Re: Fall 2009 Design Contest
 

Very nice, Dinonykos. I think your walls and backdrops always look nice. And the bad guy...he looks angry. :) Angry is always good in a bad guy. ;)

Re: Fall 2009 Design Contest
 

Manikus: Wow, 5% in 10 years - we can expect the design to be ready in... um... :D (Or, perhaps a very early preview may be a good way to get people introduced to the mod...)

I also like the big scope idea, and have been trying to do something like that myself - but I am not as diligent, so my big scope may end up just being lots of random things strewn about a large landscape...

Dinonykos: Very nice as usual! Also very fast progress as well, nice bad-looking meanie! Seems like we will have a lot of nice new mini-mods to play soon :D

Re: Fall 2009 Design Contest
 

I think mini-mods are the way to go, especially at this 'early' stage of DC. But even in UA most mods that were released in recent years were a sort of mini-mod. :)

Re: Fall 2009 Design Contest
 

For the Silver Marches project, I've done about 100 backdrops and 90 walls. The map for Silverymoon is 75x45, Yartar is 30x30, Waterdeep is 200x300, Neverwinter is 50x50...you get the idea of the scope. :) I don't mind that this has taken so long, I'm not doing this for mass consumption, it's just for me. :D Of course parts of it may be released as smaller mods.

I don't know about now being the 'early' years of DC, certainly, they are the 'beta' years. ;) I think once you hit 10 years with a computer game, you can't be said to be in the early years.

Re: Fall 2009 Design Contest
 

Wow, and that's just your mini-project (compared to the other one)! :D

10 years is certainly a long time...

Re: Fall 2009 Design Contest
 

No, the Silver Marches is pretty much the maxi project. :) At least I hope so. I can't deal with anything bigger than this.

Re: Fall 2009 Design Contest
 

I agree that all of us should perhaps have done more mini/medium mods. I am even surprised how much fun it was (is) to do this small adventure and how quickly it could/can be done. (I am more or less finished with the adventure, but still working on minor things, therefore the past/present tense... :D )

On the other hand, big projects with a complex story force you more than small ones to learn a lot of things concerning logic blocks, scripting, quests and so on. And once you are experienced with those, the small projects are certainly also easier to do.

Re: Fall 2009 Design Contest
 

Of course you're right, manikus, and I'm aware of how long DC is in the works now, hence the need for quotation marks when I said 'early'. ;)

I also realize how working on epic scope mods is not always aimed at the 'masses' but also a personal enjoyment for the designer and even in case they're never completed, like Dinonykos said, authors can learn a lot by working on them. Besides, the custom content created for them might someday serve another purpose.

But good mini-mods could help draw more attention to the DC project. Even if it's not at a early stage anymore, people are always bound to think that when they look at the small number of available designs. Personally, when I first discovered DC years ago, that's what I thought: "Okay, they're developping something, but apparently it's far from being finished. Not much designs to choose from and nothing really breath-taking, this is probably another evidence of its incomplete state. Maybe I'll be back in a few year, for now I've lost my interest in it."

A range of well-made and varied mini-mods would show that even if DC is still beta you can already do pretty interesting and enjoyable things with it. But who am I telling... I guess that's why you came up with the contest in the first place. So all I really wanted to say is: Congratulations, great idea, guys! :biglaugh:

Re: Fall 2009 Design Contest
 

Interestingly, we started a similar contest earlier, but back then some of us (including me) could not find time to contribute, and we hadn't have this cross-posting between the FRUA and DC community. Right now, it looks much more promising!

Re: Fall 2009 Design Contest
 

I am right, Olivier, but so are you. :D

I haven't released a design in a couple of years, and I'd rather pretend that the ones I released, I had not. :)

It's true that I have some big projects going on, but the ones that are closest to being released, like Prohovost/Hovos is a small design, well it has a big level, but only one level is that way and when folks play it they will understand why. :)

I'm just not in a position to get anything done right now, because of non-DC stuff and the fact that all of my DC time is spent testing, or ironically enough, creating mini-mods. I believe that I've done several dozen mini-mods to illustrate bugs for Paul, or to try and illustrate them, as about 20% I can't recreate.

Advertising by way of completed designs is of course a good way to keep people who have come looking at DC around the community for a bit (if they join in) and hopefully they'll tell a friend or a forum. :) But, I can only do so much. That's why this contest is a great idea. Even if, let's say, only 2 of the 5 (or 6 if we count Uatu ;)) get our designs finished,, this will have been a great success.

Oliveier, Dinonykos, Uatu, SilentThief, Jadefang and everyone else who shares their views on DC and AD&D computer gaming- Thank you very much! :D:D:D Without you folks, DC would have died a silent death a year ago at least. :) Now, you guys have inspired Paul and I to get this thing done.
I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't mention again that we can always use help on the development side. ;)