Pilgrimage for geeky goodness' sake - 10-22-2009

Last month's Illumination, I mentioned how DROD's roots are tied to board gaming and provided some background on the German/Euro game movement. Caravel forumites posted some nice feedback on the forum about their favorite hobby games and on-line board gaming sites, such as BoardGameGeek.com. This is *the* place to go to find out everything on practically every board game ever produced. One of the big news items everyone talks about there is the Essen Internationalen Spieltage, or simply "Essen". Essen is an annual game show held for four days in October (starting Thursday this week!) at a large exhibition centre in Essen, Germany. It is reputedly the biggest and best public show for boardgames, card games and CCGs, with designers and publishers demonstrating their newest games, retailers selling games at discount, and a large fleamarket with a wide range of new and used games. If you like European- and family-style board games, Essen is the biggest and best show around. There might be a spot here and there featuring something video game-related, but this is by no means a focus of the event.

Both board and video games have quite grown up over the last thirty years or so. However, if this were a race, rapid advances in personal computing technology would make it no contest to award a "Runaway Winner" prize to the upstart younger brother and his technical doo-dads. Computer gaming, and more generally, console gaming, have swept the entertainment market and show no signs of giving up the increasing growth margins over other forms of popular entertainment.

Table-top gaming just doesn't see the sheer volume of play had by video games, not by a long shot. I'd cite perceptable social, mental and psychological factors such as:

* graphics -- those newfangled moving pictures capture and hold one's mental attention better than a static image any day

* advances in user interfaces and accessibility -- these days, you don't have to read a rulebook to start playing; video games are considered flawed if they don't teach you how to play from the moment you click "Start"

* immediacy -- since many people already sit at a computer for a large part of the day, it's not an imposition to click a few buttons in order to play any title at any time

* the internet, making it trivial to always find a gaming group for any title you want to play

* relentless marketing engines that push title development cost well into the eight-figure range.

These factors both separately and in combination all translate into wins, both for game publishers and consumers. And yet, experiences like the one I'm about to share make me understand how the now relatively niche market of table-top gaming will hold sway over social contexts for a long, long time.

A few years back, my wife and I were visiting Erik Hermansen in his home. Though Erik and I collaborated daily on DROD work via e-mail, chat, and the forum, this was one of only a couple times we got to see each other face-to-face. While there, we got to know each other better on a personal level. Part of that experience involved Erik sharing many beautiful drawings he had created (some of which you've seen if you've made it to the Dreamplane in DROD:JtRH). He also shared his original hand-drawn art for DROD's Map of the Eighth. To me, being made witness to this was like making the archaeological find of the century. But what became the center of this bonding experience was when we sat and played a flavorful, independently-produced card game I'd never heard of before called GOLEM. In this game, you are a mad scientist building a monster and trying to avoid the angry mobs and defeat the other players' abominations before they trounce yours. A fun, light game. I think I lost, but playing together was a blast.

Now, I'm going to get tribal on you for a bit. When friends and family get together, traditions as old as time drive us to spend our common moments centered around focused bonding rituals. After the harvest, the village gets together for a jubilee dance in the town square. When you're on an overnight campout, you spend time sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. After Thanksgiving holiday dinner in the US, you spend time together watching the big game and rooting for your favorite team. Board games can provide this tribal focus that cements the special moments surrounding the event into a person's memory. When you get together with family or friends, sitting around a table with a gaming catalyst can make magic.

For me, such crystals of memory would not sparkle so brightly if we each were to take a seat in an online deathmatch instead of sitting around a table. Peering into a monitor to play lets us face inward. Board games give us opportunity to face outward, bringing both a satisfying immediacy and tribal memory that I find electronic games hard-pressed to duplicate. Playing on-line can be great fun, but along with that, give me a chair at a table with faces that can look back at me and peer into my eyes any day.

And, inexplicably, some primal urge within me whispers to make that tribal pilgrimage to Essen. I hope any forumites that are going there this year will have a great time. Maybe some future date will see us there too!


