This blog post is posted as a part of the Hurdles series of work and tell game development. To find out more about Hurdles, please check out our handy FAQ. This blog post was provided by Chris Royce for his games in the “Legends of Saviors” series.
With a long-standing project of mine slowly creeping back into the works, myself going back to school to be able to transform such an idea into a physical form (specifically, a video game), and a certain local program dedicated to helping others with their projects offering a type of “slow game jam;” it would seem everything fell into place, around the exact same time, possibly for all the right reasons. My current gaming series project, entitled “Legends of Saviors” (also known as “Project STARCK”), is made up of 5 different titles that will be able to tell the legends of the saviors who committed many sacrifices to save those around them. Within the first title, I want to bring a fresh fighting game to the table, to introduce key characters and locations (that would eventually seep into the titles that would follow) of the series itself, and to also give players the chance to experience a new type of battle system they may never have seen before. The second title would be a VR game (possibly even given away for free for marketing purposes) that would simulate the “life” of a Buntaien Soul, and the trip it must take in order to eventually meld with a proper host (a type of reincarnation, one could say); this title would also try to instill different key locations, terms, and lore for the three titles that would follow. As for the remaining titles, I plan on creating an RPG trilogy that will take all of the different styles, character, etc. from the first two games, and expound on them 10-fold; specifically within the first RPG title – currently known as “The Souls Within” – where you get to finally understand the stories and personalities of those playable characters in the fighting title. I could go more into the other RPG titles, but suffice to say, I got a lot of work to do before I get to those steps, if they indeed ever do come.
I feel I learned a lot about myself, my abilities, proper presentation, the certain programs I used to crate my concept art and prototype, and even about those who came to see us Hurdlers do our thing. I feel I used my time wisely, and luckily was able to complete every single Hurdles goal (both weekly primary and secondary ones), and hope I can keep this type of pace up for when the real video game development phases begin; which is very soon! If I had to give advice to other Hurdles that will eventually come in the future rotations, it would be to be realistic about your goals, but also push yourself just a tad, to see if you can handle it; if you find you can work harder than you thought, push yourself even more for the next week. Also, make sure to have fun in what you are creating, because more than likely what you will eventually have at the end of the 4 (or technically 6) weeks for all of your hard work is something just a bit different than anything else you’ve seen before; something unique that is a part of you, that you can share with others.
I am humbled to be able to present people with these ideas that have been floating around in my head for 20-odd years, and am excited to bring even more “goals” to those who are interested. Thanks to Jeff, Tim, the other Hurdlers, and those who come out every Tuesday to check out something novel and personable; because, to be honest, what is the point in creating something unless you are willing to share it with someone else, to experience the many facets of a similar object, in all its different lights.