Hello again, everyone. It's your favorite person again... let the negative reputation things fly! Haha:-)

I have already completed the prototype it was suggested that I make. I wound up having a better idea that using Territories, which is really my signature game. "My Civilization". It is also the original origin of Rube. I really did not want to use that as the prototype to show game companies... so I wound up coming up with a better idea. A much better idea. The prototype is also the new actual first game of the Pirate Dawn Universe, and I have written the entire opening story and timeline to go with it. So the prototype is also the complete beginning of the story of the PDU, beginning in 4.5 billion BC with the formation of the Earth and ending in 1945 at the prototype game which is the Final Battle of Armageddon and had already been in the PDU as the end-mini game of the grand finale ending of the entire PDU. That mini game is now both the first, and the last, game of the PDU simultaneously. It small and simple stand-alone game to get started with, and then a more modern version of it would still be the "Final Battle" mini-game at the end of Armageddon, the last game of the PDU, 10-15 years later (or however long it took to make 12 games, haha). I am now working on completing the spine of the entire timeline, through all 12 games and back to 1945 again (the "broken time loop" of the PDU) AND the primary background, historical outcome, and main character storylines of all 12 games as a presentation for anyone interested in seeing more after they have seen the prototype. It will probably take me 2 or 3 more months to finish that.

The prototype immediately drew interest from the board game industry and may be published as a board game, it has been under review for a few weeks now actually. I wasn't expecting that, but need time to complete the entire universe presentation anyway. So in a few months I will be back with a LOT of material to show anyone who is interested including the complete playable prototype of the new first game of the PDU (with over 20 factions already available to choose from), the "full notes" stage design document of game #2 (the Cold War game Territories which is also the original game that Rube first manifested itself in), and the complete "Alpha State" design document for Pirate Dawn, the MMO "Audience Retention" Flagship Game of the Pirate Dawn Universe. That's the first three games, 25% of a 12 game universe, already at a place where they are ready to go as computer game projects.

And finally, since I don't do RPGs... I'll end off this little update by giving someone out there something special. I've been drawn back into the old game industry again and have been re-familiarizing myself with a lot of old things. I had a discussion the other day with someone about this, that they started. You guy's had done D&D enough times now, and you don't know our games, which I am guess is why none of you have STILL ever made this. If you make RPGs, you guys should be racing each other to this man's door to make his game. I had forgotten all about this. It had always been assumed this would be coming very soon in the early days of your industry, but it never did. It's just astonishing nobody ever based a computer game on this, how it could have possibly have been missed. You should have done it 20 years ago... want to enthrall the modern gaming world with an already proven popular uniquely original RPG... MAKE THIS!!! Finally!!!

Rifts - Kevin Siembieda

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifts_(role-playing_game)

PS - Kevin is also an excellent artist...

I'm sorry if I don't see it, but was there a design question in there somewhere? Was there a discussion point like "let's discuss the pros and cons of this design I describe"?

If there is something related to game design discussion, please clarify that. Otherwise I'm reading it as an announcement of some type that should be moved elsewhere on the site. For your own status updates your personal developer journal is a great place, and all the people who look at developer journal updates on the front page or who watch your journal can see those.

I had a thread here a couple months ago that this is related too. I have to avoid getting too specific with discussing game design, me discussing game design absolutely enrages people who work in the modern game industry:-)

I'm sorry if I don't see it, but was there a design question in there somewhere?

Moving to the Lounge.

me discussing game design absolutely enrages people who work in the modern game industry

How do you manage to simultaneously invent a false, insulting generalization as part of your everyone-vs-me mentality and believe in it as a justification for why people react badly to your words, and also not manage to connect the dots between the start and end of this sentence?

You should have done it 20 years ago... want to enthrall the modern gaming world with an already proven popular uniquely original RPG... MAKE THIS!!! Finally!!!

Rifts - Kevin Siembieda
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifts_(role-playing_game)

If you would have scanned that article yourself you would have noticed that someone already did: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifts:_Promise_of_Power

Hodg, I would think the truth of what I said would be pretty clear... especially in these forums. It's not just me, the people in your industry generally become foot-stomping enraged by anyone who claims any knowledge of game design and is not a part of your industry. It can only be described as childish.

Nypyren, that is an X-Com like game that was released in Japan. Nobody has ever really made a Rifts game... and you could actually make Rifts games for the next 30 years without running out of things to do.

I thought I would also point out what Rube actually is again. 10 of the 12 games of the PDU have Rube at their foundation. What I call "Rube" is, in reality, the "3rd Generation of Avalon Hill". Or "The Next Generation of the Star Fleet Universe". Take your pick. Because that industry died, and my unique obsession inadvertently kept it alive for another 25 years as I worked on the PDU within that now lost art, through an accident of history I have wound up solely carrying on the work of the old hobbyist game industry. Rube began in the late 1940's with Avalon Hill, was greatly enhanced by TFG/Star Fleet Battles, and finally came into existence within Territories of my Lost Art Studios/PDU. Rube is, therefore, the end result of nearly 90 years of unbroken work by literally hundreds of game designers that happened to wind up ending in my lap. 40 years of Avalon Hill, 25 years of Task Force Games, and 25 years of Lost Art Studios. That is what Rube is, and what the PDU is.

But, sure, continue to talk down too me, expect that I would have "game design questions" to ask you... and insist that I am some fool who doesn't know what he is talking about. What I am doing is based entirely on what is, at this point, about 90 years of continuous, unbroken chain of work by literally hundreds of people.

I distinctly remember that one of the major reasons people react badly to you is that you were very dismissive and insulting towards iterative design process, insisting your own superior process eliminated the need for iteration and guaranteed a fun design up front.

Given that, it's interesting that you had a better idea during development of your prototype -- sounds like you iterated! ;)


If you really want to avoid negative reaction, why didn't you just wait a month or so until you were ready to show your prototype and actually have something substantial to show and to discuss?

But, sure ... insist that I am some fool who doesn't know what he is talking about.

I haven't said anything about your talent. This is what I mean though. Literally no one has said anything about your talent, but you've invented the fact that you're under attack.

Hodg, I would think the truth of what I said would be pretty clear... especially in these forums. It's not just me, the people in your industry generally become foot-stomping enraged by anyone who claims any knowledge of game design and is not a part of your industry. It can only be described as childish.

I don't see any evidence of this. I do see continuous evidence of you being paranoid, rude, insulting, dismissive and continually referring to the fact that an entire industry/hobby of tens/hundreds of thousands of people all happen to act in one particular way and are somehow all against you... despite the fact that there's a lot of traditional game designers in "our industry" already, and also computer-game designers who move into traditional game designing.

Occams razor would have me go with the simpler explanation that the people that you interact with are put off by your own attitude and behavior, not the explanation that everyone is against you simply because you're a traditional game designer.
But that's human nature -- when others act bad, we blame their choices, but when we act bad, invent a reality where we're righteous and the consequences are because of other people's choices.