Striken Soul, Betrayal, Nightmare, Summon Djinni, False Eros, Infatuation, Fireblast, Righteous Anger, Hot Metal, Unthinking Fury, Jumpfire, Rally, Heroic Resolve, Lunar Eclipse, Radiant Glory, Aether Palace, Covetous Eye, Numbfinger, Dreamwealth, Daran's Trick Box, Ice Storm, Shadowguard, Hardiness, Holistic Healing, Globe of Desire, Smolder, Five Finger Discount, Snap Trap, Disease, Transmute to Ale, Fey Darkness and Desolation. As with Skills, you can add to this list in Creator --- just like we did. In fact, I'm having to really hold back making more --- it's so tempting. Dan says he's finished with tuning the NPCs (giving one Martial Arts just for grins), allowing you to control them yourself or let their scripted brains do the work for you. Now he's putting in little story points here and there based on your stats. If your Will is just so, you may get some extra information. If your Lunacy is not too high, maybe you won't fall for that trick.... A. West: January 17 11:30 pm |
| Wednesday, January 12th |
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Skills are finished! I'm getting the latest copy tonight from Dan which I'll quickly integrate into Create Character, wrapping that up. Dan says the last two builds have been rock solid and play great, so looks like we're there on the engine side. We're still tweaking as we see fit --- game balance stuff like how many Action Points it takes to cast spells (we ramped it up a bit this last build), how much it should cost to raise in Skill Level with Martial Arts, adding an OverSwing penalty to Creatures, taking away the movement restriction after casting spells --- stuff like that. Basically, it's stuff I can do while Dan finishes up his pass at content. He's adding more stat rolls (if you're Will is 16+, then you can do this...) and story elements as he sees fit. Good stuff. Worth the effort.
The Library files for the Tome Wizard will be a little sparse for the Gold Beta. It all depends now on how much I can put together in the last remaining days. Of course, this is something we can easily add to over the first few weeks of Gold Beta --- and you can add to it too with a few clicks! I'll post the final list of Skills and Spells in the next day or so just to get your impressions. It's a nice size list: 20+ Skills and 30 Spells --- and they are very unique, fully exploiting what RuneSword can do. As for our release date, when Dan finishes up his pass through Tosspot, that's it. A. West: January 12 11:30 pm |
| Thursday, January 6th |
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Dan has finalized documentation. It's done. It's finished. It's ready for prime time, baby. As stated, he's also polishing off Skills which'll finish the balance of Create Characters. Should be done soon, me thinks. And then a final pass through Tosspot and we're complete. I'm still finding little things to fix here and there. Nothing too bad and certainly no show stoppers. I'm quite sure you kind folks will point out the areas which are still buggy. And I'm having a grand time playing through the Sea Mage's area. It's pretty tough even for my 5th Level thug armed with a Quick Sword and a Potion of Restoration (oops, did I spoil too much?). And I know where all the traps are too!
And since we're poised to release, I've got a question: how should we cripple this time? Dan and I have been discussing *not* crippling the Creator at all. Make it unlimited. Instead, cripple the Player somehow --- like maybe limiting your advancement to a certain level or only allowing you to play so many Encounters. Maybe disallow saving games? I want to be generous, but not foolish. What are your suggestions? A. West: January 6 11:30 pm |
| Tuesday, December 28th |
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I've completed my pass through Tosspot and solved that adventure. It was (I have to admit) just great fun. The new combat system plays very well now and looks just peachy. There were several things to fix up, but all is done now. Dan wants to dress up the story a bit before we release Gold Beta, so it's over to him now. I'm adding a little puzzle level for fun (I won't let it hold up anything --- I promise!). I did uncover a nasty bug which bombs the game when you combine certain items together (has something to do with taking things out of containers and putting the right back again). Hopefully, it won't hold up anything. There are a couple of display problems too like a dialog box that appears behind another one and shouldn't. No big deal, but still, needs to be fixed.
Yes, my friends, Gold Beta closes in for the kill. And from the still other news department, I had a jolly Christmas --- celebrating the season of giving with family and friends (whooped it up in poker). A grand time was had by all. I received from my wonderful wife the Millennium Edition of the Lord of the Rings (black, palm-size hardbacks --- if you don't have them, get them!) while my mom got me Starcraft Battle Chest (yes, already played 20+ hours and love it). And the good folks over at Crossroads Gaming Network have put up a nice interview with Dan and I. Check it out at www.xrgaming.net. A. West: December 28 11:45 pm |
| Wednesday, December 22nd |
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I have only one word to say: Gold, Gold, Gold .
Alright, maybe that's not enough. There's been a steady stream of silence from this web site for the past couple of weeks and you may well be asking yourself: why? Well, my dear reader, it's quite simple: Gold, Gold, Gold . It's all I can see now. The bug list is gone. The enhancement list is gone. Sure, there's some things undone, but they just aren't necessary for Gold Beta. We are close. So close. I've had enough time to spin through most of Tosspot now. I've added a sizable piece of content, tightened things up, added in those recommendations, and in general took it up a notch. What's left is Dan's final pass through Tosspot, his final touches to Skills, a tad bit more art content from me and our putting the entire package together in Install Shield. And I have the next 10 days off work so these things can be done. So chant with me, my friends: Gold, Gold, Gold A. West: December 22 11:45 pm |
| Saturday, December 4th |
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I thought this game would've been done a few months ago, but here we are still pushing upward and onward. Once again, I think it's better to release a great game than a so-so game. RuneSword has been too much a part of our lives to just "throw it out there." Why just now I've been working through several different examples of typical creatures (none too fun in general, but a few interesting things here and there). I find myself reflecting on what makes a game thrilling and challenging. What is it that would make me want to play the game into the wee hours? It's got to be that feeling of wanting just one more encounter, just one more pile of treasure, just one more unexpected turn of events in a gripping story. These are difficult items to meld into a game. But we're giving it our best shot.
Dan shipped over the drafts of the "Guides" in RuneSword. These are generally screen shots with call outs describing the little tid bits you see on screen. They're very useful I think and really easy to understand. The game is deeply complex and the volume of guides points this out. It just further proves how heavy and mind bending RuneSword is. A. West: December 4 12:30 am |
| Thursday, November 25th |
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Creator is "in the can" so to speak. No bugs left to fix and just a slight tweak to the CombatAttack Statement (simplifies it down a bit more). And I have an enhancement on the list to prompt you to save your Tome if you've made a change. And that's it.
In the Player Engine, there's only 3 bugs left and they should be wrapped up this week. The biggest change to implement is the reduction of the Attack box in combat. It will no longer show 8 icon bubbles, but instead be reduced down to showing Body, Shield and Helm. This is the final piece to the revamp of combat. There are several tweaks on the enhancement list which need to be evaluated. And then I need to either can or keep the tweaks on the "wish list." Dan heaved over the draft of the Encyclopedia Arcana. It's a major piece of work filled with every detail of every thing in every nook and cranny of RuneSword. It's our reference work. The Uber Document. The final word in all things Tome-ish. And did I mention it's big? So yes, Virginia, Gold Beta will be well documented. And as a last note: I'm punching around a sizable set of 144 Creatures for the Gold Beta library. I might go higher yet (maybe round off to 150). But in any case, it should be enough to last for a little bit --- enough to start from, don't you think? And I'm having a blast just thinking up nasty ways to hassle Players in Tomes. Of course, these things aren't imperative for the Gold Beta, but we're just trying to offer a tad more than anybody else. A. West: November 25 10:30 pm |
| Saturday, November 13th |
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It's not like we're slackers. Dan and I are burning all the free time we have (just about) to get RuneSword ready for the masses. Sure, I'm occasionally reading Zelazney and Dan is fixing various things around his new house, but beyond that, we're pushing the limits.
I think Dan has written like seven hundred million pages of documentation. That's just a rough estimate, mind you. It could be far more. And here in the last few hours, I've been reworking the Vulnerable/Invulnerable resistances of Creatures and corresponding attack types of weapons and defenses of Armor. It wasn't bad before, but certainly was confusing. Just one of those things you notice as you attempt to explain it to someone. But the benefit is we now have all these cool attack locations like Body, Tail, Wing, Arm, Leg and what-not, a cleaned up percentage resistance (like Creature X is 60% resistance to Fire attacks), and a fuller combat experience. In further news, I now have access to several dozen hand-painted Warhammer 40K figures (thanks, Matt!). Dan and I are considering when and how to work them into RuneSword. Can you imagine a Gene Stealer and Space Marine climbing into your Tome? Oh, yeah, I think you can. A. West: November 13 12:30 am |
| Wednesday, November 4th |
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Will we have Gold Beta out before Christmas? Yes. How soon? Soon. Very soon. We're in the last push to squash all known bugs and complete all enhancements. Dan is putting together the documentation (which is more than just one document, by the way) that we both feel is essential to make RuneSword a success. It covers *everything* in Creator including a couple of Guides to RuneSword and an encyclopedia explaining all the properies of every object (there's over 150 just for Creatures!). Plenty of practical examples. Detailed descriptions of Events, Triggers and RuneScript. Believe me: you won't be disappointed. He's even putting together several AVI files for tutorials. Amazing! What commercial product is doing this level of support out of the gate?
And me? Well, most recently I've completed work on several enhancements (and bug squashes) to Buy and Sell with Merchants which works in conjuction with our Conversation engine. I'm keeping my eye on the prize and making every effort to keep scope under control which is very difficult at this stage. We're still talking about stuff, but now it's on the drawing board for v1.1. Oh, things like a fully animated engine and support for hand-drawn (non-tile) maps. Nothing much ;). The known bug count is down to nine and the enhancement list is less than a dozen or so. We're very excited about RuneSword as an RPG product and just in general as a very fun tool. The interface is smooth and easy. The play is fun and engaging. And the replay value? There's no end in sight. A. West: November 3 10:00 pm |
| Saturday, October 23rd |
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The leaves spin down from the trees as a chilly breeze blows by. And I haven't posted an update in over two weeks! Must be my old age. Either that or this game called Silver. You may have heard of it or played it. I gotta admit I like it. I've blown at least three evenings of potential work hours on colorful spinning polygon cuties skipping across lovingly crafted vistas. Call it a guilty pleasure. That and Black Belt Theater movies. Or just about anything with Jackie Chan (that guy just flat out makes me grin).
But in between my indulgences, I've been chunking along on RuneSword with my latest tweaks centering around combining Items (for you bread-bakers out there) and another simplification of the Sorcery box.... Dan is writing documentation and enjoys the work! Sick bastard. It looks like it will cover every little detail in Creator (some of you know what I mean). I more or less think of it as a tutorial in making an RPG. After you read our docs, you'll have all the know-how of game engines and object oriented RPG design. And for the more casual among us, you'll have a straight up walk thru of simple basics packed with enough power to drag/drop your way to Tome Creator Nirvana. And you thought we were loafing. A. West: October 23 12:10 am |
| Tuesday, October 5th |
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Yes, my friends, the Tome Wizard works like a champ now! Just one click from the Main Menu and you have a complete Tome to play. Could be on an island, could be in a cavern, in the middle of small town, in the depths of a dark forest, up high in the mountains or underneath... anything you feed it, it builds (and we'll have several in the Gold Beta for you to try out). It boggles the mind how this thing can expand! With Creator in your hands, you can sketch out a few more maps or another couple Themes, save them into the library and presto, new games to play. Suffice to say, if you like infinite replay, RuneSword does it in spades! I've already burned away time just sitting and letting it generate games, wandering around in them and shouting "Too cool!"
On another note, as suspected, I'm spending some quality time on the conversation engine. No big deal here, just cosmetic stuff. It'll be done within a few more hours work. The interface is much improved (as we've been working on all over the place to date). It's all coming together better than I imagined. A. West: October 5 11:45 pm |
| Monday, September 27th |
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I wrapped up Save/Load Game a few days back (works like a champ), including a screen snapshot saved with your game. Yes, as asked for, it includes the date/time you saved the game. I didn't put in annotating the save game since only a few people thought it'd be worth the trouble. Keep in mind that in RuneSword, you can be running several parties in several different Tomes at the same time. So to handle that, we have infinite save positions. It turned out to be pretty simple to do.
I also touched up the auto-map, journal entry and quest log, so that's done. Let's see.... what's left? Not much. Game Options are listing, but not fully implemented. Not a big deal to put in place, however. I really do need to look at buy/sell routines and the conversation engine, and that may take a little bit to tighten things up. Dan has some cosmetic stuff he wants to see in Creator, so I'll be doing some small changes there. In general, things are looking really, really good. Sometimes I hate working on this thing (anybody who has made a game knows what I'm talking about), but for the past few months, I've just been loving it. It just looks and plays so smooth now and there is so much depth to this thing. Dan and I often talk about documentation and it really could be a huge freakin' document. Tonight I'm setting up Tome Wizard to generate right from the Main Menu as requested (thanks for all the feedback on that one!). It will ask for the number of players in your party, their average level and a Tome Size (Small, Medium, Large, Huge). That's it. It'll create a Tome for you just based on that. With that effort, I'll be putting the finishing touches on the Tome Wizard and associated library files. Must... resist... posting... release date.... A. West: September 27 11:00 pm |
| Thursday, September 16th |
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Ah, the sweet smell of fall is upon us! I just seem to work so much better when the leaves are turning to bright orange or deep red. Or maybe it's because football season is starting up.... (And for those outside the US, I have *no* idea why we call it football since most of it involves the hands).
