Soul Wars Reaches 100 Users...
by Quinton Delpeche · 02/25/2009 (1:22 pm) · 12 comments
Soul Wars officially reached the 100 users mark, this is excluding any internal accounts and is purely users that have registered an account on the site. The site was officially launched less then 4 weeks ago and that means we have an average of 25 new users every week.
Albeit only 8 users have actually registered for FREE game licenses and not all the users are currently active, which I am sure will change when the game gets released, I am very happy with the amount of activity that has taken place on Soul Wars.
We are currently working on both enhancing the website and finalising Soul Wars - Lite and are making extremely good progress on both fronts. Some of you have noticed the new links on the menu, namely "Character Creator" and "Dungeon Designer".
The Character Creator, when released, will allow you to start creating your characters for the upcoming release of Soul Wars - Lite. The characters will be stored on the site and when you activate your account in the game you will have the option to transfer your characters from this site to the game. During the character creation process (which is the initial simplified version) you will have the ability to assign a name to your character and provide some background information.
The Dungeon Designer is a new piece of software that has been acquired by Gobbo Games, it will allow you to generate dungeon layouts from this website. Those layouts can then be sent to the design team for final review and should they meet the requirements, they will added into the final game. Credit will be given to the users who create these dungeons in the credit screen of the game and here on the website.
Finally we have added "The World of Lodor" link which will include more specific information regarding the game world and a map of the world and surrounding islands. We have also added a link for "Game Servers", these will list all official and unofficial servers that are out there.
Overall I am extremely happy with the interest being shown in the game and the project as a whole, and the progress being made is solid. I will be releasing a developer's blog within the next week or so that will have some preliminary screenshots of the game interface and the all important dungeons. Stay tuned for more action.
Albeit only 8 users have actually registered for FREE game licenses and not all the users are currently active, which I am sure will change when the game gets released, I am very happy with the amount of activity that has taken place on Soul Wars.
We are currently working on both enhancing the website and finalising Soul Wars - Lite and are making extremely good progress on both fronts. Some of you have noticed the new links on the menu, namely "Character Creator" and "Dungeon Designer".
The Character Creator, when released, will allow you to start creating your characters for the upcoming release of Soul Wars - Lite. The characters will be stored on the site and when you activate your account in the game you will have the option to transfer your characters from this site to the game. During the character creation process (which is the initial simplified version) you will have the ability to assign a name to your character and provide some background information.
The Dungeon Designer is a new piece of software that has been acquired by Gobbo Games, it will allow you to generate dungeon layouts from this website. Those layouts can then be sent to the design team for final review and should they meet the requirements, they will added into the final game. Credit will be given to the users who create these dungeons in the credit screen of the game and here on the website.
Finally we have added "The World of Lodor" link which will include more specific information regarding the game world and a map of the world and surrounding islands. We have also added a link for "Game Servers", these will list all official and unofficial servers that are out there.
Overall I am extremely happy with the interest being shown in the game and the project as a whole, and the progress being made is solid. I will be releasing a developer's blog within the next week or so that will have some preliminary screenshots of the game interface and the all important dungeons. Stay tuned for more action.
About the author
Gobbo Games is an Independent Games Development company operating from Durban in South Africa. We believe in creating high-quality cost-effective games that remain true to the belief of Independent Game Developers around the world.
#2
02/25/2009 (2:13 pm)
Looks very promising though I'd post more screen shots maybe with some fight scenes (perhaps a boss fight), perhaps make a trailer for it to get people interested/ list some game features. 
#3
02/25/2009 (3:25 pm)
SO you have already annoyed one person , by making me register for nothing, You need a LOT more content . People do not enjoy getting their time wasted 
#4
I like the game idea, and it does look promising. I would like to see more.
02/25/2009 (4:16 pm)
Yes, alot more screenshots, or art. More information / storyline would be good to help draw people in further. I like the game idea, and it does look promising. I would like to see more.
#5
@Joshua, Thanks.
@Scott and Andrew, The content and recommendations are on the way.
This game has been in development since early last year and throughout the prototyping stage I have been keeping the community here at Garage Games up to date. I am proud of being a member here and even more proud to be able to use TGEA for the game.
The game was getting to a stage where it required a web-presence, hence the website, and this presence is in its early stage and when I got the 100th registration I was excited, maybe a little over zealous, and I wanted to share the news.
I apologise if anyone thinks I mislead them. Unfortunately I am the only person on this project and I have been responsible for everything (including holding down a normal 9-5 job), this means that the content sometimes takes a little longer to get done then it should.
The main idea behind this post was to share some progress and also to show that a web-presence can help your project ... or at least it did in my case.
02/25/2009 (11:03 pm)
@Mark, I do apologise for annoying you, that was never my intention.@Joshua, Thanks.
@Scott and Andrew, The content and recommendations are on the way.
This game has been in development since early last year and throughout the prototyping stage I have been keeping the community here at Garage Games up to date. I am proud of being a member here and even more proud to be able to use TGEA for the game.
The game was getting to a stage where it required a web-presence, hence the website, and this presence is in its early stage and when I got the 100th registration I was excited, maybe a little over zealous, and I wanted to share the news.
