I'd like to kick off this New Year with announcing my first published project on BYOND. A multiplayer online role-playing game (MORPG for all of those who like their acronyms).
I have a team working with me on this project. Since I haven't had their explicit permission, I'll refrain from disclosing their identities. Currently, we are still in a sort of early development process with the game. At this point we are finishing up the basic systems of the game.
That being said, onto my story.
For those of you who do not know me, I am TheGiftedSlayer (I think you figured that much out already though). As it says over there in that little info box over there, I joined BYOND back in 2008. Like many others, I joined BYOND thinking I could make my own game. Little did I know that it actually would take more than just a dream to make this game. After many hours of trying to comprehend what seemed like gibberish to me at the time, I gave up trying to make my game and went on to playing the various games around BYOND.
For a couple of years, this vision I had for a game just sort of sat around in the back of my mind though. It wasn't until around a year and a half ago that I attempted to learn the language again. This time around, I went and read a few articles and even made a couple of little projects myself. It wasn't really until then that I started to conquer the beginning stepping stones of the language. However, even though I knew how to use an "if" statement, my knowledge was still limited and my dream still had to remain a dream for the moment.
However, this all changed a few months ago. I started taking a computer science class. After the first few classes, something just clicked in my head. I really started to understand the language. I was no longer struggling with trying to learn it, I just was able to learn it. It was at this point I knew that I could now attempt to make my dream a reality.
Then, a series of obstacles appeared in view(myself). Although I had this newly discovered understanding of the language, I still couldn't make decent pixel art. 2-dimensional art just isn't my specialty. What actually kicked off the project was sort of a chance opportunity.
In one of the games I regularly played, the owner announced that he was shutting down the game. Obviously, this didn't really lift the spirits of some of the players. However, this moment became, in a sense, the "birth" of the project. While some of the players were trying to figure out what we would do now that our favorite game is shutting down, it was proposed that someone make a game so that we could still play with each other.
It was at this moment that I knew I had to seize the opportunity in front of me and make my dream a reality. I put forward my idea and it was pretty well received by those there that were interested in making a game. So a group of us got together over Skype and we started to design the basic stepping stones of the game with me at the helm. Eventually, we recruited someone else from that game's community to help develop the story line with us and we also recruited another pixel artist from that community as well.
After a couple of months of organizing the team, designing the universe of the project, and starting production of the game, we come to the stage at where we are now, announcing the project.
If you are for whatever reason interested in helping us with the project (programming, providing pixel art, hosting a server, etc.) drop me a line so we can talk.
For all of those who want a little sneak peak, here is a screenshot.
Once again, I wish you all a Happy New Year.
-Gifted