FAQ Log in
Search Profile
Memberlist Usergroups
Log in to check your private messages
Register
Jump To: Haelrahv Main Site | My Haelrahv Account | Haelrahv Play Page
Developmental Shift for Haelrahv
Post new topic   Reply to topic
The Official Haelrahv Message Forum Forum Index » Announcements From The Staff » Developmental Shift for Haelrahv
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
HR-Trevor
Boss Type Guy


Joined: 04 Oct 2002
Posts: 6683
Location: Louisville, KY

 Post Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 2:12 am    Post subject: Developmental Shift for Haelrahv
Reply with quote

I'd like to preface what I'm about to reveal by saying that it wasn't an easy decision, nor is it a final one - but I think you have to make a commitment and stick with it when you're dealing with such massive scale projects. Please understand that I have been considering this issue from every angle for quite some time, and I think that all parties involved are in a situation where there can be no clear winner. We can, however, come to a consensus that seems to serve the overall good, and that has been my intent all along.

If, somehow, I've got it all wrong and how I see things isn't how the loyal and supportive players of Haelrahv sees things, I'd certainly like to know. But, I hope you'll consider the issue from all angles with all the deserved respect and caution before you share those thoughts.

Was that ominous enough? Feeling lost by those completely vague statements? Well, to the point. What you're about to read is my intent for the future, unless it happens to come about that feedback from the playerbase tells me I'm looking at this the wrong way. After all, it's been my stance all along that I make every attempt to serve our customers (paying and non), not myself.

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

For some time, one of the issues I've had to wrestle with is the issue of "Live", and how to handle the fact that while it isn't perfect by any means, we have a game that runs pretty well overall, already. More importantly, we have a lot of players who have worked very hard on their characters, and they don't want to give up their accomplishments. I can say it's for the greater good, I can say it's to keep them from being bored, I can use any logic I want. But the fact is that if they feel ripped off, or if they feel they don't have the stomach to go from the top of the chain to somewhere in the middle and climb up again, they're entitled to those opinions.

Likewise, I can't see rewriting a game from the ground up (which is what the "Live" project has been) just to put a bunch of people at the end-game. It just feels wrong, and frankly, I've had little inspiration to do it and little drive to work on it. You don't create a whole new world just to fill it with high power characters who will bypass most of the content. And what about the players who feel like they've grown to love the game as-is and they don't want it all to change?

So, you have two major camps: Those that want change, and those who want things to remain as they are. I can understand the reasons for both. But, the "Live" project isn't compatible with both. Somewhere, something has to give. And, I think the only truly viable options are to either wipe characters out for the most part, or can the concept of Haelrahv "Live".

Then I begin to consider whether those who want something exciting, new and different are so hooked on the idea of a "new Haelrahv" as they are a "new gaming experience". I also wonder if some time to let Haelrahv really sink in to the point where it's a legacy game isn't what's really needed to prepare those who want to resist change for a new Haelrahv. I also consider the fact that many sacrifices have been made that have made Haelrahv anything but financially viable if I am to have a major development role that allows it to evolve at the level it should.

So, I've come to the decision that the best course of action is to create a new product that isn't Haelrahv, and to keep the current version as it is, but continuing to add new content to the current version of the game and for all purposes this is Haelrahv. Period. I'd like to work on a sequel product for Haelrahv in the future, and that product might well lead to the closure of the original version of the game, but working on something entirely different in between provides a lot of time before that decision has to be made, and it provides the players of Haelrahv with years to continue doing what they do there before I have to decide if it's wise and viable to keep "Haelrahv 1" open forever (so to speak.)

Therefore, I am going to be initiating a project that is completely new and not related to Haelrahv at all. It will be a new gaming project, and some - but not all - staff from Haelrahv will be invited to work on it if they wish. Those who don't work on the new product will work on the maintenance and advancement of Haelrahv as a living game, and staff who do work on the new product will continue to have some role in Haelrahv, too. I won't take all of the top coders away from HR to work on it, either. Some of them are so attached to HR that they'd probably be best sticking with it solely, anyway.

Some many years down the road, I am sure I will want to pick our wonderful world of Haelrahv back up and work on that sequel product. Not a rewrite, no carrying over any experience or anything of the sort - a TRUE sequel to Haelrahv. But in the meantime, I think this is the best solution to allow those who want to keep their achievements in Haelrahv do so, and those who want a new gaming experience to have that option. Financially, I also think it's the best for both games, too.

So, to recap:
- Keep the existing game open and running for many years to come. Adding new content, rewriting stuff, etc.
- End work on "Live".
- Begin work on a totally new product not related to Haelrahv, which will use some but not all members of the Haelrahv staff.
- Eventually work on a Haelrahv sequel product.

Feel free to post your thoughts on the subject, but please, try not to be overly impulsive. Whether your comments are positive or negative, I'd like to hear how you feel after you've let this all sink in and you've had a chance to really evaluate what it means for you personally.
_________________
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -- Plato

-- Trevor Rage / Rich Mondy
 Back to top »
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
The Official Haelrahv Message Forum Forum Index » Announcements From The Staff » Developmental Shift for Haelrahv
Post new topic   Reply to topic All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Top Index




Solaris phpBB theme/template by Jakob Persson
Copyright © Jakob Persson 2003



Powered by phpBB 2.0.22 © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group