The Next Big Project
There are rumblings about what the Next Big Project is. And yet, Mr. Bar solidly refuses to move...or respond when clicked. What gives? Well, the truth is that I'm probably more effective as a developer lead than a manager. I've been bogged down in administrative tasks and it has been hard for me to find time to advance this project. I hope to kick it into high gear soon (or, heh, at least low gear). I'll keep you posted as things start happening!

The Naming Office: Our Contest for November
November's upcoming contest centers around job openings at the Naming Office. Do you think you have what it takes to fill their role? Inquire within!
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=30189

RoboBob3000's Topical Topic Picks - Apply directly to skin!

The Test Of Mind
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=30105
There were no new user-made DROD holds released this month, but we did see the release of one new DROD RPG level set. The Test Of Mind is the first published DROD RPG level set by accomplished architect Jeff_Ray. It's been lauded as a high-quality, yet somewhat forgiving level set. I encourage you to plow through it with bravado!

Mosaic Frost by Rheb
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=30094

Garden by Jutt
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=30149

It's been a big month for custom room styles. Jutt and Rheb have put together a couple of gorgeous tilesets for the community to digest. Take a look at their respective threads to grab the files and to see some sample images. And of course, you can find more styles as well as installation instructions at http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewsitepage.php?id=202354.

Architectopedia 1.1
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=27158
Here's a little topic that's been somewhat underappreciated until recently. One of my favorite architecture advancements in the DROD RPG engine has been the addition of _MyScript variables. Rather than explain how helpful they are when scripting, I'll redirect you to skell's meticulously compiled resource regarding their effects. Architects who mean serious business will be referring to this thread ALL THE TIME.

Be a critic! Music for my game
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=30155
Got an ear for video game tunes? Our buddy Kwakstur would like your critique! I love it when our forumites help each other out with non-DROD related projects - we've seen a lot of awesome stuff come out of some simple collaboration. Come give your advice or just generally crack wise about MIDI composing. And if you've got a project of your own - any project at all - come share it with us!

---------------

Thanks, Robobob! Till next month, keep on DRODing!

-Mike

• (Discuss this article - 6 replies)

For those who love toys - 09-28-2009

If you read the history of DROD, you will notice that DROD actually started out as a board game of sorts. Erik Hermansen prototyped the idea of kings on a chessboard wielding swords. Turns could be spent either moving your king or rotating it to face another direction. Since the feedback Erik got was positive, a legacy was born.

The DROD experience is possible largely thanks to tight game mechanics. Deterministic, turn-based, tile-stepping mechanics with clear movement rules (well, mostly). Were it not for the fact that DROD rooms each contain over a thousand tiles, often filled with hundreds of monsters, and featuring dozens of distinct game elements, it might be feasible to present DROD in a board game format today. However, for better or worse, I doubt that players would be interested in, first, setting up a thousand-tile board, and second, moving a hundred monsters around each turn by hand. Or third -- paying well over a hundred bucks for the mound of game components such a direct translation of the DROD experience would require. Computers take care of all of those details for you and electrons are quite cheap. Still, there is a play experience that board games provide that can not be produced by video games: you get to play with toys.

There is something intrinsically satisfying about beautiful game components that you can hold in your hand and look at in three dimensions -- cards, dice, colorful wooden bits, plastic figures, cardboard tiles, and maybe a beautifully-drawn game board that, for a while, becomes your world. On top of this, there is something irreproducable about being able to sit around with friends and family and share a memorable gaming experience together. Where you look at each other instead of at a monitor. Board games provide not only small children -- but also responsible, mature adults, and even grumpy, old men -- a perfect excuse to play with toys together.

In the USA, we know all about mass-produced Hasbro games like Monopoly, Risk, Life, Stratego, and others. The aforementioned games have been around for fifty years or more. Gaming technology and design has advanced a lot since then, but families are still often buying these same old, tired titles, often because it's what's on the store shelf and they just don't know any better. Popular American games have a flow that goes something like: 1) Roll some dice, 2) move a pawn, 3) do what the board says where you land. This allows for a very limited amount of strategy and is almost entirely luck-driven, and as such, has a limited appeal for adults. If the game takes a while to play (you know who you are), kids often lose interest before the end too.