So here lately I've nearly completed the revamp of Search as predicted and will be moving on to dialog/reply boxes. Should be pretty simple to do I think, but I'll have to stop in and check on the Buy/Sell routines while I'm there. Hopefully, they'll still be in good shape even if a little dusty. And I've also just about finalized the four demo Libraries for Tome Wizard. One involves a severed skeletal hand which has been passed around between a group of assassins causing them untold troubles. Another concerns a strange old man who's gone completely loopy up in his tower and rained down bits of magical terror on the surrounding land. With the help of his bizarre lackey, you're enlisted to quite literally "clean house." All are just grist for the mill because all are assembled by the Tome Wizard. They play different each and every time through. A. West: September 16 11:30 pm |
| Sunday, September 6th |
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Tinkering on the Inventory screen. There were several things to repair here (as it turns out) and I'm *still* not quite done. I've tweaked around with how you combine Items (and I'm not talking about pooling gold and arrows because that's done automatically when you pick stuff up). When you put together the Rod of Seven Parts, you'll just drag each part, drop on another and (click) they snap together. To drop items, you just drag them off the Inventory box. Opening Items now pops up an additional box atop your Inventory and you can drag/drop between them. Pretty much everything is like this now which just makes a heck of alot more sense.
Once I get passed Inventory, I'll be cleaning up yet more True Type fonts (I keep finding these things here and there) by giving Search and Dialog a once over. But after that, I'll be on to the Options screen (save and load) and a last revamp of the Micro Map and Journal Entries. Whew! As it turns out, getting rid of the "Large Font" problem has been a huge interface revamp. I really had no idea how involved it would be, but the look and feel is just *so* much better as a result, I'm glad I did it. A. West: September 6 11:00 pm |
| Sunday, August 29th |
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Here it is the end of August already. My how time flies! Work on RuneSword continues unabated with Dan sweating the details of documentation, the conundrums of tome construction and the deviltry of debugging all the while trying to hold down a regular job fraught with Y2K issues. Meanwhile, I'm putting the final touches on Uber Wizard (man oh man, it do look sweet!), beginning my final pass at the player engine of RuneSword and marching toward the nirvana known only as the Gold Beta.
There were some expectations set for the end of August, but here we are and (surprise!), it ain't ready yet. Oh sure, we could dump it on you, but why not wait a bit more while we apply the finishing touches on what is sure to be the finest CRPG editor and player thus far (and maybe thus forever). Too much? Setting expectations a tad too high the skeptics would say? Let's put it this way: the last beta was but a stroll in the park compared to the high powered, full-featured, rock-your-world version we have now. Hey, it ain't for everyone. That much is certain. But if you like a little old-school RPG, if you want to have total and absolute editor control in a click and go style, if you want *endless* replay value and countless hours of enjoyment at a fractional cost, RuneSword is the only game in town, baby. Question of the week: Do you see yourself using the Tome Wizard to get you started in making your own Tome or to have infinite Tomes to play right out of the box? (It can be used both ways, but I'm curious as to your expectations and desires). A. West: August 29 10:30 pm |
| Tuesday, August 18th |
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I'm making a build for Dan as I type this. It has lots of bumps in it that I skipped on purpose to come back at later. Hey, this is supposed to be fun, right? And anyhow, it's connection and interface stuff that's fairly easy to put together. So instead I'm took a trip back to the Tome Wizard and will be tweaking around on that a bit now mostly because I'm getting ready to dive into the library files! After that, it's one final trip around the code cleaning up unfinished stuff (highlights include the save/load screen and the options screen) and then test, test, test!
It's typical to hear how testing is oh-so-dull and often this is true. Normally it rates right up there with the preverbial sharp stick in the eye. But this time around, testing should be pretty fun because the Tome Wizard will crank out adventures for me to play. I just love that part of the game now. In my book, it's second only to painting pretty pictures. I do look forward to cranking out some new graphics like tile sets, creatures, back drops and the like. First things first, however. Gotta get the unfun stuff out of the way too. Must... resist... starting up... cool new... 3D tools.... For your viewing pleasure, I dropped off a screen shot from my latest build of the Gold Beta. It'll give you a sense of where we're at, showing the new inventory screen and a glimpse of the micro map. And I did it all in glorious 1024x768 'cause RuneSword plays great at that size. Check it out. Question of the week: Do you think RuneSword should offer random adventures via the Tome Wizard directly off the Main Menu? Kinda like "here's this list of pre-fabbed adventures, but if you click here, I'll make one for you from scratch." If so, what do you think should be asked of the player? Specific questions like: "how much experience points to be rewarded, how many monsters, etc." or general questions like: "how difficult do you want it?" A. West: August 18 11:30 pm |
| Tuesday, August 10th |
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Just finished up Gather Party. It's all drag and drop now. Very nifty. I often think about how far the game has come in the last couple months and this is one of those things that makes RuneSword look better, cleaner and easier to use. Take a look....
I do have several touches to do in the menu system that I had overlooked. Nothing show stopping, just nigglies --- squashing all True Type fonts in our game is taking a bit of time, but definitely worth the trouble. The item library files are sitting in a spreadsheet at this point, ready for data entry. As stated before, it's my next major push after I get the Play piece all squared away. With the entrance of Neverwinter Nights, the RPG world has shaken a bit. Upon reflection, Dan and I wish them well. How long have we (and I mean the collective "we") stated "when will the big guys wake up and give us some DM tools?" Now, BioWare and Interplay have taken up our cause. It's a ways off, the scope is incredibly ambitious and who knows how well the design will be executed, but it's nice to see the effort and frankly, recognition of what we've been working on for the last few years. Come on in, Bioware, the water is just fine! Finally, question of the week: when creating Tomes, you'll want to consider how many and of what power Characters that will play it. For example, you might make a Tome geared toward five 1st level Characters. Now the question: how should this be governed? Right now, we have a property on the Tome which allows you to specify how many total Characters can enter the Tome and what the total levels can be. In our example, the number of Characters would be five and the total levels would be 5. This means you could play with one 5th Level Character or some combination up to 5 total levels. What do you think? A. West: August 10 11:30 pm |
| Saturday, July 31st |
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Item: The re-work of the Main Menu and it's options continues. I'm giving myself one more week to finish this up (it is looking very spiffy these days, but I'm incredibly picky about this kinda stuff) and then I'll be totally into library files. By the way, this re-work was not just to make RuneSword look good. Although it certainly does that, it also squashes that nagging "Large Fonts" problem with the game. Now it doesn't matter what your font size is 'cause I no longer use True Type Fonts in the Player. Creator, of course, is still a "pure" Windows application, but the Player is 100% in-house graphics. And does it look snappy, mama? You bet it does.
Item: I've added a clean (and more standard) Main Menu which has New Tome, Saved Tomes, Characters, Options and Quit. Click Characters and you can maintain your roster: delete ones you don't want, make new ones --- even see their Inventory and rearrange it. Saved Tomes shows you all your saved games (you can have as many as you want now) and I might even include a snapshot of your game screen when you saved it (opinions on that?). Oh, and I have another question: what do you think of annotated saved games? Or is "naming" a saved game enough? Item: I did spend a day putting together a spreadsheet in Excel which automatically balances weapons and armor. The way it works is each property of a weapon (for example) has a corresponding table of values and ratings --- a point value, if you will. You just plug in the speed, weight, bulk, cost, damage, bonuses, etc. and it cranks out a rating. So I can at a glance see if my latest entry is just way out of line or not. I'll be combining this with a similar set up for Creatures so I can rate them as well. It makes game balancing more science than opinion. One more cool development tool. It won't be part of Creator, but maybe I'll upload it after we release Gold Beta? Hmm.... Note: Sorry for the distance between page updates, but I figure you'd rather have me 'gramming and pixel slingin' than blabbing on and on here. A. West: July 31 11:30 pm |
| Monday, July 19th |
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I know. You're thinking to yourself, "Two updates to the web page in two days? What is this guy? Nuts?" and you'd be right. But I just finished the first few Item Wizards and thought I'd share that fact with you. Now with a single click you can generate weapons and treasure. Just like that. Yank in a Goblin from the library. Drop an Item Wizard on 'em. Click. He gets a random weapon. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself.
And I just spent the last couple hours digging through my old design documents (and actual code dumps!) of our first CRPG: Bronze Dragon. You know those boxes that printer paper used to come in? I've got two that are filled with notebooks --- brimming over with notes about this old CRPG we made. I pulled out the dump of our first adventure --- and it was a stack of paper about 3 inches thick! But anyhow, I was searching for my old list of ideas that never got used in that game and I found at least a dozen pages of old story ideas, a vast list of spells I never implemented and (what I was looking for) my old list of "Dungeon Items": barrel, chair, tapestry, mushrooms, stiletto, small shield, cloak, bracers, ale, large bell, and on and on. And I was thinking to myself: "This is the stuff that is valuable. Not all that coding. It's these ideas written down that can't be easily replaced." So that's why I'm always saying it's you that make the game, we're just writing it. Any designer who thinks he has cornered the market on good ideas is missing the most valuable part of the game: the player. In the case of CRPGs, it's the dedicated Game Master. And I can't wait to give you the tools to let your imagination soar. A. West: July 19 11:30 pm |
| Sunday, July 18th |
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Ah, the sweet sound and fury of a week that has gone extremely well. I just did the once over final of our interface and (yes) included the suggested (and ubiquitous) "paper doll" inventory system. But that's hardly the half of it. The entire once over just cleaned up the details, making it look more smooth and professional. It's amazing what a decent renderer will do for a pixel slinger. Go get Bryce if you don't have it. Very useful (and quick!) 3D tool.
Dan has just about finished testing Spells and Skills and (I think) is back on the Tome. He certainly is in the plot pumpin' mindset and I love it. This time, he's taking it much further in story and content than the taste you had in v0.9.2. We'll be bringing home the bacon, baby! And I can finally get to those last nigglies myself (the options screen, save/load clean up, and final once-over on Character Creation) before turning both barrels on library construction --- the last lane to victory and Gold Beta! Hang on for the ride, my good friends. If role-playing has a name, it must be RuneSword! A. West: July 18 11:45 pm |
| Thursday, July 8th |
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Great news here! Yes, the mighty dancin' Dan has finished all the Skills and the 30 initial spells. And I guarantee, you have never seen spells like these on computer before. We don't just have silly damage, protect and heal spells. Nay! Spells like those are beneath the awesome flexibility of RuneSword. And I'm not going to spoil it by listing everything here. Well, maybe just one... there's this spell that makes a illusionary chest appear. If the victim fails their saving throw against Greed, the chest explodes and has a percentage chance to shower gold coins! Yes, damage and loot all in one spell! Who else does stuff like that but us? Well, I'm sure YOU will when you get your hands on RuneSword Creator.
And that's not all: I've finished the Journal Entries, Quest Log and Micro-map! Yep. I dreaded it, put it off and generally complained, but now that they're in, they are way, way cool. The micro-map of course follows you, drawing as you go. And sure, you can drag the picture around and look about to see where you've been. But we don't stop there. You can annotate it! You can plop your own little thumb tacks down and add text to 'em. You can annotate the Journal and Quest log as well. And sure, we have trigger statements to manage the quests (add and take them away) and journal entries --- help those players keep track of where they've been, tell a story and record heroics. I love it! And did I mention we're going to do that suggestion about multiple statuses for Characters? Little symbols representing poison, cursed, illusioned, whatever. And yes, easy management of temporary stats like lowering or raising Strength for a number of turns. Easy? Yes --- only one trigger statement. Anybody can do it! All part of our revamp of the Inventory screen now under way. (Did someone mention the paper doll inventory? Dan? Did you hear that?) A. West: July 8 11:45 pm |
| Sunday, June 27th |
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Is it me or are my updates getting further and further apart? Ah, well. It's not for lack of work to report, I assure you!
