JUNK RUNTAH

Avadon Out For Windows Responding To Critics

We finally released Avadon: The Black Fortress for Windows. So far, it is functional and selling very well. I am really heartened to the reaction to the game. It is doing way better than I thought it would, and its doing me a world of good to know that a game I put so much heart into doesnt appear to suck.

Because my morale is so high, I am going to do something I almost never do. I am going to go to a forum full of people who hate my games, my writing, and the mere fact that I still draw oxygen on this planet. Namely, the Avadon thread on RPG Codex.

RPG Codex is an interesting place. It is inhabited by people who like role-playing games, but love hating them. Its full of anger and enough raw bigotry that I would never advertise there. But, if you want to keep your self-esteem under control and read bad things about a game you wrote, go there. Just dont ever let those people get into your head.

So, if you are interested in what its like to write a game and get feedback from the vast madness of the internet, take a look at these threads (mildly NSFW). Here are some comments from the thread, and my responses to them.

"I love Vogels games but damn the demo is so boring..."

"The demo area is small and extremely crappy"

Demos are always boring. Tutorials are always dull. There are two ways of doing a demo. One - Put the player in a training wheels dungeon and teach him or her enough to play the real game. Two - Set up a really big, flashy set piece to start the game, and have the player wander through it doing nothing.

They both have their points. Ive done both. But tutorials are always work. That is life.

By the way, while my demos are smaller than they used to be, they are still some of the longest demos out there. My demos used to be longer than some other full games, but, to be brutally honest, thats just bad business.

"Anyway, party members not dying but being just unconscious and resurrected after combat ends. DECLINE"

When youre designing an RPG, there are lots of toggles you have to flip. Will people recover from their wounds over time or do they have to go back to town? Will the party jump between towns/dungeons or will the whole outdoors be explorable? Will items be automatically identified? Do you have to keep track of ammo for your bows? Each answer to these questions has its good as bad points. There are no right or wrong answers. You just pick what works best for the design.

There are people who will, for religious issues, say they will never ever buy your game if you make one of these choices or the other. Ignore them and do what is best for what youre trying to do.

Oh, and there are some people who will respond to things about your work by posting an angry smily or some other image meme. Ignore these people. If they had anything valuable to say, they would use words, like people, instead of jpgs.

"I do loathe the worldmap. A single large continent shaped like a rough circle does not an interesting map make. Dunno why it bothers me the way it does but it does. "

Oh. Come. On.

There is an important lesson here for indie developers. When you make a game with a small team, you have millions of decisions to make and little time in which to make them. There isnt time to second guess everything. For a lot of stuff, you have to make the call and move on.

When people nitpick, you cant take it to heart. You have to forgive yourself. People will always nitpick. To borrow a phrase from my favorite SF story ever, the dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.

"Got bored with the demo as soon as I was sent to the beginner dungeon to fight rats and spiders. What a lousy piece of shit game."

You are right. Im sure those two minutes of gameplay were crushingly disappointing!

"It seems like he put in a lot of effort to attract the casual crowd. The "casual" difficulty mode for people who are "new to fantasy RPGs"?"

A lot of complaints that the early game, especially on Normal difficulty, is too easy. When someone says that the default difficulty should be harder, what I hear is, "You should make a pile of money in your backyard and set it on fire."

I make the default difficulty easy enough that 90% of players can get through it. If this doesnt give you a challenge, play on a harder difficulty level. That is why it is there!

Sheesh.

"Yep, Jeff fucked this one up a bit - although not as bad as some people put it. Give him some credit, go to TPB and help yourself."

By TPB, the poster means The Pirate Bay. In other words, hes saying to go pirate it. I honestly think that most of these complaints are not sincere. Theyre just pretending the game is bad to justify their pirating it (and playing the whole thing three times). Another good reason to be very careful about whose feedback you accept.

"I am seriously disappointed. Shittiest Spiderweb game so far. By a lightyear.  Will definitely not register the demo."

"Hope that itll flop commercially"

"Started the game right now and Im lacking words to describe my disappointment."