This play style has turned off a lot of people from board games in America and elsewhere. This is regrettable, because there are literally hundreds of designer games available that for many people are much more interesting to play. There have always been designer games in the US, but the great majority of these have come out of Europe. In particular, as with fine-tuned cars, Germany is a hotbed of fine-tuned game design. As I understand it, while many Americans spend a large chunk of leisure time watching TV, Europeans more often tend to activities that promote family interaction. Board games easily fill this role, and over the last twenty years or so, there has been an outpouring of "Euro-style" board games. Thanks to the internet, these have become quite accessible in the US and US game publishers are importing these titles for local sale.

Your typical mass-market American game like Monopoly has little strategy, typically involves knocking players out of the game along the way, and might take several hours to play (which long duration becomes unbearable when players are knocked out early and have nothing to do while the last few players finish). In contrast, Euro-games as a rule are more strategic, with luck playing a smaller role, with more streamlined rules and tighter play mechanics. They typically don't knock players out of the game mid-stream, and are usually relatively quick to play. They are generally non-violent and not fiercely competitive, so it's easier for the whole family to be involved in a fun gaming experience without worrying so much that your child's feelings might be hurt when they land on your hotel on Boardwalk and run out of money, or they only have one country left on the map, and you are rushing in with your fifty armies. Not that there's anything particularly wrong with that when you've got a group of guys together who can take a hit to their gamer ego, but when you're looking for a more casual gaming experience, it doesn't always satisfy the crowd.

A grandfather of the Euro-game movement is SETTLERS OF CATAN. In Settlers, players compete to build settlements, cities and roads in order to become the dominant tribe on the island. I'm sure many of our international audience here have played and love this game. Being wildly popular, as far as board games go, there are several expansions and spin-offs to the game. It has even popped up recently on XBox Live. SETTLERS is considered a "gateway" game -- it's the type of game that gamers might use to introduce non-gamers into the larger world of board gaming, giving them a feel for what a game with strategy beyond Monopoly might feel like.

If you've tried and enjoyed playing SETTLERS once upon a time, some other gateway games you might like are TICKET TO RIDE, a card-based trick-taking game where you build railways across the country to earn points, and CARCASSONNE, a tile-based game where you compete to develop your community by placing your followers on roads, cities, and fields. Each of these games also has inspired a slew of sequels. If you're looking for some new and interesting board games to play with family or friends, you might try some of these out. I like games of all kinds, but more importantly, these games are something I can always play with my wife and kids.

This article is already getting pretty long so I'll break here, but I've barely scratched the surface of strategic and tactical board games. Please share your thoughts on board games! If this topic is interesting to you, I'd like to follow up in future editions of the Illumination with some more great games that might be of particular interest to those who love the way DROD plays thanks to similar types of play strategies.


RoboBob's Topic Picks: Succumbing to Deadlines Edition

Happiness is...
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=30067
Happiness is gloating. Have you stolen a high score from anybody recently? Do you have anything at all that you'd like to gloat about? Darn it - tell the world!

DROD Wiki
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29942
A fan-driven effort has started to collect DROD universe information into a Wiki. Feel free to contribute!

Using additional tools in DROD RPG
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29840
When you play DROD RPG, do you just plow through the level sets, or are you a meticulous notetaker? Do you use a spreadsheet or an abacus? What gets you through the game? Come see the advice, strategies, and tools that other players utilize, and give us some of your contributions!

Why DROD doesn´t appeal to the masses
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29781
You're a refined gamer with copious amounts of indie cred - you understand that DROD is a niche game. But what exactly is it about DROD that makes its audience so specific?



DROD: The City Beneath Holds
Flight of the Fegundo
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=30023
soco ban sword
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=30014
Zen
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29874
One Step Ahead
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29792
Puzzlemania
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29769
No-monster hold compilation
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29761
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly compilation
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29752
Empire's power: And Beethro comes along
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29750

DROD: RPG Level Sets
Hold Anonymous
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29932
Cludo's dungeon
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29766

-----------------------------------

Thanks, Robobob! Till next time!