I apologise if anyone thinks I mislead them. Unfortunately I am the only person on this project and I have been responsible for everything (including holding down a normal 9-5 job), this means that the content sometimes takes a little longer to get done then it should.
The main idea behind this post was to share some progress and also to show that a web-presence can help your project ... or at least it did in my case.
#6
02/26/2009 (12:43 am)
Nice progress! I'm curious about your web based Dungeon Designer! I've also made a Dungeon Editor recently, maybe we could share ideas!
#7
1). The copyright information is still there as per the license agreement. :)
2). When you save a dungeon as a mission file, it actually writes the code to a text file on the server and e-mails me that there is a new dungeon.
3). The user does not have access to the mission file itself and cannot use it outside of the Soul Wars context. When they open or save a dungeon in progress, it writes/reads from a text file on the server. The text file is securely stored as is the source code of the software.
From what I can tell I am not breaking any of the license agreements and was going to drop you a e-mail once I finished the modifications to get your final approval. :)
The software is not a derivative work as I am not reselling or not providing it as a distribution to anyone ... the software will only work on the Soul Wars website and the user has to have registered an account on the server before they can actually use the software.
02/26/2009 (12:55 am)
@Konrad ... it is your editor ... :) I have modified it slightly in the following manner.1). The copyright information is still there as per the license agreement. :)
2). When you save a dungeon as a mission file, it actually writes the code to a text file on the server and e-mails me that there is a new dungeon.
3). The user does not have access to the mission file itself and cannot use it outside of the Soul Wars context. When they open or save a dungeon in progress, it writes/reads from a text file on the server. The text file is securely stored as is the source code of the software.
From what I can tell I am not breaking any of the license agreements and was going to drop you a e-mail once I finished the modifications to get your final approval. :)
The software is not a derivative work as I am not reselling or not providing it as a distribution to anyone ... the software will only work on the Soul Wars website and the user has to have registered an account on the server before they can actually use the software.
#8
Concerning the editor, you're OK with the license agreement as long as nobody but the license holder has access to the source. (I understand that's a bit tricky, so all I ask here is that you publish a packed version of the js sources when you've finalized your version.)
Keep up the good work!
02/26/2009 (3:28 am)
@Quinton: Oh, I was hoping you made something better! :)Concerning the editor, you're OK with the license agreement as long as nobody but the license holder has access to the source. (I understand that's a bit tricky, so all I ask here is that you publish a packed version of the js sources when you've finalized your version.)
Keep up the good work!
#9
I will definitely pack the source js files.
I have also moved the base html into a php file and in that file I perform a whole lot of security checks to ensure credentials of the user.
If you have any concerns ... please drop me a mail at: quinton[at]novogeek[dot]org ... and we can discuss it.
Edit: 26/02/2009 @ 14:44
Thanks to everyone for all the input. I have started making the changes to the website and have restructured the menu on the left. I have also removed the dead pages. I am now in the process of adding more screenshots and will be updating the developers blog shortly.
Thanks again for the input and I am sorry if anyone is getting annoyed with me or the site. :(
02/26/2009 (3:41 am)
@Konrad There is absolutely nothing wrong with your editor. :)I will definitely pack the source js files.
I have also moved the base html into a php file and in that file I perform a whole lot of security checks to ensure credentials of the user.
If you have any concerns ... please drop me a mail at: quinton[at]novogeek[dot]org ... and we can discuss it.
Edit: 26/02/2009 @ 14:44
Thanks to everyone for all the input. I have started making the changes to the website and have restructured the menu on the left. I have also removed the dead pages. I am now in the process of adding more screenshots and will be updating the developers blog shortly.
Thanks again for the input and I am sorry if anyone is getting annoyed with me or the site. :(
#10
02/26/2009 (8:21 pm)
I wasn't trying to put down your work in anyway and I hope I didn't come off negatively. I was just merely suggesting how to get more people interested. You have to have your game inviting, and it's web page is it's only access to many people not here at GG so it has to shine.
#11
As in life, you can't always make everyone happy ... but by listening to what people say ... I can improve the work and ensure that I bare all the comments in mind in the future and for all future projects.
I firmly believe that one grows by learning from others and never being afraid to ask for help. :)
Edit: 2009-03-01
@all I have added a bunch load of screenshots to the site, head over to the gallery and check it out. The features have also been added and I have started filling in the extra content and will be releasing the new content shortly.
Thanks again for the advice and suggestions. :)
02/26/2009 (10:50 pm)
@Scott ... No worries mate. I enjoy constructive criticism and really appreciate the feedback. That is why I post my updates to the Garage Games community first as I value everyone's opinion here.As in life, you can't always make everyone happy ... but by listening to what people say ... I can improve the work and ensure that I bare all the comments in mind in the future and for all future projects.
I firmly believe that one grows by learning from others and never being afraid to ask for help. :)
Edit: 2009-03-01
@all I have added a bunch load of screenshots to the site, head over to the gallery and check it out. The features have also been added and I have started filling in the extra content and will be releasing the new content shortly.
Thanks again for the advice and suggestions. :)
#12
03/02/2009 (1:11 am)
Congrats on the 100 mark :)
Torque 3D Owner Joshua Halls (Xerves)