"Jeff Vogel went full retard"

"I wonder if Spiderweb is going to survive it..."

I think well be just fine.

As I said, the game is doing great. A lot of people are playing my bland, dull, derivative demo and saying, "Hey! Want more of that!" This is the biggest lesson for small developers. People who post on forums are a tiny, tiny portion of your audience. Read them occasionally. Pick through them for the rare tidbit of good feedback. But otherwise keep a respectful distance.

And, to those who have registered, thank you so much! I love flattery, but, in the end, there is no compliment better than a credit card number. That people are actually giving me their real, hard-earned money is incredibly flattering, and I thank you for making it possible for me to write Avadon 2.

Edit: Ive closed comments. I think everyone who wanted to say something has had a fair chance. Thank you for the bits of interesting feedback. I will be doing more blogging on some of the issues raised. If you have more reasons why I am not cool anymore, you will have a chance to share them then.

Available link for download

Apple Prints and The Story of The Little Red House With No Doors and No Windows and a Star Inside

The Little Red House with No Doors ?and No Windows and a Star Inside.?

Adapted by C.J.Brown

One fall day a boy named Peter was looking for something to do. His mother was busy baking in the kitchen and couldnt stop to play with him, so she suggested that he try to solve a riddle.

“Peter, “ she said. “Here is the riddle. I want you to find the Little Red House with No Doors and No Windows and a Star Inside," his mother said.

Peter had never heard of such a house, and he had no idea where to go to find it. He put on his jacket and went outside.

He started to walk along the street looking at all the houses. All of the houses he passed had doors and windows and none of them seemed like the sort of house that would have a star inside.

Peter saw a little girl playing in the park. He decided to ask her if she knew about the Little Red House with No Doors and No Windows and a Star Inside.

The little girl said, "I have never heard of such a house, but maybe my father knows. He is a farmer. He knows how to make the crops grow and when it will rain. Maybe he knows about the Little Red House with No Doors and No Windows and a Star Inside."

Peter followed the little girl. They walked down the lane, over the hill and to a small white farmhouse. The girls father was sitting on the porch.

"Daddy," said the little girl, "This is Peter. He is looking for a Little Red House with No Doors and No Windows and a Star Inside. Do you know where he can find it?"

The farmer took off his hat and scratched his head. "I have heard of such a house once, but I never tried to find it. Maybe you should ask Granny. She is very old and very wise. Maybe she can tell you where it is."

Peter set off down the road looking for Grannys cottage. He finally arrived at Grannys gate. The old lady was sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch.

"Excuse me, Granny" said Peter, "The farmer told me that you might be able to help me. I am looking for the Little Red House with No Doors and No Windows and a Star Inside. Do you know where it is?"

Granny smiled. "I have heard of that house, but I never tried to find it. Perhaps you should ask the Wind. He sees and hears everything."

Peter walked to the top of a high hill and called to the wind. "Excuse me, Wind, do you know where I can find the Little Red House with No Doors and No Windows and a Star Inside?"

"Yes-s-s-s," answered the Wind in its gusty voice. "I know where that hous-s-s-se is-s-s. Follow me."

Peter followed the wind. It blew him this way and that, over the hill and down the other side. Finally, the wind stopped at an apple orchard. With a sudden gust, the wind shook an apple tree and down fell an apple into Peter’s hands.

The apple was very red. With its stiff brown stem sticking up like a chimney it did look like a little house with no doors and no windows.

"But what about the star?" asked Peter. "Where is the star?"

Quickly Peter hurried home, running as fast as he could. He ran over the hill, past Grannies house, through the farmer’s fields and into the kitchen where his mother was baking.

“Well, did you solve the riddle?” asked Peter’s mother.

“I’m not sure,” said Peter. This apple is red like a small house, with a brown stem like a chimney and no doors or windows, but I don’t know if there is a star inside?” said Peter.

Peter’s mother took the apple from his hands and with her knife she cut through the center of the apple, and there inside was the answer.

Available link for download