Item: Now lock picking is in. Several new Triggers to go with it. You can lock pick doors or chests/containers. If you fail in lock picking, you risk "jamming" the lock. Therefore, if you're so inclined (or just plain without a Lock Picking Skill or Thieve's Tools), you can also bash open things. 'Course, when you do that, you risk damage to the contents (we've added a couple new Item Families: Fragile and Durable). Yes, we have various difficulties with locks as well --- all managed by those crafty Triggers. And those nasty traps! Yikes! Item: Started work on the micro-map/auto-map feature. Don't know why I have been dreading it for so long. It's just one of those things that I didn't want to do, but which had to be done. It will include annotations (you can write notes to yourself about areas). And I'll be putting in the quest log (keeps track of things you're supposed to be doing) and journal entries (describes you adventure thus far and allows you to add points as well). More stuff you hardly see in commercial RPGs these days. Item: Dan passed along an excellent work for me to peruse. It's called the Encyclopedia of Fantasy by Jon Clute and John Grant. You can probably get it through Amazon.com or such. The work is massive and supreme --- perhaps the definitive work on and about fantasy. Nothing compares to it. If the topic interests you, get the book. You'll not be disappointed. A. West: June 27 11:30 pm |
| Thursday, June 17th |
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I know. This dry summer heat and hardly an RPG out there. Sure, I heard about this one game called Might and Magic VII but beyond that, there's ain't much. Well, there is this other kinda game called Total Annihilation: Kingdoms coming out next week.... not that I'm distracted or anything. Ah, where was I?
Latest Stuff: More tuning of combat, but this time in the area of spells. As those who have played the early Beta, you know our spell system is pretty different. Not just your average click and go affair. Well, we've changed it a bit more. Simplified, if you will. Now you que up spells with multiple Runes and they go off automatically on the appropriate turn. You no longer have to remember which spell you were building from turn to turn. Really ramps up the tactics and plays deep into the strategy of spell casting. Do I que up this Flaming Death right now? But can I target that creature next turn? And there's a limited amount of Runes during combat. So if you use up the Fire Runes, you can't cast any more spells that use that Rune. More cool strategy. Speaking of Spells, Dan is sitting down (even as I write this) working on the 30 or so base spells for our various sorcery-type Skills (don't worry, we're not stopping at 30). Now he's got things in like a spell that stores your hitpoints during a turn and sets you back to that number of hitpoints 4 turns later. So hey, for 4 turns, you can turn headlong into that fire breathing beast. 'Course, this particular spell doesn't bring you back from a nasty burning death.... I've been working on the graphics in the game as well. Just cleaning things up for the most part. Smoothing out the routines so they draw nice and pretty. Adam like pretty pictures. Also making the Creator application more stable --- like error checking and the like. So YES, for those of you taking notes, we are working like dogs on RuneSword. And YES, we do have a version that is far, far better than what we've shown before. It's got alot of spit and polish, but we've got some stuff yet to do. Patience, my friends. All in good time. A. West: June 17 11:30 pm |
| Thursday, June 10th |
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I've been playing around in combat tweeking things. We've changed the spend of "action" points a little (and probably will again). This is much like Fallout wherein certain things you do cost points. Adds a nice layer of strategy and gets in that "pass my turn" enhancement as requested. We've introduced weapon speed in combat -- some weapons cost less action points than others. And we also have armor resistence now --- like armor that takes half damage from fire or perhaps no damage from poison attacks, etc. In the interface arena, I've been trying to get the most information on the combat screen without alot of eye-movement. So as a result, we've moved the little message window at the bottom to floating text above the character's head. I really like the feel of that right now (and it killed the bug of the white flicker of the text on occasion).
And I've started on the enhancement to locks. This one adds thieves tools, a "pick lock" skill and bashing locks. We've also added a "fragile" family type for Items so if you bash on a chest, the contents have a chance of breaking. Next on the drawing board are perhaps the two final "major" enhancements: the mapping skill (yes, that ol' RPG standby --- automapping) and quest logs. The latter lets you manage the quest log with Triggers --- so you can tell the Party what they have to do and details about the task. When it's complete, you can knock it off the log. Pretty cool, really. After that, it's back to library development (and yes, I'm still working on that promised documentation). Now that the skill list is pretty much wrapped up, Dan's cranking on spells. I won't spoil all the fun by detailing every spell we have, but suffice to say, these babies are *nothing* like your typical CRPG fair. We go way beyond heal/damage stuff. With RuneSword, you can pull off some pretty nifty things and balance them with mana spend, Runes required to cast and saving throws. This game system is way cool! If all goes well, we could have a new beta out in the next few weeks. Consider that a "best guess". And we might even call it "gold". A. West: June 6 11:00 pm |
| Sunday, June 6th |
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Already have some big changes into v0.9.7. Adding some very nice features to Creator including the requested "zoom in/out" on the map, show all the Encounter while painting, a little "grabby" hand for moving the map around and basic clean up work. Makes for a nice feature set (and it's cool to look at Tosspot Island at 25% magnification).
Dan and I have been debating a little about "Monster Difficulty" as we continue our quest for perfection in game balance. The debate centers around how much should they be worth in experience points and how "different" is one monster from another. Since our leveling for characters is pretty much a done deal now (and yes, I think we are going to give 3-5 health points per level gained to characters and a flat 10 skill points per level), it's just a matter of making monsters difficult enough to keep the game interesting, yet not so deadly that nobody can beat them: fun vs. frustration. Any thoughts on this? Anybody know of a very good pen and paper RPG that has great balance in Monsters vs. Characters? A. West: June 6 11:00 pm |
| Sunday, May 30th |
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Well, v0.9.6 now contains well over a dozen enhancements and not a few bug fixes. This one is turning out to be a "clean up" version --- lots of things clarified and detailed. Adding a Take button to Search, moving the Eternium Bar down to the bottom next to the portraits, cleaned up alot of variable references with regard to randomizing maps, and about ready to work on bashing chests and picking locks. It's the little stuff that take a game from above average to really great.
I'm also crunching through a beta version of documentation that I think will prove very useful. It documents every Trigger, Statement and Property in RuneSword (the latter has never seen the light of day before). You really don't realize how huge a CRPG is until you see this kind of document. It includes everything --- even stuff not available prior to v0.9.6. I'm also going through the engine to verify the document so it should be extremely accurate. And I'll be documenting how CreatureNow and ItemNow are set for each Trigger. Again, very valuable and informative stuff I hope. Along with this, I'll be posting some initial documentation on RuneSword's new Tome Wizard (code named: Uber Wizard). I should be able to post most (if not all) this in the next week or so. Does anybody have a perference for format? Flat ASCII text? MS Word? Or HTML? A. West: May. 30 10:00 pm |
| Thursday, May 27th |
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I've updated the Bug Report, Suggestions and the Coming Soon pages. Just to keep you up to date on our progress with fixes and enhancements. Also, I began to dive into documentation a bit today. I'm starting with a listing of all variables accessible with Triggers and there's a surprising amount of information to gather and document. My plan is to get some of this initial documentation out of the way and post it ASAP so you'll have that much more to go on while tinkering with Creator. Let me know if you have any other immediate needs with documentation and I'll prioritize those up the task list.
A. West: May. 27 10:00 pm |
| Tuesday, May 25th |
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It's official: Star Wars did not break Lost World's record for ticket sales.
But what is this? Your unofficial Star Wars update page? Nay, nay. We're here to keep you up to date on the latest goings on around CrossCut. We're thrilled to the gills at the progress being made on RuneSword. Our chipmunk-like developers are spinning their exercise wheel, churning out code at a phenomenal rate. Things like a couple of randomizer statements for Triggers to let you spin a dungeon while you're playing (finally delivering on that promise). Zoodles (that's alot in chipmunk lingo) of bug fixes and small enhancements: adding that branch statement to Triggers, cleaning up CutScenes, fixing TargetCreature so it keeps its brains intact, and oh so much more. And what's this on the horizon? A few dozen new spells are being developed? The library files for Creatures and Items is being put together? What next? Maybe zoom in/out in Creator while painting maps? A. West: May. 25 12:00 am |
| Sunday, May 16th |
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Man, oh man. I really love this game. Skills are going to be way, way cool. I've added a few enhancements to the engine to allow for "Skill Webs" (you know, you get so far in two or more Skills and suddenly you can learn a whole 'nother Skill) and unlimited progression in Skills (no longer stops at Master, you can go on to Master +1, Master +2, etc). We've also been tweaking around with game balance, setting the number of Experience Points per Level (simple progression: 1000 to get to Level 2, 2000 to Level 3, 3000 to Level 4, etc.) and the number of Skill Points you get per Level up (1-5 you get 10, 5-10 you get 15, 10-15 you get 20, etc.). These are subject to change, but we're thinking this will balance things nicely and extend play for some time.
Why am I jazzed about RuneSword? Maybe it's the fact that Uber-Wizard is now in our latest beta. Click on Maps, Themes, Creatures and Items. Bang, bang, bang and presto: a full Tome. As big as you want. I am anxious to show it off. But all in good time.... Or maybe it's just the fact that I'm gonna see the new Star Wars flick in a couple of days. Did I mention I'm going to the Midnight show on Tuesday with eleven friends? I know, I know. I've read the luke-warm reviews. I believe 'em, but I don't care. I've been to the first showing of every Star Wars movie. I saw no reason to stop now. A. West: May. 16 12:30 am |
| Sunday, May 9th |
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Working now on v0.9.5 (yes, we've cut a few versions, but have not as yet made them available). We're perhaps not as responsive to E-Mails and the like lately (still responding, but not as fast) because of our intense efforts to get ready for E3. No, wait. That's the other companies.
Ahem. Let me start again. We're just working along like always. What's really getting in the way is this lengthy wait for Star Wars: Episode I tickets. Yes, I'm going to stand in line this Wednesday and buy a dozen seats. I like lots of room when I watch. But back to RuneSword. Dan is testing, testing and testing the Skills. And by all accounts, they are way cool. The new Arcane Lore in itself is worth the price of admission. But then again, every new Skill is really nifty: like the Shield Skill (not just the ability to use a shield, but the skill to make a defensive strike in combat), Critical Strike (the ability to find and hit a weak spot on the opponent) and more. And I just plunked in four new map spinner' routines --- Cavern Sprawl, Bubble Tube, Rectangles and Huge Cavern. Just enough variety to keep my blood pumping. And have I mentioned all the other new stuff crammed in now? Like flood fill in the Creator Painter, Pre-Examine and Post-Examine on Container Items (thanks to Locnar for making his point about the need for Search triggers on these --- they'll fire just like you said, Loc), new Pre-Turn and Post-Turn triggers in combat, and several dozen bug fixes. And I feel like I've hardly worked on it at all. It's a sickness, really. A. West: May. 9 10:00 pm |
| Wednesday, May 5th |
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The Uber-Wizard is functional! It spins out Tomes with a minimum of clicks. Pretty fun and I think you'll find it extremely easy to use. Now on to refinements with it, some library files and then the big bug hunt. I've got a small list of killer bugs that need squashin' and some enhancements to introduce. Time to pull on the hobnail boots!
On the game balance side, Dan and I were discussing today "uncapping" Skills. Basically, it means Skills can be increased to infinity (Novice, Adept, Expert, Master, Master Level 2, Master Level 3, etc.). We're trying to get the most play value out of a character. Also we're balancing Create Character and the cost of increasing Strength, Agility and Will (SAW) by Kingdom. You'll probably also get a small number of Health Points each Level. A. West: May. 5 10:00 pm |
| Wednesday, April 28th |
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For your enjoyment, I've uploaded all the item pictures available for RuneSword including all those in v0.9.2 and several others. 49 pictures total! And further, I've uploaded a few more item pictures from the talented Kenneth A. Papera! Check it out right here.
A. West: Apr. 28 11:00 pm |
| Sunday, April 25th |
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You regulars probably noticed that our web site was down for the last 24 hours or so. We also lost several messages on the message board. Unfortunately, our ISP had a hard drive crash and the backups took sometime to recover. It looks like we're up and running now, however.
One of the last messages on the board concerned Skills and their implementation. Up to this point, we've been talking about 6 skills per character and we'll probably stick with that --- we'll have over 30 skills to choose from in the Gold Beta. But we're now in the process of developing several dependancies in Skills. For example, to become a Master in a spell skill might require a high Will and being at least an Adept in Arcane Lore. We're doing this instead of artificially limiting how high you can get in a particular skill. When you level, you'll be able to spend your Skill Points on skills or on your HitPoints, Will, Agility or Strength. The challenge here is to give a long playing experience with a single character, remaining balanced for the duration and make each character distinct and personal. On the programming side, Uber Wizard is coming along nicely. Every pass at the code, I think of better and better ways to implement libraries and their use. It will be way cool making Tomes with this new version of Creator and oh-so easy. One nice feature now is how you can start Creator in "manual" mode and make a few things --- maps, themes, magic items --- saving each as library files. Then fire up Uber Wizard and it pulls them all together into a Tome! If you only like making parts of an adventure or just don't have the time to spend day after day working on a Tome, Uber Wizard will make CRPG creation a breeze. A. West: Apr. 25 10:30 pm |
| Saturday, April 17th |
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Thoughts for tomorrow: Everywhere I turn anymore, somebody is making an RPG editor! I must say I'm impressed by the awakening of the industry. We've all probably heard about Vampire: The Masquerade from Nihilistic Software now and their bid for an on-line editor. I'm a tad disappointed with them sticking to a Java-like scripting language, but still, their heart seems to be in the right place (there's some kinda vampire pun there I think). Then there's Black Isle Marketing Head Greg Peterson making suggestions for online dungeon modules. Things like editing Maps, Creatures, Items... Sounds familiar and tasty indeed! And let's not forget Revenant by Eidos, Infinte Worlds is still coming along, the folks at Catware with Shattered Light have an alpha-demo out, and well.... who's next? I'm anxious to see how well these bigger publications do with a decent budget behind them. Can they give us ease of use and flexability?
