Sharlenwar

[Sharlenwar]

***he brushes himself off as he arises from the ashes that are spread all over the ground***

Okay Halls, where to begin. Do we go down memory lane? How long has it been? Can we say years? I'm trying to remember, I know that it has been a heck of a long time and there are many that I have lost contact with. I literally have had everything and everyone fade away in my digital life that this is like starting anew. Arisen from the ashes as a new born. I suppose I can briefly explain who I am, where I've been, and where I'm going...

***we all get whisked away to an ancient past back to the 90's***
Okay, so where do we start? I'll start with where I deviated from playing video games as a gamer and went the whole hobby game developer route. Back in the 90's I remember running a computer at home, with it's own phone line, and ran a Bulletin Board System back before the internet is what it is today. I remember having to install the operating system, configuring it, even getting games on there to run. I ran a BBS where we had various games that people could play. I even had it where people could upload files and use those credits towards the games. This was file sharing where everything was metered and you as the system administrator could control. There was a time in the hey-day where I was earning roughly $250 per month running the service. Had custom screens, everything. There was a period of time between the BBS'ing I did and with the release of Ultima Online where I stopped running my BBS due to cable connections emerging, therefore people were jumping on to the whole World Wide Web concept with your internet browsers. I remember using Netscape Navigator for all of that. I then stumbled upon Meridian59 and began to play, it was my very first experience in a multiple player game world. I was hooked and so played that for a while, then Ultima Online was coming out.

***off to the release of Ultima Online and the emulators***
So, Ultima Online gets release late 90's and I play it solid, daily, and play and just can't get enough. It offered an open-world style of game play that had everything use-skill based. You had your harvesting of resources, crafting, placing housing, decorating those houses, dungeons, events, etc. I do remember playing various old school pen and paper RPG's such as Dungeons & Dragons, RIFTS, etc. back in high school. I even used to be a Game Master creating stories, events, and all of that for a group of us that would play after school for a couple hours in a back hallway. Basically I play UO for a couple of years and then I stumble upon the emulator community for Ultima Online. This was where I flourished and expanded all of my skills, from web coding, scripting in the various emulator languages (Sphere, RunUO, etc.), running a team of people for events, ran a successful server with around 100 concurrent connections 24/7. I basically then go on to completely redesign the entire UO map, had help of a few others in there, and even dive into a deep understanding of script languages with the Sphere engine, which had a custom sort of language similar to C mixed with BASIC.

***now we come back to sitting in front of our computers reading this post***
For 10 years I run around coding, creating custom scripts, and then everything comes crashing down in literally days. I was having issues in my personal life, real life, and digital life. The stress got to the point where I blew up at a very precious friend, which in turn destroys that relationship and causes everything else to collapse in on itself. To this day I am sorry for what I have done and for the two important people who made my private UO server experience be what it was. It was like playing in high school in that hallway with the RPG's. Exactly as that but with a game representation. Using the in-game commands, you could possess other NPC's, teleport, create objects, spawn NPC's, etc.

So after that blow up, life happens to me and then there is this frenzy of getting two full-time jobs, trying to spend time with the two amazing children that I have, and the amazing wonderful wife that I have. So years go screaming by and then we get to a point where 7 years ago this summer we moved out to where we currently reside. Life slowed right completely down for us, it is so amazing and there is nothing that can beat it. I live right in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and 7 years ago they had just brought cable into the community here. This was where I had tried for the past 7 years to recover from that emotional explosion. I then began to explore different avenues of game development, I dabbled in C++, C#, Java, Jamagic, Blitz3D, DarkBASIC Pro, php, HTML, everything practically. I was "searching" for that "perfect" game making solution. I was trying to recapture that excitement of playing with other people, building a game world for them, having people play it, updating it, tweaking it, etc. It has been a struggle, and then in here somewhere in the past 7 years, I met you Halls. It was in the RealmCrafter forums I believe, or the DarkBASIC Pro ones. That was where you initially began Forsaken Sanctum, until you hit some barriers and found the MMOKit, and then you switched I think to that. I followed you there to keep track and to see if your game would materialize. And I think that is all I can remember at this point in time, I apologize if I don't remember more, but it has been a crazy ride and life has been taking its course with the ebbs and flows of time.

