Walking the Edge of Reality

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Walking the Edge of Reality

A look behind the curtain to my world...

State of Mind
Tuesday, November 04, 2008 2:07 PM

Gosh, has it been that long without a post? A lot has happened in the past month, so I think it's time to let you know how things stand. You deserve at least that.

First off, a few months ago I did start a new job, a job that is literally 100+ miles away from home. Somewhat of a murderous commute, averaging 3-4 hours a day each way. It takes a hell of a lot out of me, but I do what I have to for the stability and comfort of the family.

And, as of late, I don't want to get in to details but I had a bit of an... issue... with Tri-Rail. So in the past week and a half my commute has increased to FIVE hours each way, making me more eager to get a car.

Now, about the game... I kept saying "the game is not imploding," "the game is not imploding," and yet here I sit watching the game implode. The game became bigger than it was designed to be, and I was overwhelmed by it even though I did not have a finalized storyline. And of course, real life got in the way.

I admit I was somewhat disillusioned by how it turned out. I did quite a few mistakes in this one, mistakes that I am going to remedy. And, although I had some interest in bringing it to a conclusion, my thoughts have been overwhelmed with thoughts of my next project, which I am really excited about.

So, in anticipation for my next game, here's what went wrong and how I intend to fix it.

1) Plan the story beginning to end: In the current game, I had an IDEA on how the story was going to go, but for the most part I was making it up as I was going along. I knew what I wanted to do, but not how to conclude it; I hoped that it would come to me in the end. Well, it never did.

For the next game I intend to plan the storyline in advance of the game ever launching, and plan for anything and everything from beginning to end. In essence, this game will launch with a full screenplay and timeline. Of course, as is the nature of ARGs there will be times where things will be made up on the fly, but in those cases we'll at least have an anticipated result.

2) Do not do this alone: I myself can create websites to my heart's content. I can create technological marvels as far as web and standalone applications. But what takes the longest is the interaction with the public; you can create all the sites and technologies well in advance of the launch date, but the interaction must be live.

But that interaction cannot be delayed because of one man's limitations. So there has to be a backup, someone that can respond equally, and keep the game going.

Furthermore, I am not an artist. I am not a audio/video expert. Hell, I can't even act. So I need someone that can handle some creative aspects, aspects which take me significantly longer than they should.

I already have one other person signed up on this project. Depending on how things go, I may get others.

3) Keep it simple: last game had fourteen email addresses, 20+ NPCs and nine websites. Not only is it borderline impossible to manage all that, but people lose track of what they're supposed to do.

Right now the next game has two, maybe three, websites and for now only two or three characters. And I have some ideas to handle lesser or anonymous characters.

4) Hide behind the curtain: A lot of pre-game hype ("understatement of the year") was generated because everyone knew I was running the game, and everyone expected it to live up to the legacy that was LGL. I had 300+ signups before the game even launched, and everyone was excited about it. I became the next Cloverfield.

You cannot imagine how much pressure that put on me. It's not your or anyone's fault; things happen. Nothing I could do, no matter how hard I tried, could live up to the public expectations built up by the pre-launch. And, in the back of my mind, I truly did want to live up to those expectations. In that sense, I sort of failed.

The next game... You won't know it's me. I will pretend the game does not exist. Over time, it might be obvious and it might be revealed who's running the show (let's face it: I have a lot of tell-tale signs in things I do), but we want the game to stand on its own. We will make no commentary about pre-game hype.

Also, if you've noticed, I have severely cut back on my posting in UF. It's not only because of time constraints and inability to follow the active games; in the past it was easy to see what game I might be involved in because it's the thread I haven't posted in. Well, time to keep y'all guessing.

But, rest assured, there will be lots of things that are my style. Expect some really nice technology. Expect some things in the mail here and there. But, beyond that, it will be an entirely new thing, heading in a direction I've personally never tried before.

As far as "BoL/SiD"... It's on hiatus. *Most* of the characters aren't dead, so there's still hope that they might come back one of these days. Joshua's got a whole life ahead of him, so who knows where the White Rabbit will turn up.

Thank you for all your support, and I hope you understand the above.

"Ever forward..."

Posted by David "Nighthawk" Flor on Tuesday, November 04, 2008 2:07 PM

2 comments [ View Comments ]

Posted by Jacks on Friday, November 07, 2008 12:49 PM

Sorry that you hit so many snags with this. I thought it had a really good story line. I could definitely see how it could be overwhelming for one person though.

Posted by Lunsford on Saturday, November 08, 2008 1:47 PM

Nighthawk I truly loved this game even though it had no official ending..

I have to say that I felt sorry for you for all the hype and I know *I* would not want to be in your shoes...

I look forward to any game that you have in the works!!!

We love you!

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