In the mean time, we're not sitting around twiddling our fingers. Today I've continued my construction of the Uber-Wizard. Lots of little things to work through like how levels connect together sensibly, yet with sufficient speed. Nothing too exicting (there's lots of that in making a game), but the end product will be quite a dazzler. In fact, I can hardly wait to play it myself! Dan is testing changes as we go and continuing to build the ever-growing list of Skills. Again, no fun working with code that is changing every few days, but hey, *somebody* has to plow through the alpha-level modifications. Be it far from me to test my code! But to Dan's credit, every Skill brings RuneSword up a notch. Ah, sweet gaming delight.... Concerning the Gold Beta: The Gold Beta, while containing many new features, will be 100% compatible with the current Beta release (v0.9.3). So whatever you build today will work as new builds become available. Also, I wanted to clarify that although we're shooting for a July release of the Gold Beta, there will probably be some beta releases before that one so everyone can test what we have. The Gold Beta will be the final product before we go production. I'd guess we'll test it for a few weeks and then make our final build. A. West: Apr. 12 10:00 pm |
| Monday, April 12th |
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Just to give you a fix on where we're heading: I'm now working quite a bit on the new Tome Uber-Wizard. It's gonna be very easy to use: just a few clicks to a complete Tome! Dan now has a copy of my latest build (on our journey to Gold Beta). Several new features are in including a couple of new Statements for Triggers, a larger and clearer window for editing Triggers, an increased pop-up menu ("wider is better") while playing, a new Done command for combat to end your turn, of course the new Energy Point system in combat, and some new properties in combat to intercept attacks... just to name a few. We're most likely going to wait now for several more builds before we post a new version of the beta.
A. West: Apr. 12 10:00 pm |
| Tuesday, April 6th |
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Attention Tome Creators! Would you like to be lost in a dangerous sewer? Looking for the perfect place to house your latest mutant rat? Or just wanting a nice, slimey corner for that evil wizard? Look no further than Sarchimus' latest TileSet: The Sewers! Another Sarchimus original, this TileSet is perfect (and small) for those dark, twisty, stinky sewers. Features tunnels, grates, garbage and slime-filled water. Get it now by clicking here.
In other breaking news, Dan is approaching the finish line with a new set of Skills for our Gold Beta. I'm firing up the pixel-pen and producing some stunning 3D backdrops for Combat. And loads more surprises are now in the works. Stay tuned! A. West: Apr. 6 08:00 pm |
| Sunday, April 4th |
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After testing, playing and judging all the submissions for the Encounter contest, we have a winner!
It's Carlos Hernandez. Yes, Carlos, you won for your hilarious (and violent) Riddling Golem. The only negative to this entry is he kills you a wee bit too fast --- before you get to enjoy all the really bad jokes. Carlos will receive a free copy of RuneSword when it is complete. Great job! For all the other entrants, thanks much! Your labors of love will not go unnoticed. We'll be putting together our first Encounter Contest Tome containing all the entries (and a few surprises). And we'll be featuring the beauty of Sarchimus' Tudor TileSet. Hopefully, I'll have it out in the next week or so. A. West: Apr. 4 12:00 pm |
| Thursday, April 1st |
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The First RuneSword Encounter contest is officially over! And the winner is...
...not determined. Well, you don't want me to rush this, do you? There's a complex rating system we're going through with judges from several different countries. I can't just do it in a few hours. I'll take some time to do it justice. Expect the announcement very soon. In other news, Dan and I are batting around the design doc for Uber-Wizard along with other Gold Beta issues. Overall, we're progressing just fine. I mentioned I'm well near finished with the new Energy Point system in combat. Dan is whipping up some cool Skills. And I've been working hard on some new Trigger properties to intercept information ("He's shooting a fire ball, I'll just raise my Fireproof Shield"). A goodly pace. Not a leisurely stroll, but somewhat short of an all out snap-the-neck speed race. A. West: Apr. 1 12:00 pm |
| Wednesday, March 31st |
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This is it! You only have 24 hours to submit your Encounter into our fabulous RuneSword Create-your-best-Encounter Contest. The winner receives a free production copy of RuneSword when it's available.
We've already had several great entries, but there's still time to hurry and get yours in today! You can't win if you don't enter. Just package them up and E-Mail to adamw@runesword.com. A. West: Mar. 31 12:01 pm |
| Saturday, March 27th |
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You're probably thinking, "Hey, what's up with those CrossCut guys? Are they in trouble like about every other small outfit in the industry? Will they die off? Lose hope? Get bought out? Lose funding?" Nah. We're grammin' and jammin' (for the uninitiated, this means programming and listening to music).
There is alot going on around CrossCut these days. Since Known Bugs are getting down to the nigglies, we're moving toward enhancements. Why just now I was adding into the combat engine of RuneSword a new "energy" bar to allow a Character to do multiple things in a single turn. It's a point system like you might find in other RPGs, allowing move-attack-move, double hits, and more. This is one of several enhancements planned for what we're calling the Gold Beta Project. We're balancing leveling and adventuring, stuffing in skills galore, a host of spells and you simply won't believe what we're doing to the Creator. We are building up a honkin' library of stupendous size. We already believe we have the best design for a CRPG editor anywhere: true component objects, click-and-go, easy to use, self-generating and infinitely expandable. Nobody has done what we've done. But you ain't seen nothin' yet. Now we're turning our attention to ease of use and speed: code named "Uber Wizard." Let's just put it this way: you'll be able to crank out an original Tome in under 10 minutes. Complete. Stocked full. With a story line. And NPCs. And Monsters. And Magic Items. And loads of surprises so even you the Creator won't know what to expect. No kidding. Just wait and see. We're turing up the heat on anybody who claims to have a CRPG editor. You won't need a PhD in programming. Just bring your ideas and an attitude. And did I mention I've got spankin' new 3D Software coming next week? Oh yes, my precious. Yes.... A. West: Mar. 27 11:30 pm |
| Saturday, March 20th |
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Announce: Sarchimus has completed work on his first (of hopefully many more) TileSets. Called "Tudor" it combines the best of outdoor and indoor architecture in a decidedly Arthurian vein. Included are 192 tiles to make 3-dimentional and multi-level castles, keeps, inns, and other consturcts of fiefdoms. There are chests, wagons, a waterfall and water wheel, a tent, fences --- even a cow! Included in the file is a Tome called "Medieval" which demonstrates the possibilities and gets the creative juices flowing....
It's hot off the press and you can get it right here. After you take a look, give Sarchimus a shout and tell him what you think. In other news, Dan has completed his design of the production Skill List and it's looking oh-so fine including such skills as Weapon Lore, Armor Lore, Merchant Lore, Magic Lore, Luck, Mapping, Athleticism, Arcane Lore, Fine Arts, Lockpicking, Trap Detection, Healing Hands, Detect Weakness, Acrobatics, Critical Strike, Heroism, Fencing, Parrying and yes, even more! It's all part of the major upgrade coming to balance play, add proper leveling for characters and enhance combat. And what is ol' Adam doing? I'm back at it too after a week off on business. My tiny little Tome is shaping up nicely. But I'm looking forward to getting back to squashing bugs and adding enhancements for our next patch. It will be coming soon! A. West: Mar. 20 10:30 pm |
| Thursday, March 11th |
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Dan and I were just talking and it's incredible that we've been working on RuneSword for over two years (!!) and still are as excited as ever. So much so that I am compelled to tell you what we're planning to do in the next patches leading up to our production version. Of course we'll be building a few new Tomes to play, but also a whole list of new features will be added. We'll try to keep this list updated as we continue work on the game. And yes, we'll still be hammering out bugs and taking in all the suggestions you can throw our way. Anything is fair game so let your voice be known!
As a side note, I'll be out of town next week, but will still be checking the Message Board. E-Mail to adamw@runesword.com will not be responded to until around March 20th. But you can reach Dan at dans@runesword.com. A. West: Mar. 11 11:30 pm |
| Tuesday, March 9th |
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RuneSword is coming along just fine. Dan is working away on our complete set of Skills for the production version. He's also mapping out the production Tome. We've learned quite a bit from our first Demo Tome and this will only help to make the full-blown baby very special indeed. I'm collecting, traping and squashing bugs and working on a Tome of my own, just for fun. It's a sprawling underground complex (makes me want to put in that auto-mapping feature now). I've also draw up several dozen more item pictures and added a bit to the tile sets. I'll include those in the next patch.
The Encounter contest is awaiting more entries. You still have a few more weeks to enter. If you're hesitant, just try something! Any monster(s) or item(s) are eligable. How about a special wand or spellbook? Maybe just a set of really neat little creatures or a very well written description. You can't win if you don't enter! And the prize is a full-production version of RuneSword upon it's release. A. West: Mar. 09 08:30 am |
| Friday, March 5th |
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I did upload patch 0.9.2 last night, but the zip file was corrupted. I'm not sure why. I'll rebuild it today and put it back up tonight. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
A. West: Mar. 04 07:30 am |
| Sunday, February 28th |
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Still fixing bugs here. I'd like to get several dozen more resolved before we release the next patch. Dan is adding yet another level to the Demo Tome (and I'd like to slip one in myself too).
We've had a few entries in the Encounter contest and I must say I'm very impressed. Really good stuff! And you Creators are very sharp! You're doing things already that are creative and down right fun. Just what we'd hope would happen. Keep those submissions coming.... A. West: Feb. 28 09:00 pm |
| Wednesday, February 24th |
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I updated the Known Bugs page and added a Suggestions area. If you have any bugs to report not listed on this page, let us know via E-Mail or post on the Message Board. Also, I'd like to hear your comments on the Suggestion page. Let us know what suggestions should be done quickly and which can wait.
From the When's-the-next-patch department, Dan is working on some quick fixes to the Demo Tome (I even heard tell he's adding places to get Eternium). And old Adam is plunking away at some engine repairs. Give us a few days and we'll have something to show for the effort. A. West: Feb. 24 11:00 pm |
| Tuesday, February 23rd |
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Announcing: The First Great RuneSword Creator Contest
You may enter up to 3 encounters to compete for the coveted Best Encounter Award, 1st Edition. Grand Prize is a free copy of RuneSword when it's released. Da rulez: You give up all rights to anything submitted, we'd don't owe you any money, we can alter your submission, we can publish your submission, and [add your own legal jargon here]. The person submitting the best encounter gets a free copy of RuneSword when it's released. Also bragging rights, but try to be humble with your new title as "His (or Her) Eminence" :) Encounters that are deemed worthy will appear in a new demo tome. We'll give credit to the all creators who contributed to this contest tome. The deadline for submissions is Midnight EST March 31, 1999. The winner will be notified via E-Mail (so make sure you use a real E-Mail address when submitting) and announced the first week of April, 1999. E-Mail your submission to adamw@runesword.com Tips: The idea is to create monsters with personality, cool attacks, intriguing conversations, unusual items, and so forth. And don't forget well-written descriptions. Big bad creatures aren't necessarily the best. Anyone can blow away a party with some big nasty, but it takes skill to challenge players with clever beasties. Encounters don't have to be hostile. If you create an unbelievably excellent magic item or something, you could stick it in a chest and that's that. Conversations can be done, too. You don't have to do really tricky stuff to make it good. Sometimes creatures with good descriptions and says during combat can be the most fun. Don't submit anything that uses copyrighted material. In other words, we cannot have Gandalf showing up, even in a free beta contest tome. A. West: Feb. 23 11:00 pm |
| Monday, February 22nd |
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I'm organizing all the latest bug reports and will post them in the next day or so. Dan's turning his attention to developing a standard library of items and creatures. I will be fixing the "Can't AutoReDraw" error as a top priority. But the work around is this: if you get this error in Creator, start a New Tome. Right Click on the Map (called Map1). Change the Picture File to cavern.bmp. Click OK. You should be fine after that. The problem lies in the size of the TileSet bitmap (specificaly the bdout2.bmp and island village.bmp) on some video cards. Even if you have several megs of video, it still doesn't like it.
Yes, there will be another patch. Just too many bugs still hanging out there. I'm also working on a new Message Board just for Creators. And we'll be posting some more demo Tomes soon. A. West: Feb. 22 09:30 pm |
| Saturday, February 20th |
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Attention: There may have been a problem with the lastest upload of the patch. I can't reproduce it, but the "resource" error reported on the Message Board would most likely be related to a new version of the mouse cursor I was testing. I have removed this cursor and recreated the patch. I then replaced the file on our FTP site. I'm also going to upload a full v0.9.1 Beta version to the site today.