- Mike

• (Discuss this article - 49 replies)

Looking toward the future - 08-04-2009

Welcome to the latest edition of the Illumination, which in this case is written by me, Tim (well, actually most of it is written by RoboBob3000). Since I'm not known as a linguist, I'll keep this short [but it's packed with content! -- mrimer]

-----------------------------

Caravel News


* Smitemaster's Selection CDs are going out

Mike Rimer told me that the new Smitemaster's Selection CDs (for Suit Pursuit and Complex Complex) are currently being pressed. That means they will be received and sent out soon. Make sure to have your shipping address current if you ordered one!


* Next Smitemaster's Selection is nearing completion

As for the next Smitemaster's Selection, I think I'm allowed to tell that the voice auditions for that is scheduled to take place in a couple of weeks. Look for announcements in the Contest Board!


* Rumours about DROD RPG Holds

RPG Holds are finally being considered for promotion! Are you bold enough to submit your challenging level sets? If Tendry himself ever made a hold, rest assured it would contain a collection of his latest remixed pop-ballads.


* Top scores for Tendry's Tale

The RPG scoring pages are still in development. However, with permission from Schik, I can reveal the current validated top scores for 2 scorepoints in Tendry's Tale:

This one describes the first scorepoint most players will reach first:

• (Discuss this article - 11 replies)

Episode Catch-up - 06-19-2009

From the mouth of Wesley:

Greeting to all my fellow DRODers; I’m Wesley Chua (agaricus5), long-time player, and first-time Illuminator. In this edition, we revert back to the more classic Illumination style and bring you a bumper selection of the finest stuff from around the Forum, catching up on the stuff you might have missed over the past few months.

So please, don't be shy: come on down to the Eighth for your daily mind-enhancement. Backwards-incompatibility with reality guaranteed, or the next session's free! (See the following for more details):
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=4871&page=10#198979


The Eighth's Latest Infestations

It’s been a productive few months for DROD architecture; the Dungeon Architects’ Association has reported an increase in output, while over at the Smitemasters’ Guild, meeting attendance appears to have fallen significantly. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get any reviews for the most recent holds released (clearly our runner system appears to have malfunctioned somewhere), but that’s not a problem, right? Get in there and report back to us on the double!


The Great Adventure by DyRsOfDh14
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29019

Token Effort by Jacob
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29291


If, however, you’d prefer to get some advice from surviving explorers before recklessly going in yourself, then why not take a look at some of these older holds, reviewed courtesy of CuriousShyRabbit.


El Dorado by BoyBlue
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28456

El Dorado is a full-length, rather difficult hold. In some clever lynchpin puzzles, BoyBlue tricks the player into trying and trying to do the impossible. Other movement order and horde rooms might better be described as strategy puzzles. These have multiple solutions, and it’s up to the player to develop an effective approach.


Grud’s Dungeon by mxvladi
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28491

With every hold he builds, mxvladi becomes more creative in his use of game elements. Grud’s Dungeon is a short, fairly difficult set of player role stalwart puzzles. It includes some races against timers, some slayer and snake manipulation rooms, and some puzzles where trapdoors limit the path you can take.


The Old School by calamarain
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28493

Calamarain’s latest offering is a one-level Architect’s Edition hold of medium difficulty. Each room involves a different combination of two or three classic AE elements. The puzzles are not too complicated, but not too easy either. Some optional challenges are included for those so inclined .


Further Up and Further In by Dischorran
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28559

Here’s a set of medium difficulty efficiency puzzles. The player races east across every room, through different monsters and obstacles, with briar growing close behind. Secret rooms are accessed by solving puzzles “the hard way.” Dischorran has added a deliciously surrealistic story on level entrance screens that appear between puzzles.


Missing Pieces by Jacob
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28706

In April, Jacob posted a set of impossible rooms and challenged contestants to find game elements that would make each room possible. Missing Pieces is the resulting “theme and variations” set of possible rooms with the various game elements added in. Overall medium difficulty, with some very challenging variations added in a secret level.


The Ice Caverns Part -I-: The Cleaning by DyRsOfDh14
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28864

DyRsOfDh14 has created a short, easy hold based on JtRH game elements. Each room has a very simple trick to it.


