I’ve been meaning to create a development blog, to keep track of my mod and game development efforts, for quite some time. Time is a scarce resource, however, and setting up a development blog has had to take a back seat to other endeavours. So in lieu of a dedicated blog, I figured I’d place my development scribbling on ModDB, a site I think I owe a great deal (where else would I have found an audience for my mods with so little effort on my part?).
I wrote a few years ago (link to the article) that I was quitting the Source modding scene, citing dwindling player numbers and the stress of managing such projects. When I wrote that article, I was convinced I never wanted to make a mod or game again. I was convinced the effort-to-reward ratio was completely skewed, and I’d be better spending my free time doing more productive things.
But I found it impossible to quit. And when the burnout from Lunar Descent’s hectic development process finally eased, I found myself again with mod project ideas I wanted to pursue.
2020 (and, so far, 2021) was, to say the least, interesting. I don’t think I can say anything new about the Coronavirus situation, but I will say that it gave me a great deal more time to think about what kind of mod project I would like to work on.
I have two medium-term mod goals.
The first is to release The Apocalypse of Eden.
Apocalypse is set in the Lunar Descent/Dissolution universe, but it’s a game quite unlike anything I’ve made before. The setting is the same kind of setting as my previous mods, but my previous games were relatively simple shooters. Apocalypse is more like a System Shock 2/Amnesia hybrid. It mixes enemy avoidance, item-based puzzle solving and environmental exploration.
This leads to some challenges, of course. Apocalypse is going to rely much more heavily on having an interesting story, because there’s going to be no shooting mechanics to make up for narrative deficiencies. It also runs the risk of becoming too much of a “walking simulator” if I fail to get the environmental puzzles / enemy balance right.
I’ll be talking more about Apocalypse, both here and on the mod’s profile, so if you’re interested, please do follow me or the Apocalypse profile.
My other goal is to release Lunar Descent v2.
Lunar Descent was … a troubled release, I think it’s fair to say. It took over four years to develop, it had severe narrative flaws and, for all the development time that went into it, it was incredibly short.
Version 2 will not be a remake of Lunar Descent. Rather, it will consist of sensible, surgical adjustments and additions to make a more cohesive and complete experience. What are some of the things I intend to change? Well, it’s early days yet, but some of the ideas on my mind include:
I’d be interested to hear from any players of the current version of Lunar Descent, to learn what you think might be worth changing or adding (or removing) in a version 2.
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I wish you a very Merry Christmas
Thanks, Kark-Jocke. Wishing you a good 2022!
I'm here again to wish you a happy new year Aaron! ( Moddb.com )
Have , you read about hidden source?
I played it back in the day (2005? 2006?), but thought it died out years ago. What's happened?
❆❅❆ I'm here now to wish you a Merry Christmas 8472 ( Moddb.com ) ❆❅❆
But I need to ask, why do you use numbers as user name? O_O
Thanks! :)
And... I guess 2004-me (when I was like... 12!? :O) thought it was really cool. Hope you had a good Christmas!
Yeah it was pretty good christmas here. So if you where 12 in 2004 and it 2017, that will mean your 25 years now right?
Yeah, that's right. I'm practically _old_ now.
Well... I become 25 years old muself not long ago too " Moddb.com "