If you get the error Runtime Error 326: Resource with identifier 'Version' not found, download the patch and copy the files again. If that doesn't fix it, please post on the Message Board or E-Mail us. A. West: Feb. 20 01:30 am |
| Saturday, February 20th |
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The patch is ready! You can get it right here: Patch v0.9.1 (2.1Mb)
This fixes numerous bugs (of course), but also adds a new level to Tosspot full of nasty skeletons to dispatch. Try it out and see! Yes, we have other bugs to fix, but all in good time, my friends.
Also available in the patch is a short document on How to Create Tomes. You'll need Word to read it. There's a free Word viewer at Microsoft which will do the trick if you don't happen to own Word. It unzips to about 22Mb so give yourself some room (it's got screen shots in it and stuff). Next up is a few more bug fixes, some enhancements, and a pot load of library files. Keep that feedback comin'! A. West: Feb. 20 01:30 am |
| Friday, February 19th |
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Where's the patch? It's done. Dan was testing last night and said it looked OK. I have it in my virtual hands right now. There have been a few set backs with a new PC I purchased (Windows 98, new AGP video card, etc.), so my home system has been a real time sink these last few days. All in all, I haven't had the time to put a zip file together. I'll try to get it out sometime today, however, along with the new Creator documentation (for you budding Tome builders out there).
As we now exceed 2,000 beta downloads, there still have been precious few reports of crashes and loads of comments. The ones we have had seem to be related to a few sound and video cards. We'll get that nailed and patched. But I want to again thank everyone for their wonderful suggestions and bug reports. Without this, we'd never have known what worked well and what didn't. We're cofident now that a public beta is the only way to go. A. West: Feb. 19 08:00 am |
| Monday, February 15th |
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Ah, it has been a productive evening smashing bugs. Check out the Known Bugs page for the full scoop. The beta is proving to be very valuable to us and hopefully not too frustrating to you. Lots and lots of good suggestions coming in every hour.
I hope you understand I can't reply to every E-Mail I receive now. Just too many to go through each day. But I do read them! And I really try to post to every message that needs an answer. Thanks to Azugal Axanadar, Freak and everyone who is taking time to help others out when I'm not around. It is truly appreciated. The Creator documentation will be coming very soon. Dan read the outline to me and the thing could get very large indeed. We'll try to keep it realively brief this first cut so we can get something out to you. A. West: Feb. 15 11:50 am |
| Saturday, February 13th |
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A quick update: Dan says he should have Creator documentation done by the end of the weekend, so hang tight. I have updated the Known Bugs page with my current status. Many bugs are fixed and may more will be before the patch is ready. I'd say a few more days and it'll be out.
And a couple of focus questions: I'm still trying to figure out the few crashes that have been reported. Specifically, if you've been "locked up" while on the map somewhere and the thing just craps out (GPF or bombs out back to Windows), please E-Mail me your system configuration and your best shot at reconstructing events. I'm fairly pleased, however, that with just over 1,000 betas out, only 5 or 6 have reported crashes. And also, is anybody running Windows NT? We've tested it, but I'm curious about your experiences. A. West: Feb. 13 07:00 pm |
| Thursday, February 11th |
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We've moved our Message Board to our web site now. Don't worry --- we've noted all your posts on the previous board. If you'd like to see the old Messages, they are still right here. But please, start posting on the new board.
Also, I've compiled a list of Known Bugs. Before you go posting or E-Mailing, check out the list and see if we already know about it. If you think you have additional information about a problem, let us know! We'll be publishing a patch in the next few days. Dan is working feverishly on the Creator documentation. It'll be about 20 pages or so and give you a good look at how to make your own Tome. This is an on-going effort for us so never fear! More documentation will be coming your way. We'll also be working on some new additions to the Beta including a few new levels somewhere on Tosspot Island (you have explored the Island, right?). There'll be some new monsters to fight (maybe Dan will let me unleash my Rat Lord on you), some new puzzles to solve, and new magic stuff. Oh, and I'll just have to make some traps. I do love traps.... A. West: Feb. 10 10:00 pm |
| Wednesday, February 10th (Later that same day....) |
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First, thanks so much for all the interest! Please keep the feedback and bug reports coming.
Second, I have added another download point at Xoom. If you've been having trouble getting into the FTP site, give that a shot. Also, some others are uploading to their sites so we should have plenty more bandwidth soon. Third, I'm compiling a list of bugs in the beta and I'll be putting together a Known Bugs page in the next couple of days. Fourth, we'll probably have a patch ready in the next few days. And we're seriously thinking about including a few new levels to our Demo Tome --- just to show off some other features you haven't seen yet. Fifth, ah... there is no fifth point. A. West: Feb. 10 10:00 pm |
| Wednesday, February 10th (High Noon) |
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It's here! RuneSword v0.9.0 Beta is ready for your enjoyment! And this just isn't any beta. This isn't just some sissy kinda trimmed down screen demo. This is the full-blown, feature-packed, hot-peppered enchilada, smothered in way-cool sauce. What are you waiting for? Go get it now!
And on other bright fronts, our web address at www.runesword.com is alive again! Yes, I had to voice call and complain to InterNIC (so un-90's you know) and then FAX a copy of my driver's license to get it done, but they did it. So we are crankin' again! Now that the beta is released, things are really going to heat up. We'll be answering your questions and wading through feedback, and also posting patches as necessary. Weekly at least, more often if needed. So give us your input! Make us laugh, make us cry, make us curse and make us smile! A. West: Feb. 10 12:00 pm |
| Sunday, February 7th (Midnight) |
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I was just playing the demo tome and it's very cool. I'm trying to sound casual, but really, it is VERY cool. There are several little problems with it, but I think you'll see the heart of RuneSword. And that's the idea. I hope you agree.
Now about getting the upload on our site, I can't finish it tonight. Dan and I need to talk a few things over and get a bit of documentation wrapped up. Late tomorrow night is a possibility if we both agree. Hang tight. We're nearly there. A. West: Feb. 7 11:50 pm |
| Sunday, February 7th |
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I've been squashing bugs like a mad man and added some tiny things like music and a speed govenor. Yes, RuneSword actually runs *too* fast at times. A nice problem to have.
Dan's putting the finishing touches on the demo Tome (I helped just now on a little puzzle piece --- pretty cool to do with the engine, actually). I've put together a full install about a dozen times now. The last one topped out at just over 8Mb --- a little bigger than I thought, but it's because I added 1 Mb of music and a few dozen extra pictures. So I'm pretty sure we'll be releasing either late tonight or tomorrow. I still want to play through a few times (you know while testing we just enjoy fighting this one combat over and over and over --- kinda weird that way). Dan has no idea how long it'll take to play straight through the demo tome. Maybe 10 hours or so. But the Creator will keep you busy for days and days! Anyhow, it's very important to get the thing out there --- it's a milestone for us and (I hope) a reward for your good patience. A. West: Feb. 7 03:00 pm |
| Thursday, February 4th |
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I think I have a handle on the web page problem with InterNIC and now (once again) I'm just waiting for them to get around to (1) modifying my authorization information and (after that is completed) (2) modifying my hosting address. This all started because my former host clipped my account before I had completed the move.
But on a brighter front, Dan is looking good on the demo Tome. Lots going on, lots of very cool stuff demonstrated and basically a good romp. I'm putting together the install even now. So we are indeed very close to posting. A. West: Feb. 4 11:00 pm |
| Monday, February 1st |
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What else could go wrong with this move? By the way, if you are seeing this page, consider yourself fortunate. My new host provider changed my IP address to 216.89.183.53. InterNIC keeps bouncing my E-Mails requesting a domain change to runesword.com (I've E-Mailed them no less than a dozen times now). Can't find a voice phone number that works so I can complain with the right inflection in my voice. Not to mention they are "backed up" on request fulfillment. To top it off, my ISP removed telnet from all accounts ("Security reasons" they say) and hasn't updated usenet new groups in at least two days! All within this last week! Arrggh!
Consequently, I haven't uploaded the beta yet. Maybe it's all for the better. We're still fixing bugs anyhow and working on the demo tome. Stand by as we continue down this bumpy road.... A. West: Feb. 1 12:17 pm |
| December 1998 |
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So much more done! Here's what's in our latest build (and I'm guessing this is more information than anybody really needs....):
Starting positions for Creatures are now consistent --- puts Party members top to bottom on left, Monsters top to bottom on right. "Smart Movement" for Creatures in Combat. You'll see them surround and track Party members like never before. No more occupying the same space in combat. Endurance now works in Combat --- on both Party members *and* Monsters. Now can see movement allowance on screen in combat (little spots leading to an "X"). Eternium Spend now in place. Average for a Level 1 Caster is 60 Eternium. Spells cost 1 Eternium per Rune. If you have no Eternium, you can't cast any spells. Basically, this is the equivelent of "Mana" in other RPGs. Runes now cycle off at the rate of 2 per TurnCycle for Party and Monsters. This happens just before Post-TurnCycle Triggers. Spell Saving Throws and Fizzle chance are both in. So when you create a Spell, you can decide if a Saving Throw is allowed and if the Spell has a chance to "Fizzle" (e.g. fail to work). Saving Throws apply to Party Memembers (when Monsters cast spells at you) *and* for Monsters (when you cast spells at them). You roll a d20 against your appropriate Vice score. For example, a Greed based spell is rolled against your Greed stat. Roll greater than your Vice and you save! (the spell fails to effect you). Split is now an Action available under Inventory. Select one or more Items and click Split to break them into equal halves. Select the Items again and click Combine to put them back together. Pre-Split and Post-Split Triggers now work as well. Many, many small features are now in. Like food and endurance. Like turns going by properly in combat (set initiative). Like losing turns (freezing) via spells and the like. And improved AI for the Creatures (smart path finding, surrounding, et al.). Yes, all part of the original design --- and more to come. Dan and I are settling in our the final cut of a small Tome for demo purposes. Yes, I'm going to play Baldur's Gate and work diligently on RuneSword (I work on it each and every day). Who needs rest or food when there's real role-playing to be had!? Still messing around with combat. We've changed the screen a tiny bit --- like moved the ToHit box around at the bottom, changing the cursor when you move over a potential target and other small changes. We're getting that part very smooth and very playable. It's a look and feel kinda thing, but one that we feel very strongly about. I also added gaining Experience Points, Level and Skill Points. I'll be adding a Statement to go with that so you can easily manage handing out experience outside of Combat. In answer to the question, "Is this thing playable yet?" Heck yeah! "Is it ready for public testing?" Nope, but we're way past what everybody else calls an alpha. "Are all the features in?" I'd guess about 95% are in. "SO what's the hold up?" We're not done yet. But we're working on getting this thing done and now have in game several happy things like Merchants working. This puts us at Build 0.7.1 (oooh, ahhh) and includes the following: MoveParty Statement now works correctly. Ctrl-X now exits game *without* saving. Ctrl-Q saves and then exits. Ctrl-S just saves. Ctrl-L loads the saved game. Two new Triggers added: Post-EnterTome and Pre-ExitTome. The first fires just after you enter a Tome. If you set Local.Fail = True, it kicks the Party back to the Main Menu. The latter fires just before you leave a Tome (using an Entry Point which goes back to the Main Menu). If you set Local.Fail = True, it won't let the Party leave. Now have "Visibility" for Tiles. The little circles over each wall work like the "Blocked" yellow line on tiles. Click on the circle to make it blue. This means you cannot see through it. Click again to make it clear. This means you *can* see through it. Setup global Objects before calling all Trigger types (CreatureNow, CreatureTarget, ItemNow and ItemTarget are all set). Statement DialogBuy now working somewhat. Very much like DialogSell. MainMenu now has Reset Tome button. Click it to clear out a Tome (deletes the files from the /world directory and frees up the Characters). You can then start the Tome over from the beginning. Characters are now marked as "OnAdventure" when enter a Tome. Only those not OnAdventure can be selected to enter a new Tome. The last month of the year. The final month. We're still putting together the Tome and working away on final things. Fortunately, I'll have two weeks off work this month to really put some time in. Sure, I have a few dozen things on my task list. Last night I was working on the Merchant Statement (DialogBuy and DialogSell). Still finding occasional bugs (the Entry Point connecting maps between Areas bombs out). And I'll continue putting in the Skills. It's going to be difficult to balance the cost of Skills (like how much an initial Character gets and how fast each Skill can progress). We'll work it out. I know Dan has a couple dozen Encounters complete in the intro Tome. The Island is mapped. The tile set is complete for caverns. Things are looking up. Still have to tweak around with combat. I did dink around with light sourcing a few days ago. Very cool to have your Party light the way down a dark hall. I'm not going to spend anymore time on it because it falls into the "fluff" area for now, but it will make the final version. That's about it for now. Back to work! Let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. |
| November 1998 |
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Quick update: I've been extremely busy lately. Pixel slingin' is taking longer than anticipated, but the results are very satisfying. Working on putting the final Skills together and testing those out. Very, very cool. Just shipped off the Island map and a sample dungeon to Dan for assembly. I think we're positioned now to complete enough of the demo Tome for beta testing.