In-progress DROD Architecture

In addition to the completed holds above, a number of architects are also busy at work on a number of in-progress works down at the Architecture board. Why not drop by and lend a hand in testing them and poking the authors to completion?
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewboard.php?BoardID=9


Homeward Adventure by Jeff_Ray...
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=17561

This rather expansive construction features an interesting storyline and quite a number of lynchpin puzzles. In particular, Jeff needs some help reordering the levels and rooms to get a more even difficulty gradient.


Gigantic Jewel Lost by Zch
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28646

Apparently in the making for some time, this nearly-finished hold features custom room styles, difficult rooms and a quest to return a jewel. If you’re interested, why not join the beta-testing to find and fix the hold’s unintended solutions?


Gobrid’s Dungeon by 12th Archivist
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28484

A Kangaroo’s Dungeon by HEROACE
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28545

Delving Time by 13th Slayer
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29000

Directions of the Compass 2 by brian_s
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29318

Aurelia Keep by Pinnacle
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29038

The Puzzle Catacombs by NoahT
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29038

High Path Journey by Melvin
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29373

These works may only be small now, but with your help, who knows what these fledgling holds might become one day?


DROD: RPG - Quests and Adventures

Architects working on DROD: RPG continue to excavate ever larger and more mysterious constructions. Dare you enter to seek the truth? Or at least whatever lies at their end? Sure you do; here is a selection of the latest adventures on offer, courtesy of a mysterious adventurer.


Fetch the Pie by Chaco
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=27149
An excellent, if more or less orthodox, RPG hold, complete with an interlude containing more DROD-like puzzles, a silly story, and (it's built by Chaco, so what do you expect?) simply gorgeous use of lighting and room design to make this a very enjoyable all-round hold.


Einar by Fang
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=27996
A novel idea with the experience level system, but what really makes this hold stand out is the variety of its levels, including a water level in which you move around on platforms, and one in which your player-character is caught in an earthquake!


Invasion of the Critters by Jeff_Ray...
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28231
If you like your DROD:RPG brain-numbingly tough, then this is the hold for you! You don't even get a sword until well into the second level. After this, you'll never think of roach queens and evil eyes as "easy" monsters again.


Four Rooms by budja
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28241
This began as a puzzle with just four rooms: no more having to explore a wide area and restart so you know where everything is! It's tricky and great fun to solve, but not frustratingly difficult. There is now a second level with another four rooms, continuing the theme, and if you encourage the author, there may be more coming soon!


You can find these in-progress works and more over on the RPG Architecture board.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewboard.php?BoardID=267


Our Contest for June - The Suicidal Beethro
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29301

Are you a budding creator? Do you feel your works are some of the most groundbreaking and novel? Are you architect enough to enter this month’s contest? Sure you are – it’s time to get out your hard hat for some DROD architecture with a twist!

In this month’s contest, by NiroZ your aim is to build a hold where the purpose is to die. It must be enjoyable, stylish and straightforward. But you must die! In a twisted take on the DROD puzzle, one must build rooms that require one to commit suicide but at the same time make this task difficult. Prepare yourself and start building; do you have the courage to take on this challenge?


Contests Galore!

Since the last DRODistic Illumination, we have completed four forum contests. All were varied, interesting, amusing at times, and most importantly, good fun to take part in. If you missed them, now’s your chance to catch up on all the action, courtesy of NiroZ!


Paper Scissors Rock, run by NiroZ (February 2009)
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28361

Paper, Scissors, Rock. You know what to do, right? Okay: 1...2...3...

Paper! Did you win?

This was a contest about prediction and a bit of strategy. Each contestant challenged every other contestant over several rounds; the goal was to win as many points as possible. In the end, randomness prevailed over strategy somewhat, since it got a bit tedious to try to predict the moves of so many people. However, it was nonetheless quite fun; the contest winners were:

1st – Dischorran with 153 points.
2nd – Lopsidation with 147 points.
3rd – DanielFishman and Nuntar tied with 144 points.

Also, big thanks to Jutt, who created a program during the contest that worked out all the scoring for us. If it wasn’t for that, the contest would have flopped, since scoring manually was pretty tedious work.


