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It's come a long way.. Yes, I'm writing a novel in addition to developing an Oblivion mod. The novel takes place before the time of the mod, in the waning years of the Second Age.
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The journey began back in 2006, when I began writing a compilation of short stories/comics called "Epic Quests". As a child, I had developed a tremendous interest in writing (especially in medieval fantasy), and "Epic Quests" became my favoured form of expression.
After that came a true book that never saw the light of day, "The Legend of Valtyrania". I was entering high school then, so I began experimenting with more mature themes. It was my first attempt at writing a story that explored character development. Near its end, it evolved into a choose-your-path book, which naturally became a board game/tabletop RPG soon after.
The tabletop RPG version of my fantasy universe had limited success. I had lots of friends who were eager to help me, but, as it turned out, most of them only wanted their name associated with my work -- they didn't necessarily want to contribute. The after-school meetings/collaborations I hosted with them often ended with me picking up most of the slack and doing most of the talking. Over time, the team splintered and disbanded, and I continued my work alone. It became far too much for me to take on by myself however, as I realised that I simply did not have the materials I needed, and so I eventually walked away from the project as well.
In 2012, at the behest of my cousin, my interest in realising this fantasy universe was rekindled. He is a small video game developer himself, and knew about my desires to get into game design as a career, so he suggested I try developing an original mod to get my foot into the industry. Morrowind was not my first choice however. I tried a great many different game engines before I came to Morrowind, the game I had the most experience with modding at the time. Naturally, I made Asuron the setting of the mod. It was to be named simply "Hyperia". That's when I opened a YouTube account and started sharing insights on my work. I met some of the first international fans of the project this way. Receiving feedback from the other side of the globe really inspired me, and it was probably the first time I had ever really received support aside from close friends and family.
In order to supplement the mod, I decided to compile a massive compendium of lore in an attempt to unify my writings (I still have this and refer/contribute to it often). The mere presence of the archive inspired me to begin writing the novel that I am still writing today.
As time passed on, I became comfortable enough in my abilities as a modder to upgrade "Hyperia" to the Oblivion engine. That's when I joined the Oblivion Nexus. "Realms of Asuron" was received by some really amazing people -- people who believed in my vision and who understood my vocabulary when it came to discussing game design/art direction. Since then, the fan base has only continued to grow, and with it, my gratitude. I know that the journey for me and the enigmatic Realms of Asuron is far from over. It is my greatest desire to see RoA one day develop into a full-fledged franchise. I don't know if you'll ever get a cold copy of "Realms of Asuron Online" in your hands, but one thing I do know is that I could never have gotten this far without you guys.
Thank You.
Here's to Asuron! And to all of you!
4 comments
Many of us - probably most - have felt that creative impulse, that drive, at least once in our lives. Very few, however, have what it takes to ever get to turn it into something rewarding, whether that is imagination, ambition, perseverance, resources, patience, time, or a combination of these things and possibly many others.
By reading this, although I will most likely never get to really know you, I got a deeper feeling of empathy with you. Now that I got to know a bit more about the background of this project, and indirectly a little bit more about you, I want to see you reach that goal, that first big step, even more
In fact, I would love to help you if I could, but I seriously doubt I have much to offer
I'll try not to get too philosophical on you here, heh, but yes, this is my life's work. It certainly doesn't pay the bills yet, but maybe one day it will. In my opinion, passion is the most important component of any endeavour. Everything else -- the money, the team, the resources -- all of that comes next. Without desire, without fuel, without tendency, what flame burns? One of the more prominent themes of Realms of Asuron, actually
In regards to helping me, the least anyone could do is just spread the Fire, so to speak. Endorse. Comment. Post. Share. A spark soon becomes a blazing inferno. And of course, if you have any valuable suggestions about the in-game art, design, etc, I would be happy to receive that as well. Judging from our past conversations, I would say we are like-minded enough to communicate more complex ideas. Whatever happens, no one is allowed to touch the story, haha -- that's my niche -- but everything else is definitely up for discussion. What experience do you have in modding? Art? Writing? Design? If you have a passion for any of the above, I bet there's something you could contribute to.
At the moment, I could definitely do with some level designers, since I'm so close to Alpha, and that's when interior design (especially for those DARK-inspired dungeons) starts to happen. Dialogue/quest writing is something else that needs to be done, and voice acting after that. I'm also constantly on the look-out for music composers/sound artists -- I lost contact with the guy I was originally working with a few months ago. Honestly, any concept art at all would be appreciated, and if anyone can link me to some mod resources they think would fit the atmosphere of RoA, I would be happy to check them out. Then there's the game design itself -- What types of role-playing activities will be in RoA? What types of puzzles, bosses and traps will make up a typical dungeon? How will crafting work? I also have a unique "dynamic" combat system on the way, which basically incorporates "this-class-only" equipment into the game, but how can we make combat even more tactical? In addition to having their health whittled down in traditional RPG fashion, maybe different monsters have different strengths/weakness that can be exploited only by using the environment correctly, not just by strapping on the right set of gear. I'm undoubtedly going to need problem-solvers for everything under the sun.
Honestly though, the best thing anyone can do is just set the Internet ablaze with RoA. Light up the forums. Take screenshots and write reviews. I will do what I can, where I can, but it ultimately falls to you to spread the Fire to the places I cannot reach