Have to do some more combat things, but we're just trying out a few options before putting the final touches on. And there are some gather party type functions that need to be finalized. Beyond that, the task lists is getting down to "nice to haves" and "we'll finish that during testing." I noticed we hit 50,000 unique isp host hits (about 10 Million accesses or "page hits") to our web page. We're still averaging around 200 per day. Thanks for hanging in there! From the better-late-than-never department comes four new screen shots. Yes, we've been working our little fingers to the bone in an attempt to get this game in a ready to play state. While other games languish in a morass, we're shakin' and bakin'. And wait until you see the inns, shops, pubs and those ubiquitous dungeon levels! Just going through my alpha list and checkin' off things. We're into tweaking combat and the like. What you don't see here is the number of Tiles I've drawn this week (over 100) nor the number of hours Dan has now logged in designing the first Tome in the Editor. But just to let you know we're not sittin' on our duffs, here's some stuff in what we're calling v0.7.0: Statement DialogSell (Merchants) now working somewhat. Needs tweaking on the haggle rate, but that'll be easy to do. Fixed various problems with Conversations. Should be fine and dandy now (especially those pesky Post-Topic Triggers). You can now use variables in Dialog statements. Here's how: Put the Context.Var in square brackets. For example, "You do [Global.DamageDice] in damage to [CreatureNow.Name]." Post-EnterEncounter now goes off just *after* the default description. Post-StepEncounter fires just *before* description. Parry on an Item now effects your ToHit value. For Items that are equipped (i.e. Armor and thing in hand), Parry is added to the ToHit value. For example, for Plate armor to make the Creature easier to hit, enter a *negative* number in Parry. But for a Buckler shield, enter a *positive* number. Natural 20 on ToHit now results in a bonus of 1-6 damage. This is determined just after Pre-RollDamage trigger. Natural 1 on ToHit roll now causes the Creature to drop his Item in hand if a d20 is more than his Agility score. This happens just *after* Post-RollToHit and Post-Attacked triggers. Combat Initiative is now rolled at the start of Combat only. Now has "Empty Rune" separated in Combat. This only shows after you have at least one Rune qued up and it appears between that first Rune and any empty slot after. You can now exit the Tome correctly. It marks the Characters in the Party as "available." Well, still working on the first Tome's tile set. It is taking more time than I thought, but very cool stuff. Like a volcano, tropical forest, blasted area --- and more. And that's just the village where you start. The Land Beyond is.... well, let's not spoil things too much. And on the programming front, Dan and I are still tweaking the combat engine and testing, testing, testing Triggers. And Dan is cranking along on his part of the first Tome. I'm running through the Merchant routine. It needs some work yet. Man, oh man. I'm very excited about our new Tile graphics for the intro Tome. I hope you'll be pleased as well. I'll get some new screenshots up showing it off very soon. I'm still squashing bugs in the Player and adding tiny features to the Editor (like letting you build a Tile set from a bitmap in one click). Things are going very well. And as promised, another web page is up this time describing the Statements used to build Triggers. Please let me know if this is all overwhelming, just right or not nearly enough. Enjoy! Ah, the fresh smell of fall! Seasons change and so do web pages. I've just posted a snipet of documenation on Triggers in RuneSword. I also moved the link for the Non-Interactive Demo stuff to our Screen Shots page. So if you missed it, check it out. And beyond that, I just gave yet-another-build to Dan. Not only are all the Triggers done and we're at full functionality, but I did some of those "I only wish" stuff for Dan in the editor. And I'm slingin' pixels like never before. (Well, like not in a long time anyhow). We figger' if we can just get this preview Tome done, we'll be ready. Since we know all the stuff that can be done, it's getting increasingly difficult to not put everything we can think of in this first Tome. Is it OK to thank all of you kind folks again? You've been great and we're motivated more than ever to please. (And just between you and me, it's OK if you go play Fallout 2 for awhile). |
| October 1998 |
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HEAR the amazing voice-overs! SEE what RuneSword is all about. WATCH as we take you through the Creator program.....
Well, it's not the beta and I know you've been more than patient. To tide you over (hopefully), we've put together a little non-interactive demo (or two) which will show you around the editor. First, you'll need to get this Lotus ScreenCam Player (350Kb) and then, download this little diddy (2Mb) and then, after viewing, maybe you'll want to see this one (2Mb). And later this weekend, I'll upload the first part of our documentation describing Triggers and Statements! As always, your feedback is needed! Yeah, I'm hip deep in Triggers and stuff. Thought I'd go ahead and post all the Skills that will (tenatively) be in the beta test just for giggles. Here they are (in no particular order): Climbing, Ancient Lore, Swimming, Oratory, Music, Lockpicking, Trap Detection, Disguise, Trapping, Throwing, Tumbling, Critical Strike, Heroism, Fencing, Parrying, Sword Specialization, Dagger Specialization, Bow Specialization, Staff Specialization, Sun Wizard, Sun Sorcerer, Sun Adept, Sun Mage, Moon Wizard, Moon Sorcerer, Moon Adept, Moon Mage, Animal Lore, Weapon Lore, Armor Lore, Jeweler, First Aid, Magic Lore and Detect Weakness. Speaking of which: beta, beta, where's the beta? We're taking our ques from the current tempo and talk around the 'net. Seems like most think a good product is better than a rushed product --- and we agree. This has been our stance for some time. Oh, sure, we could dump a late alpha on you and call it whatever. But who'd benefit from that? Not you --- you'd have to wade through bugs and stuff looking for a game. Not us --- we'd have to listen to zillions (well, dozens) of justified compaints. So instead, we're gonna just keep plugin' along until we have a game. No excuses, just hard work. That's what makes the difference. Completed another build yesterday. Basically it's all about Save/Load game, CutScenes (no AVI stuff for now), and squashing bugs. And after your feedback, Auto-Mapping will not make the initial release of the beta at this point. Maybe within the first few patches if there's demand for it. Now I'm digging into all our Skills (working on about 30 or so right now) and Dan's slugging away at the Tome (including dabbling away at names of places on the RuneWorld map). And I've started filling my steno pad (I curl up with it in the Lazy Boy) with new puzzles for RuneWord I: The Land Beyond. Ah, it's nice to be back at it. If you've played our old game Bronze Dragon, you know what kinda stuff we do. Funny how creating puzzles is just natural for me.... But I shant't go into the more deliciously grisly aspects of Tome Creating here. Let there be some surprises yet! Also if you've been reading the Message Board you'll notice we're pondering documentation issues. It seems like we're all on the same page here: "Cover the essentials, but don't let it hold up things too much. Give lots of examples and make yourself available." So that's what we'll do for beta. The production version will be determined by your feedback --- what is confusing up front, what needs further clarification, what is not needed, etc. Thanks (as always) for the feedback! Save game done! I only allow for a single save game per Tome. I know that probably sucks rocks in some people's minds, but since I do allow you to play multiple Tomes simultaneously, having multiple saves per Tome is just more than I want to tackle right now. Maybe when we get to testing, you can convince me otherwise. (I know, this begs the question: "When the HECK are we gonna see that beta?" and I have to answer: very soon now). Cut Scenes almost complete (they need some tweaking). They allow for Pictures and Text in various layouts --- like a static page in a book. Does anyone have an opinion if we should allow for .avi (movie) files in a cut scene? Might be nice. Pretty easy to do, I think. Should I bother? And in case you haven't noticed, I'm going for near-complete functionality in the beta. I'm cutting as few corners as possible and squeezing in just everything I can from our design documents. The only major thing left on the cutting room floor right now is auto-mapping (yes, it will be in the production version). But I'm not sure that's a killer requirement in our game for the beta. Again, you be the judge. Has it really been a week since my last update? Time sure flies. It's been a productive week, overall. Anyhow, thought I'd post my latest ReadMe file from the build I just finished. You might find it interesting. Pre-Take works. If Pre-Take is attached to an Item in an Encounter and you set Local.Fail = False, you cannot take the Item. Pre-Search works. It fires just before the Search dialog pops up. Hidden items are now hidden. The Hidden property is used like a percent. It "rolls" each time the PC searches. (100% Hidden means you can never find it). Once it is found, the Hidden property is set to 0 (not hidden). Combine command works in Inventory. All Items with the same name and the CanCombine property set will combine together. For example, 10 Gold Pieces and 20 Gold Pieces when combined make 30 Gold Pieces. On-Combine works. You can now "assemble" Items with this Trigger. Think about it. New Statement ExecTrigger. You can call a Trigger attached to a Trigger. Kinda like a subroutine, eh? If the called Trigger returns Local.Fail = True, then the calling Trigger fails too. If statements fixed (again). No, really. They are. I mean it! Monsters can now cast spells using Runes. Use the SorceryQueRunes Statement in a Trigger. With it you specify which Runes to que up. Attach a Spell to a Monster like you would to a PC (as an On-Cast Trigger). When the Runes match, the Monster casts the Spell. The Statement TargetCreature works for DM Controlled Creatures. It has "brains" and picks an "appropriate" Target. Pre-TurnCyle works. And turns go by now in combat and outside combat. Tuning combat today. Monsters casting spells is just too cool. It really is an entirely separate level of strategy. You're wrangling your warriors in for an up close an' personal melee all the while keeping a sharp eye on what those opposing Mages are whipping up. Should I cast Dark Fright or heal my wounded? Should I just hold my Runes or should I invoke a few more that might thwart the enemy? It looks like they're wanting more Air runes.... And that's only the half of it. Monsters can use magic wands just like you can. And after you kill them, you get the booty! Way too cool. I mean, if you make a wand that Player Characters can use, you can use the same wand for Monsters and vice-versa. No changes necessary. In summary, half dozen more tasks down. Now, those cut scenes.... Well, we obviously didn't make the September beta deadline. This upsets me to no end, but realistically, I only have so many hours in the day and family comes first. Take heart; we're still working hard so it's only a matter of time now. Last night I was plunking away on the Random Dungeon Maker and smoothing out kinks so I can play through several random dungeons and test things. The Editor really is ready for beta. The Player still needs some features added to be complete. For example, you can't save/restore games yet which is (I'm sure you'll agree) rather important. The Preferences screen isn't done. I still need to finalize the trigger which fires up cut scenes. And there are a few dozen more tasks that await my attention. Pretty minor stuff, I guess, but stuff that needs to be done to truly make RuneSword a game. Instead of setting a new date for the beta, let's just say it's going to happen just as soon as possible. |
| September 1998 |
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In the task pipe line: Well, I had to finish the Line of Sight routine in the Player. I couldn't stand it just flood-filling to reveal tiles. When you walk around, things reveal correctly. The editor now allows positioning of Creatures and Items graphically (not wonderful, but certainly functional) and painting of Hidden tiles and the like. Repaired a problem with nested If statements in Triggers. Dan keeps finding things that don't work yet and I keep trying to fix 'em. Each change makes us a little more stable. A little better. More like a game.
