In The Beginning
The basic principal has always been to tell an engaging story in the context of a video game, which often means rationalizing the whimsical. The first design document was written on the heels of some marathon MMO sessions where I would brainstorm all the crazy things I wished the game-of-the-moment would do. The concept of breaking the timeline into ERAs came early on and the general dates and time scale was set. I knew I wanted to have a fundamentally grounded fictional world so it was important to have that backstory fleshed out and detailed.
Writing A Legacy
As the design evolved I realized this project was far too expansive for me to develop on my own as a video game. The documentation covered in detail a history of events starting in modern times and going through to the extinction of mankind around the year 7500. An accounting of social practices in each of the major ERAs. Having so much detail about a fictional world, and not wanting to see it sit unused I began writing novelettes set in this fictional world. I plan to release some of those on this site in the near future.
A Grounded Design
Taking a step back and trying to determine what I could reasonably do on my own led me to designing a co-op board game set in the same fictional world. Drawing inspiration from some of the big box sets of the day I worked on mechanics and rules that would mesh together into a concurrent experience, maximizing everyone's time and keeping the fun factor in the forefront. Provided the current direction for the overall project continues, I look forward to revisiting this point of work at a later date. Possibly licensing a 3rd party to create a professional product.
Full Circle
With the advent of mobile powerhouses like the iPad and the ease and speed of development, I felt the timing was right to return to the software field and make something happen. From my past experience I knew what I could do in a reasonable time frame, and what I would need to have done for me. I looked around and found some wonderful artists to jump in and work on the project. I set aside a piece of my own money to bring in the hardware I needed to write code for an Apple product, and to pay the artists a reasonable rate considering the state of affairs. The future of my little fictional world has never looked brighter.
Looking Forward
Thinking about the future of the fiction and where this is all going... Ultimately I want to build a studio dedicated to the creative exploration of the fictional setting in all forms of media. Video Games, Digital Film, Toys & Games, and Merchandising
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