Limited Room RPG Contest, run by Nuntar (March 2009)
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28518

This contest reuses an old (unofficial) DROD contest idea, this time making use of the superior scripting and new gameplay in DROD: RPG, at the expense of room size. The holds built were varied, many contained some original concepts, and even the holds with little or no scripting were still pretty impressive. The only downside was that combination of the rooms into a single compilation hold introduced a number of bugs. Fortunately, these were quickly fixed. The winners were:

1st – mxvladi, taking both #1 and #2 in the poll with Sand Trap, rated 7.84, and One room, rated 7.68!
2nd – Mazer, taking #3 in the poll with The Dungeon, rated 7.21
3rd – Rheb, taking #4 in the poll with Tomb of the Zombie King, rated 7.10.

If you’d like to do some exploring yourself, you can find the entries here:
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28639


Bluffhanger, run by noma (April 2009)
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28651

Your challenge this month, if you accept it, is to write fiction that “is so bad, it's good”.

In Bluffhanger, participants were asked to write two sentences, one setting the scene for a story but leaving a cliffhanger, and the second resolving said cliffhanger. The winners would be badly written, suspenseful, amusing and with surprising conclusions.

This contest had a good turnout, with 24 groan-inducing entries demonstrating the humorously bad creativity skills possessed by various forumites. You can find them in the following thread.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28652

Warning! The consequences of viewing the entries while drinking or eating may be as amusing as the entries themselves.

In the end, the winners were:

1st - Tahnan taking #1 and #2 in the poll with entry 15, “As he felt his life draining...”, rated 7.89, and entry 10, “So when Jackson threw his harpoon”, rated 7.72.
2nd – Lamkin, taking #3 and #4 in the poll with entry 19, “Time works wonders...”, rated 7.44 and entry 2, “The resonant rumblings of methane...”, rated 7.39.
3rd – Mouse, taking #4 in the poll with entry 7, “As Jane looked at her baby...”, rated 7.39.


Flags of the Eighth, run by Nuntar (May 2009)
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28972

For the month of May, we decided to delve into the culture of the Eighth; way, way deep into its culture. And how better to do that than by creating some fictional flags to fit with the backstory of the nations of the Eighth? Besides, flags also make good souvenirs to have with you when you regale your fellow smitemasters with your tales of adventure and daring in far-off lands.

The contest turned out rather well, with some really breathtaking flags on display. The winners were as follows:

1st – Jutt’s flag for Sun Island, rated 9.0625
2nd – Mikko’s flag for Akandia, rated 8.6875
3rd – brian_s’s flag for Oyst, rated 8.3125
All of these were of very high calibre; I'd also recommend... actually, why not take a look at the entries and decide for yourself?
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29206


Updates From Beyond the Eighth

If you feel you’ve been smiting too many monsters, or have finally succumbed to the Mothingness, why not take a break and have a look at some of the other games hosted on the Caravel Forum?


Crystal Shard Games
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewboard.php?BoardID=17

According to their main webpage, Crystal Shard is described as “a team of hobbyists participating over the internet to bring the challenge to your mouse”. Indeed, you will find your mouse will be challenged even to decide where to start playing; with quite a varied selection of games on offer, you’re sure to find something you’ll like.

In particular, both Subterra 1 and 2 were updated in April and a monthly level design contest is currently being run, involving the designing of levels based on a template. If you’re interested in getting those creative juices flowing in a somewhat different subterranean context, then why not give it a go?
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28630


Wonderquest
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewboard.php?BoardID=91

This DROD-like RPG and its sequel are the creations of googa, part time programmer and musician. If you’re interested in a different take on the DROD:RPG theme, the Wonderquest games are definitely worth a play.

I got in touch with him just before May, and although his work on Wonderquest is more-or-less complete, he is currently recording a new album. According to our brief correspondence, this was how he described his music: “Rock and Roll, Soft rock, blues, jazz, alternative. My main goal is always to create something new rather than trying to fit in a genre. I'm very eclectic.”

So, Gustav, if you still receive our Illuminations, and are reading this, please do drop by the Forum some time to tell us about your music. It sounds pretty cool!


Topic Picks for May/June

Finally, if you’ve still got room for afters, why not check out some of the more interesting discussions on the forum, courtesy of RoboBob3000?