Part of me says, "Let's just get it out there and get some feedback." The other says, "Just a little longer and we'll really have something." Most of you seem to be leaning towards the latter, so we're going to keep plugging away until we have an Editor and a Player ready for beta. I don't expect this to take too much longer and I truly appreciate your patience. Thanks for all the feedback concerning download speed. Looks like Xoom will do nicely for the short term. In the task pipe line: Worked on the graphics routines tonight and have most of the bugs worked out. Just a couple of tiny things left (few graphics scraps here and there sometimes). Speed might be an issue on smaller machines, but we'll see (I see why most games don't allow 16 bit color and 1024x768 size like we do. It just takes a stinkin' long time to refresh the screen). Anyhow, this really has me jazzed because it came together quickly with satisfying results. This puts us pretty much down to the "various" tasks part. There's quite a few little things to do and I'm sure I'll find more as we all hunt bugs together. So... the beta. Dan and I are going to meet IRL in the next couple of days to make the decision. I think we're leaning toward maybe releasing the editor first since it is pretty solid followed by the player a few weeks later (it needs more tweaks yet). Does that sound alright with everyone? Or would you rather wait until both are feature complete? I'm posted our old 1985 text only version on Bronze Dragon on our Download page. It's a game we made several years ago. It isn't the game we're working on now. Those of you who have been following us for awhile have probably already seen it. But those of you who are new might want to check out a game from over a decade ago. Note: This is intended to be a test of the download speed of Xoom. I'd much appreciate some feedback about how fast you can get a file. I'm getting pretty good response here in Indy, but things vary widely across the net. Note: Yes, this does mean we're getting ready for something a little more impressive.... A few weeks back, somebody asked about our first Module (or Tome) for RuneSword. As the saying goes, "Be careful what you ask for. You may get it." Check out the links Eternia and What is RuneSword?. In the task pipe line: Start up screen near done. Got Journal Entries up and working (so when you start a Tome, it tells you where you left off). We'll allow player updates to the Journal durning game play as well, but that is not done yet. Gather Party (where you pick the Character to go into the Tome) is functional, but not pretty. Copying a Tome to the active World directory is half done and not too much farther to go. Lately, Dan has been continuing on this multi-mile trek to make a introductory Module for beta. Today's issue: I'm putting in a module of my own making. It's actually a D&D module I made about 20 years ago (I keep everything) and I can't describe the feeling of bringing it back to life. It's a warm summer breeze. Sure, it's childish, it's over-the-top role-playing, but what fun (!) stomping through the Castle Rann in all its graphical spendor. And the practical side, it points out what the engine does and doesn't do (well, that's my rationalization anyhow). It consists of 3 dungeon levels and a small castle above. All total, 100+ encounters. Plenty to keep a party occupied for several hours. Maybe it will make it to the beta? In the task pipe line: Now have spells working. It's amazing how much easier combat is when you can toast a beast instead of whacking him on the head. And healing is a nice feature as well, eh? Also have die rolls working in Triggers (let's you have the PC roll for an event or such --- "Give me a 2d10 and see if you make that jump."). And the Convo dialog allows in more replies and stretches properly. Have the Runes humming up and invoking. So all this fleshes out spells quite a bit. Now on to the Start Up screen stuff. Today's issue: We went out to Xoom and got our free 11Mb. Thanks to all who suggested them. We'll see if that works for the download of the beta. Thanks much for all the feedback! I'd say the vote is leaning toward getting a feature complete product before calling it a beta so that's what we'll do. The suggestion of having a "beta bug" board is very good. We'll definitely do that. We're still shooting for the end of September by the way, so stay loose. In the task pipe line: tuning the change of turns between characters and creatures (audible tones, messages), cleaning up the dice rolls and feedback, and clarify targets (highlights and such) pretty much done. It's been a long night. On to the Start up stuff or spells. Whichever strikes my fancy next. Spent way too much time hunting down Sound FX. Also, complied the complete Alpha Bug/Enhancement list: 54 of them little critters. Today's issue: Does anybody know of an FTP site with alot of bandwidth and a big heart? Our ISP will charge us through the nose as soon as we exceed 3 Gb of bandwidth in a month. The beta will sit at around 7Mb zipped, so we'll need a site to host us if we exceed 400+ downloads. We'll need to be able to remove/update files as well. Any takers out there? So the big question: will we get the beta ready before this month is out as promised? To answer that, we're going to try a little experiment. We'll post where we're at, exactly what tasks are left to be done, and what decisions we're making along the way this month. You can help us decide if we should go ahead or not. Now to be honest, we have alot left. Although we're pleased to bang around in RuneSword "warts and all," others may not be so kind. In general, you do want a playable game and we want to serve it up in the best light. The goal of the beta is two fold: First and foremost, to make the best game possible. We've received alot of incredibly helpful feedback in our development phase and expect that and more in the beta. Second, we want to keep the anticipation moving ahead, to build our base, to make a very good impression on a (deservedly) jaded marketplace. Here's a quick and dirty break out of what's left to be done before beta: Polish Combat This includes getting spells working solidly, tuning the change of turns between characters and creatures (an adjuster for speed, audible tones, messages, etc.), cleaning up the dice rolls and feedback, and clarify targets (highlights and such). General Graphics Clean up the "artifacts" problem while playing, draw up a few ambient tile graphics for the module, position items and creatures in the dungeons, and get the right pics/portraits to represent your party of NPCs. Paint up at least a few inside combat wallpapers, too. Complete Start Up This includes starting the module right with Journal entries displaying, cut scenes and create character fully functioning and "nailed", and gather party. Various Tasks Any things we find along the way, some triggers that must work, and little stuff. This is where you come in. Tell us if these things are critical in your opinion. What must be in the game before you'll be pleased to test it? Now, this may seem like alot to you or it may not. To us, it's possible to complete this list before September is over. I just want to set the stage in all honesty. There's lots of unpredictables, any task could suddenly become a time-sink and who knows what our schedules might do. As always, we look forward to your feedback. |
| August 1998 |
|
Reworking the Construction Set project lister a little bit. That's the thing that lists which Tome and Area you're working on. I think it is much easier to operate now. Also have the Journal Entries functioning. Funny. After seeing the previews of Baldur's Gate, we're very much like them on this point. And we're not too far away from having a total front-end working (you know --- the Main Menu stuff with Create Character and choose the Tome you want to play). I also have several suggestions to implement in the Map Painter including "smart levels" with the Tiles and a better Eraser. The good news: Dan thinks the Conversation piece in the Construction Set is just fine.
We're getting 150-200 unique hits a day to our site. If you're out there looking at us every day, I'd like to know. I'm trying to get a handle on where people are getting news about us. So send me an E-Mail so I won't be thinking we're oh-so popular ;). Oh, and I did add a little info to the download page. Dan's still plunking along on the module. I'm working on the intro screens and main menu. There's lots of little stuff left to do, but we're making progress and still intend on an end of September beta. Dan wrote up the History of Rune. We're in edit mode with that and will (hopefully) post before the weekend is out. Links now posted. There are just a few there, but we'll add more as time goes by. I'd like to constrain them to just RPG development and news sites. You can now see the screen shots in 800x600. Just click to get the expanded size. Warning: they're often over 100Kb. The big news is obvious: we've spun up our new web site and we couldn't be prouder. Now, it's not done yet, so don't panic. But I hope it does give you a feel for what's to come. Why don't you bounce around a little and give us some feedback? Note: Several of the download spots don't work yet because the beta is not ready. But there are a few trinkets here and there for your enjoyment. |
| July 1998 |
|
We're in alpha now, so that means we're testing out the interface and all the basic components of the game, making any changes that we see fit. Yes, combat, spells, monsters, maps --- everything working to some degree. To create the best game possible, we'll have a beta sometime in September and again, that means a feature complete engine. You get to take the game for a test drive. And not just the game engine, but the RPG Construction Set too! As the beta progresses and we fix things, we'll be cranking out library files by the dozens. Hopefully, with your help, we'll once again prove that a game can make a difference without a thunderous wave of advertising and thousands of pre-sold fans.
Note: we'll be bringing down the web site sometime in August for a much needed face lift (don't worry, no fancy-schmancy Java stuff), a NEW company name and a NEW game name. We'll not be Commonwealth Software nor Bronze Dragon much longer. Stay tuned, hang loose and get ready.... |
| June 1998 |
| Doors all implemented. Working just peachy! Copy/Paste everywhere working fine. Random Dungeon Maker just about done. I tossed a few screen shots of how that looks and works. And let me make an announcement: we're shooting for a September Beta. So far, we're right on track for that. By Beta I mean a feature complete game system. But I doubt the first complete module will be finalized by then (it might be, it just depends). I feel we may be overshadowed by the commerical packages coming out, but so be it. I want to play this game, not those others. If you're with me on this, then prepare yourself.... |
| May 1998 |
| Got the Sorcery system worked out. Now Runes are the way --- and it is extremely cool and utterly unique. More than that, it's simple to use and fun to play. Check out the message board for a complete discussion (and several opinions). Still hacking away at copy/paste everywhere. And yes, with the help of Dale, I now have the Door object finally worked out. It's now on to implementation of that in the Adventure Maker, followed by (drum roll please) the Random Dungeon Maker rountines! |
| April 1998 |
|
April 6th, new addition to the West family: Rachel Marie was born. A third girl --- I can't believe it. All are doing well here. Beefed up my system with a new 3dfx card, more memory and (yes) I bought Total Annihilation. Love it. Taking up *way* too much time.
As for the game: the new Message Board has been fairly active. Thanks again to Vipester for hosting! What's done? Dan and I sat down and froze the design list. Here's what I've checked off in April: the right-click, left-click mouse interface on map and combat; the new "Encounter" dialog box which (optionally) pops up when you encounter monsters; the search dialog box: allowing you to open containers, see the item pictures, search dead monsters and examine items; the party inventory screen including drop, examine, open, ready/unready and new in hand. Also touched on the combat screen some more. Still a few things to do there yet, but got it moving monsters, flinging arrows, etc. Next up: either complete the spell system or finally tackle those doors on the map.... |
| March 1998 |
|
Well, I've rewritten the routine to paint the map yet
again. Also, I've been playing the game on a 21" monitor and it looks real
nice. Testing out a wide variety of creatures, mixed parties of characters
and such. Handing the Adventure Maker over to Dan again so he can test
out the conversation engine more fully. The new spell casting system runes
are all drawn up. Man, it is some of the best stuff yet in this game. I
hope it balances the way the design sounds. As far as travel is concerned,
we're still a little uncertain over "between continent" travel (with horses
and ships and such), but are about settled on the best method. That'll
be tested out shortly. And also working out the intro and interlude screen
shots. I've got to flesh out the combat system fully and tune the new spell
casting interface. Also, starting to implement all the attacks and several
skills. That should be farily straight forward now that the event engine
is finalized, but it'll take time to tune and balance it. In the pixel
slingging area, I spent some time drawing up several item pictures and
they look great plopped on the isometric map. Only 75 to go (sigh).
