TL;DR: Game took way too long to make, but I learned about game design process. Here's a download link. Don't be a hero, follow the instructions in the "OPEN ME!!" folder.A large fistful of years ago I found out that I really wanted to make games, and it was nice. The problem (that most people have), is that it's one thing to want to make a game, and quite another to be able to see one to completion. It's really hard to keep going on a project, especially when your energy has run out.
Knowing my own shortcomings I decided to make a game using a not-to-conventional method, and one that in the end turned out to be a horrible, horrible idea. But before we get to that let me explain my situation a bit better.
I was attending an art school, and have since graduated. I've worked on a couple of indie games, not as a designer or writer (what I enjoy doing), but providing art. I have known for many years that games made through online collaboration are DOA pretty much 99% of the time. Of all the indie games I've worked on the only one that has actually been completed and published is the online web game Forumwarz (it's also the only game that I've been paid for.) I've accepted jobs on tigSource and other places (as well as made my own), but it is very clear that unless the people I'm collaborating with are close by and can actually see a game to completion it's best not to even bother (close by so I can strangle them when they get lazy.) But I'm pretty sure we all know this by now.
My other problem is that I can draw... I can write and I can do some sound design and music composition. I cannot program however. Every month I make a bit of headway in various languages (AS3, Java, HTML5, etc), but I've never been able to really learn a language enough to make a whole game, usually just enough to get by with whatever I have to do for work or somesuch. I also love RPGs, and despite the web's disdain for most RPGMaker games it really was the best option for what I wanted to do (RPGs, I love em!)
So I made a game in RPG Maker... XP at first, and then VX. I've re-made the game from scratch a total of 6 times since 2006/2007-ish. My process (the ill-conceived one I mention above), was to simply go into the database and just make things. I had no rhyme or reason, I just thought that once I had a database full of custom characters, attacks, items, etc I could write a simple little story and have a game. By not focusing on the huge amount of work I had, and simply having fun, I've have a game.
Well, I have a game, but it isn't good.
The lack of planning dragged out production for ages, and instead of the design and story being cohesive, and the elements supporting that I had a game run by elements with a weird story and strange design decisions to support it. In the end I feel I have something unique, but it's far from the best that I could do. I stuck with the game so long because I hate just leaving things hanging, but... It's still not what it could be, and that troubles me.
I have a friend who was going to do music and sound, but I think he's kind of drifted off to do other things for now, which is why there will be dead spots with no music. To play the game you have to install RPGMaker VX's weird RTP and a custom font I used (for those who know RMVX, for some reason I can never get the game to run without the RTP programming stuff, which should be included in the game without needing the RTP to be installed, but... ehhh. RMVX is really the crappiest of the crap.)
Anyway, enough excuses. Here is Haasten: Episode I. It's not complete, but complete enough, and I have a head full of other, more better game ideas to tackle. Not to mention I've learned from the design mistakes of this kerfuffle to be able to make something better the next time around. If someone, somewhere, at some time somehow finds the tiniest shred of enjoyment with this thing then that'll be enough. I'm not really looking for critiques on how to make this game better, but if you have suggestions for how to approach game design in the future which may help that would be nice (I'm pretty sick of even thinking about this thing.)
Here's a download link. Don't be a hero, follow the instructions in the "OPEN ME!!" folder.
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