What is your DROD playing style?
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28956

PurpleKoopa asks: How do you tackle a newly discovered room? Do you reach for the pen and paper, or do you just rush in with your sword swinging? Do you optimize first, later, or never?


The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29317

Dischorran, in an apparent effort to destroy the community from the inside out, has proposed an unofficial contest wherein competitors compete to design the ugliest room possible. What a lunatic!


Tomato?
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=29202

Weird gets weirder as forumites attempt to understand the enigma that is the user prrringles. Is he a spambot without a purpose? Is he part of a bigger conspiracy? Can we be reasonably certain that he'll post on 11/11/2011? What kind of soup is he making?


DROD Survivor 2 Finale
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=28109&page=24#285004

After months of competition, fourteen forumites eliminated each other one-by-one, all hoping to earn the coveted title of DROD Survivor. True drama unfolded as the three finalists - noma, TripleM, and Dex Stewart - each made their final pitch for victory. Witness the finale of one of the greatest forum games ever played!

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Pontifications and Portals - 05-26-2009

This month's newsletter deviates a bit from our usual approach of sharing some of the awesome activity on the Caravel Forum. There be time-sensitive material here, so read on! We plan to return to a normal newsletter format in June, but for this month, we have a special offer I'd like to share with our dedicated fanbase. If you want to skip the pontifications on evangelizing DROD and indie games in general below, you can just skip to the bottom for the meaty part.

The Pontifications

There are many steps along the way to making an indie game successful. So you design your very own special game with solid gameplay, unique premise and engaging story. The hallmark of indie game development is innovation, but "success" hinges on more than this crucial element. To make sure people look twice, there's naturally the need for nice graphics and a striking visual style. However, success is typically framed in terms of market penetration. As many before me have argued, the greatest obstacle to success is obscurity.

Caravel has a nice, growing suite of DROD titles. One reason I myself have spent so much time with DROD is because of the way it pulled me in from the start with its unique gameplay. When Erik Hermansen announced an enhancement to his original (Webfoot) DROD around 2002, I embraced his vision and supported it wholeheartedly. From that time, DROD has held a special place in my gamer's heart. This story has been repeated for many other developers and players, including those of you who have experienced and championed DROD in some shape or form. Though DROD is a niche franchise by design, many of you would probably agree with the sentiment that the greatest obstacle to DROD's success is still obscurity.

While we've rarely worked with dedicated marketers, we've experimented with a few different distribution models, including your usual gamut of game portals. As you can imagine, just putting DROD as another spot on the endless wallpaper of games on a big game portal doesn't bring in most of the sales. What has been effective at getting the word out is, as you might expect, word-of-mouth: some love shared in a write-up on someone's blog, a kind mention at a gaming venue, a personal promotion on a well-travelled gaming site. Knowing that DROD brings joy to someone is our main motivation. And that brings us to the meat of our Illumination...

The Offer

I'm pleased to announce a one-time limited offer to acquire the DROD games at half-price this week, only on Game du Jour!



Game du Jour (GDJ) is the first "One Deal a Day" website ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_deal_a_day ) dedicated to indie and casual games for the PC. GDJ's home page features a different game every day at a steep discount (typically 40% to 60%.)

The following games will be discounted this week on Game du Jour, the first 'one-deal-a-day' website dedicated to indie and casual games:

*** Tue. May 26th: 50% off on DROD RPG: Tendry's Tale

*** Wed. May 27th: 50% off on DROD: The City Beneath

*** Thu. May 28th: 50% off on DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold

*** Fri. May 29th: 50% off on DROD: King Dugan's Dungeon

If you don't have one or more of these DROD titles yet, or have been thinking of getting a copy or three for a friend or family member, this is a great time to buy! We are providing this promotion as another step in bringing DROD out of obscurity, and I'm mentioning it here as a bonus to dedicated players who love the game but might not have enough cash to buy at full price. Buying a title for this promotion helps support the Game du Jour site as well as Caravel Games in bringing you new DROD titles in the future.

Till next month, happy smiting!

-Mike


Edit: You can purchase Windows, Mac or Linux versions of these games through this offer on GDJ.

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