Somebody just suggested I post more details on the Adventure Maker. I'd be happy to if I had the time. If somebody would volunteer to start up a message board or discuss on-line, let me know. I hang out on comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg all the time, so post there and we can discuss at length. |
| February 1998 |
| Can't help it. Been playing Monkey Island III. Too funny. Best adventure in a long long time. Oh yeah. And I've been chugging away, 'gramming code and slingin' pixels. The graphics are top notch. I'm way satisfied. I bit the bullet and plopped items in the isometric map (you know, little piles of gold, chests, bags, swords, general loot stuff). Got creatures showing up there too. The thing just looked too bleak without them. Hey, and now you can click and talk with NPCs. The whole convo engine is humming. And WOWZA: flash of brilliance in the spell casting area: a simplified interface that puts a fire in my belly. It's WAY cool. Really gives you the feel of a wizard especially when you're fighting other wizards. "He's comin' at us with a Flame Sphere. If I can just get off my Counter Spell before he completes it..." Let's just say it becomes a battle of wits and skills. Did I mention we're going to change the game's name? Yes indeed. But not yet, my friend. No, no. We must wait, my precious. Yes, yessss. Wait. |
| January 1998 |
| Holidays are over. I had alot of time to work on BD. Many more features are now implemented including sounds and animated spell effects. Now have Skills working. Event engine humming along again. Working on Map Painter in Adventure Maker (allowing you to paint walls by dragging around instead of having to select the right tile --- it was too cumbersome choosing a tile and clicking). Need more work on the general interface --- too many clicks to cast a spell right now. Lots of E-Mail! Thanks for all your suggestions and comments. And did I mention? THIS GAME IS HUGE! I'm continually stunned at the amount of stuff in it now. |
| December 1997 |
| Moved my house. Moved my office. Holidays on every side. Busy. And well, still tweaking. And the event engine needs more work. Also, need more graphics, more work on the Adventure Maker (got to get the random generator working). Still haven't fully tested the conversation tree engine. In short, we're not going to make our Q4 deadline. Hey, at least I'm honest. In the meantime, if you haven't played Fallout, you should. And keep your eye on Starcraft. I'm gonna buy that one as soon as it hits the shelves. |
| November 1997 |
| Oh yes. Indeed yes. Got the speed going again. Looking fantabulous. Spooking out the interface. Smoothing out the style. I can't wait to play the full blown engine! And I will be posting some more screen shots shortly. It's come quite a ways.... Patience, my friends. Patience. We DO have something unique on our hands. Always more than I expect.... |
| October 1997 |
| I know, I know. Where's the game? Is it done yet? Well, after more testing, the thing is just running too slow. I'm not happy with it. The map scroll crawls along now that we have the entire party on the screen and a handful of monsters. So I'm diving headlong into DirectX and trying to eek out as much speed as I can. Wish me luck. Will this delay things? You betcha. But if I don't like it, it ain't done. Now, Dan is continuing with stellar ideas about spells, story lines, character motivations, et al. And he feels we can do just about anything with the Adventure Maker. So that's the up side. Keep the faith and consider that we're making things right, not fast. |
| September 1997 |
| As a result of our Alpha testing, we've added "cloning" of Items and Monsters. This allows you to make a single Item or Monster and replicate it through your Module. Then you can alter each to fit the situation. We've added the ability to look "upstream" and "downstream" with Conversations. This lets you see what comments precipitated the current topic and what topics will be brought up as a result. We've also added Factoids to track a Plot through to conclusion --- little pieces of information players pick up while playing the game. With the Player Sequence, we've added the Tome object to link several Plots together and Bookmarks to the save game feature --- allowing a player to play one game, go off and play another and then come back again. Oh, and wait until you see the new combat details --- weapon's can parry, weapon length effects who strikes first, and types of weapons like blunt and sharp edged. The Spell system is truly unlike anything ever seen before: based around the Character Traits of Avarice, Vengence, Bravado, Superstition and others. The opening screens show the actual "virtual" people around a table (those playing the Story PCs in your party) and a DM describing the scene. Now THAT's how a computer RPG should begin.... |
| August 1997 |
| Nearly there with the editor. It's now restructured (I gotta learn to leave well enough alone) and pretty easy to understand and use. Dan's going to give it a full workout in September (I think this is what some people call an Alpha). The programming tide will now be turning back to the Player Sequence. With multiple tile layering and the ability to stack encounters, the map can look pretty nifty now. (Did I mention we've got mobile encounters now too?) I also put some final touches on the design of the "Theme" generator for the editor. And did some deep work on on the Scene and Convo Objects --- I'm considering putting up my design documents for public consumption. What do you think? Maybe feature one a week? I have some typed up in a Q&A fashion. Hmmm. Give me your thoughts on this. There seems to be alot of questions about how to program an Object-Oriented RPG and since I have alot worked out, maybe it would help others. Target date for demo release: Q4 1997. To be honest, the project plan is now showing Q1 1998 for completion of the shareware release. I'm earnestly trying to beat that mark, but man, it's very hard finding time these days.... |
| July 1997 |
| More and more and more story. Design documents spilling into the streets. Been spending lots of time on Object Oriented pieces. Tore down the Adventure Maker and am still putting it back together. Working through all the skills for Characters. Should we have Climbing? Oratory? Swimming? Speed skating? (Maybe a bit much with that last one) Keep those E-Mails coming! I'm watching the competition. Wasn't this supposed to be THE year for RPGs? So what gives? |
| June 1997 |
| June has flown by. I've been out of town quite a bit this month, but now am back working on BD. Dan has the demo story completed. So now we'll be tweaking the flow of the game. I'm still cranking away on code. We do have a new look to the combat screen which I'll post as soon as I can. Right now, I'm working on the Adventure Maker --- trying to make it easy to use and understand. |
| May 1997 |
| With Dan Schnake's help, combat is coming together and it does look pretty cool. Got spell learning implemented and now can copy events from one PC to the next --- an important step. Still need work on animated spell effects (I meant to get that done this month!). Dale King and I are both Java coding now. Maybe with two of us working, we can push that implementation date closer and release on multiple platforms simultaneously. Received hundreds of hits on the page and dozens of good E-mails. Many thanks for all the feedback! |
| April 1997 |
| Bronze Dragon for the Apple II computer, originally created in 1985, is now available for FREE download. The full 1985 all-text version (hey, that was not bad back then) is playable on Mac, Windows and other platforms using an Apple emulator. Check out the download page for details. As far as the new Bronze Dragon: The Land Beyond --- I now have much of the scripting done (If, Else, While Loops, Case structures et al -- all working). Doors somewhat working. Merchants nearly done and learning spells "in development". And the editor really looks cool. Check out the Screen Shots. |
| March 1997 |
| What a month! Got a nice write up at Nexus, a brief mention at GamePen and some interest from a major publisher (quite a compliment). All this because of a tiny little message in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg? Oh, and the game is coming along too. Multi-layer mapping, dungeon doors, character creation. My project plan is put together by task (a very scary sight to behold, I assure you). Been checking out MOOs and Interactive Fiction lately. Decided to take down the enlarged screen shots and provide more thumb-nail shots. Let me know what you think about that. I'm trying to trim down the amount of bytes transfered through my 'net provider (ran over 100Mb the last two months). Now where did I put that latest build of the demo? It's around here somewhere.... |
| February 1997 |
| More screen shots --- now you can check out combat. Notice those little dice. And now characters can fight and search for stuff. Pretty neat. Fleshing out the shareware module --- several caves with goblin/hobgoblin/orc clans fighting amongst themselves. Java version is coming along gradually. I was interviewed for an on-line games magazine. Details to follow. |
| January 1997 |
| Well, we've had our second baby girl. What a joy and wonder! Amazingly, BD work is still progressing. Got the events processing completed. Really cool. Beginning hard work through all the combat options. Updated the web page a few times now. Screen shots look pretty good. Still hammering out the NPC options. Working out the dungeon graphics. And now encounter packages are firing properly. Ooooh. Ahhh. Well, it's cool to me, anyhow. |
| December 1996 |
| And now the map works great. The party can move around, cross rivers, navigate through mountains. Cool. And I've been working steady on the encounter package maker. Data structures, technical stuff, not much fun, but necessary. And Dale says he's ready to get to work on a Java version. Hmm. And, I have the second build of the game completed. Called the "red" build (because I put in on red floppies). The BD executable stands at about 2.3 Mb. Total graphics are at about 6.3 Mb uncompressed. Music is about 1-2 Mb uncompressed. Well under the 10Mb still. |
| November 1996 |
| Got the isometric pictures working. I also have obtained an Apple ][+ emulator. It's pretty cool seeing Wizardry again. And it reminds me of what makes a game great but also some of the incredible things we CRPG players will put up with (e.g. "pool gold" wasn't even available in the first Wizardry!). I'm working out the "knowledge base" for talking with NPCs. |
| October 1996 |
| I now have a P166 w/24Mb. My, how that Painter program flies now. I'm cranking out graphics as fast as I can. And the first month of the web page sees over 1000 hits. Also, I have put together a handful of story lines. |
| September 1996 |
| The Bronze Dragon web page is finished (500+ hits in a week's time). Now back to work on the game! Got a few new routines for making characters. A new world map lining out the 12 kingdoms is completed. I've got the merchants working somewhat. The interface for spells is functional and looks good. I get hold of a MIDI sequencer for writing my own music. I mean, how hard can it be? BD is working for 640x480 as well as 800x600 mode (whew!) |
| August 1996 |
| I switch internet providers, from AT&T Worldnet to IQuest, a local provider which will host a home page. Bronze Dragon will have a home on the 'net. |
| July 1996 |
| I solicit beta-testers of Bronze Dragon for Windows 95. A dozen or so people sign up. Now if I could just get that demo copy done.... Did I mention I'm a father and life is more complicated? Dan has some original story ideas. We debate the concept of having fixed player characters and/or the ability to create your own characters. I desperately want to capture the fresh feeling of youth and the glory days of fantasy role-playing with friends. |
| May 1996 |
| A company in Switzerland, HCD Handels & Finanz, wants the source code to Space Monkeys to translate it to German. I pass on this one. Bronze Dragon gets a complete face-lift. New graphics, new sound, new interface. I now have several dozen monsters and characters completed. |
| April 1996 |
| I switch from Compuserve to AT&T Worldnet. It's free and it has a 28.8 local line. And it's free. (Did I mention it 's free?) I put together alot of the art work for BD. It looks pretty good. The combat system is coming together. I can roll dice again. |
| Spring 1996 |
| Space Monkeys appears on a CD in the back of a book, "Build Your Own PC Game in Seven Easy Steps" published by Addison Wesley. Well, at least that's something. I begin thinking of a network version of BD. Maybe I should stay focused on a stand alone version first? |
| December 1995 |
| I'm the proud papa of a bouncing baby girl. Life is good --- and a little more complicated. Work slows down on BD. |
| October 1995 |
| I dig out alot of the old source code for BD. I get the old dungeon maker working plus a new method of making maps. Finally, I can walk from room to room! Now if I just had combat working.... |
| August 1995 |
| I get Windows 95. What a pain in the butt, but I don't want to end up outside the mainstream again. All work stops on Super Heroes and Space Monkeys. I begin to fill notebooks with ideas for bringing back Bronze Dragon. I dig up the old notes from 10 years ago. I go back to my roots of game making. |
| Spring 1995 |
| Commonwealth Software reopens as a one man operation. Space Monkeys is produced in about 4 months. Not a great game, but a fun and definitely unique idea. I plop it up on Compuserve as shareware. A handful of people register it. |
| Fall 1994 |
| I begin work on a game called Super Heroes, based on a hero/villian card game and my early days of drawing comic books. The game is fun, small --- and the world needs a super hero game. FRPS takes a back seat for awhile. |
| Summer 1993 |
| I begin working in Windows 3.1 on a game called the Fantasy Role Playing System (FRPS). But the more work I do, the more it looks like Bronze Dragon all over again. I sure miss that old game. Dan has some very interesting ideas about a new combat system. |
| Fall 1992 |
| I sell my Amiga and buy an IBM compatible running Windows 3.0. Back in the mainstream again. |
| Spring 1992 |
| I get married. Life is good. Dan Schnake's back in Indiana again and we begin talks about a really different role-playing game. Will it be like BD? Will it have zillions of characters who all have real personalities? Will we have time to make it? |
| Fall 1988 |
| Commonwealth Software closes its doors. Dan Schnake moves to the state of Washingon to attend graduate school. The Burning Storm is filed away (and I convert it to a straight D&D module instead). I sigh and go get a real job as a programmer at an environmental company. |
| Fall 1987 |
| We begin work on Bronze Dragon: The Burning Storm, a sequel to Seekers of the Storm, the module in the first BD. Orders for BD slow to a trickle. Dan Graves (another close friend) joins the team. |
| August 1987 |
| Bronze Dragon: the Twisted Speare is reviewed in Computer Gaming World. Scorpia says, "Overall, I enjoy the BD games. While they do not have graphics (just no room in 64K), they are cleverly designed and quite challenging at high levels of difficulty.... They are an amazing value for the money, considering how much is on these disks. Add in a variety of plots and customized dungeons, and you have a very nice package indeed; more than enough medium-length games to keep you occupied for many hours to come." I'm a happy camper. |
| Spring 1987 |
| Scorpia contacts us and wants to do her own review, but she's stuck on a few plots. We help the best we can and send out a patch for one plot. We complete work on several add on plots for BD and call it The Twisted Speare, based loosely on Shakespeare's work. |
| Fall 1986 |
| Bronze Dragon: Conquest of Infinity is reviewed in Computer Gaming World. "It's a little like Eamon," writes the reviewer. Eamon? What the heck kinda review is that? Eamon was an old Apple game. Sure, it had a cult-like following, but it ain't like our game. Not even close. |
| Summer 1985 |
| I'm contacted by Origin Systems. They want to trade a copy of Ultima III for a copy of my game. Hmm. Sure, why not. I get their game for the Amiga. Pretty neat. |
| Spring 1985 |
| I sell my Apple and buy an Amiga. It has better graphics, better sound. Later I find out that practically nobody else agrees. We begin and abandon a version of BD for the Amiga. |
| Fall 1984 |
| We attempt to get a large distributor to pick up BD. We receive rejection letters from Electronic Arts, SSI, and others. All say "good game, but we're working on one ourselves." People contact us and wonder why they don't see our game in the stores. |
| Summer 1984 |
| The first Bronze Dragon: Conquest of Infinity rolls off the presses. We copy disks ourselves. We shrink wrap at a local game store. They put them on the shelves and sell a dozen in a week's time. They want more. We run an ad in Computer Gaming World. Orders begin coming in from all over the country. A small distributor contacts us from California. He wants to sell BD in Japan. He buys several dozen copies and sells them overseas. |
| Spring 1983 |
| Dan Schnake and Dale King, two very close friends, join the team. We form Commonwealth Software, a name picked off a billboard on the way to Bloomington, Indiana. Dan writes the text, Dale does the deep programming. I do a little of both. |
| Winter 1982 |
| I begin work on Bronze Dragon. Discussion with my friends revolves around how to make a game that even the programmer would enjoy. "I just want a game I can play," I say. 'That's cool," they say. "But what if you add this?" The ideas begin and the game becomes better and better. |
| Summer 1982 |
| I see my first Apple computer (a ][+ with 48k) and the game called "Odyssey," a spin off of an earlier game called "Wilderness Adventure," both by Synergistic Software. Cool. I save up $1500 from my job at a gas station. I order my own Apple computer from California. It arrives via UPS. Really cool. |
| 1981 |
|
Robert Woodhead and Andrew Greensburg present Wizardy at
Applefest in Boston. It is received with great enthusiasm.
That same year, a simple and readable version of D&D is published, the Basic Rules, a soft manual with a red cover. Along with this is the blue colored "Expert" rulebook. Now the comapny is called "TSR Hobbies, Inc." This is also the year I first play D&D. A friend asks one day, "Want to play a cool game I just learned?" "Sure," I replied. He didn't have the rules --- he just took about 45 minutes to draw out a map on graph paper and got a handful of 6 sided dice. We sat around the kitchen table and played. And played. And played. I was hooked. Later that year, I buy both rulebooks myself. Much later still, I marry his sister. |
| 1977 |
| Wizardy is created by Andrew Greensberg at Cornell University. Star Wars hits the screens. I see it 16 times. My fate as a nerd is sealed. |
| 1971 |
| E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson publish the first rules for a little game called Dungeons and Dragons, "Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames, Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil and Miniature Figures." by a group known only as Tactical Studies Rules. I was in the second grade. |