So here I am, typing this out, and for what purpose? Ever since you have contacted me out of the cloud on YouTube, you have rocked the foundation of my being (not quite as God, but you get the idea). I work night shift and so I have plenty of time on my hands. Not so much currently with where I work, as I work at a resort and I work in accounting. Summer is the busy season, so there is always too much to do. Winter is where the job shines, as you can usually get your work done in a few hours and then spend the rest of the night doing what you want. I just can't sleep and so I decided to go out on a limb and see what your reaction is going to be. So, with your permission Halls, since you are one of my few digital friends from the past that have surfaced. I was wondering if I can make this my new digital home (now, I think I posted this already!)? Of course, I have what I was doing on YouTube, but that has been a more recent adventure. Since I had purchased Fraps back in the early 2000's, I decided to re-install the program and make Minecraft videos. It has been there to simply try and fill a void that exists in me for game development.

I have tried to steer away from everything negative, and always remain in the positive. Regardless if I have had a successful project that has made it to being complete, everyone that does this as a hobby is forgetting the point of why we all do this. We do it because we enjoy it, and it is there for us to essentially pass the time. Some have tried to make a career out of it, and some have, most you see who have went on to make books and supplement their career that way. I know that the landscape is changing in the gaming world. It seems that everything is moving towards the consoles and away from the computer realm (PC/Mac). People have their arguments, and it is interesting looking at what people post, etc. I haven't really browsed around, because I personally don't have a whole lot of time on my hands. From being at work, to dealing with the family, I have no personal room any more (family reasons of course). My little tiny corner here has become my room. Why am I typing this? Just to get my thoughts out, and again, to see your reaction.

For any of you who have actually read all of this, thank you for taking the time and effort at doing so. This has been a moment of inner reflection and has allowed me to realize what my real hobby has been and always will be. It will be with game development and you Halls, I thank you for coming out of the cloud of the internet. You have struck a cord within me and have made me realize why I did what I did when I met you originally in the digital world. You are going to have to write out your story as to what caused you to think about me and to cause you to contact me. I appreciate the fact that you did, and I thank God for having someone from my past reach out to me.

So thank you Halls, and I'm glad that you have kept the flame burning! You have to be an inspiration to others in that way, as you have been to me.

[SpiritWebb]

Interesting story and inspiration...welcome, and glad to have you!!

[hallsofvallhalla]

glad you could make it! For those that don't know Sharl and I worked on a few things together and was in the early phase of the big indie MMORPG breakout about 7 years ago or so.

[Jackolantern]

Fun times I was probably in the Realm Crafter forums, too, back then.

[Sharlenwar]

glad you could make it! For those that don't know Sharl and I worked on a few things together and was in the early phase of the big indie MMORPG breakout about 7 years ago or so.

Hehe, now I simply want to get back into making games in general. Regardless if they are MMORPG's or anything else. The ideas I have are still revolutionary and haven't been done yet. Not to mention, with the entire game industry dumbing down to cater to the most common gamer, I doubt the ideas I have will ever come to bear fruit.

All of you indie developers out there, keep on doing what you are doing as your crazy ideas could be that next interesting game that sweeps over everyone.

Thanks for the invite Halls and I look forward to the next few months here. *rubs his hands together*

[hallsofvallhalla]

Definitely some great things happening here and glad to have you adding some ingredients to the mix

[Foofighter]

Interesting story and inspiration...welcome, and glad to have you!!

same here, amazing story

[Sharlenwar]

Thanks! It is the story of the path I took over the years. As a hobby a lot has been done and many ideas accomplished, but even more aren't realized or created due to my lack of time. If only we could pause time and do what we need to do, then resume.