This is one of my favorite parts of my "job." At the end of a
very productive day, usually quite late at night, when I have not yet powered down my brain and still have that restless, edgy feeling I get after a solid day spent creating....tired yes, but I can't quite go to sleep....those are my favorite moments.
The times when I can kick back and take a look at where we started, what's been accomplished so far, and what remains to be done.
It's also the time when I get to do a little old fashioned cheer leading.
It's widely known that I'm not a programmer.
That before this project, I have never directly led a coding effort (and in fact, am still not...an eternally grateful nod to the tireless Ramses for wearing that particular hat!), nor directed artistic effort for any number of folks besides myself and the writing of my own novels (another nod to the Lady Cathy, for her calming influence, steady hand, and unerring words of wisdom that always seem to come at JUST the right time), never guided a team of passionate, creative people through the landmine that is creating an entire world out of nothing, breathing life and heart and soul into it and making it come to life in a way that can be shared and experienced by anybody who has the inclination to join us....nope....I'm not that guy, or at least, I wasn't until mid January of this year or thereabouts.
As an artist (graphic/visual art), I'm a hack, at best, more prone to draw stick figures than to actually create something visual that our team can use.
Mostly, I'm an idea guy. I write stuff, describing it with words and phrases in hopes that I can wrestle the vision that's inside my head onto paper (virtual or otherwise) with enough clarity that others with talents I frankly don't posess can decipher what I mean and add their own talents to making it work.
So....sometimes I am left wondering....what am I doing here? If I can't code, and I can't make the world pretty, then what the heck am I doing leading the charge?
Sometimes it makes me wonder....not about the team of people helping me (whom I have complete faith and confidence in), but at myself. If I can really keep my wits about me long enough to make the magic really come together. And yes....sometimes that scares the hell out of me.
But that doesn't change the fact that we're here....our numbers are growing, interest in what we're doing is growing, and we're verging on having the pre-alpha build of our game in the hands of those who have wrestled with the design issues from day one.
It also doesn't change the fact that although we're complete neophytes at this stuff, we're on track and on schedule so far for finishing that pre-alpha build.
Neophytes doing it cos it's cool, being led by a guy who's never been tested in this particular fashion, using a methodology that's also untried....one that some would call unorthodox in the best case, downright insane in the worst....and yet....here we are.
Each day bringing us a little bit closer to breathing life into a world that didn't exist as even a glimmer of an idea this time last year.
When I think about that....about how far we've come, about the group of strangers we all started out as, and the way we've become friends working together to weave out something that nobody's ever seen before....all the care and the time and the truly deep thought that everyone has brought to the table to make this thing happen and bring us this far....it gives me hope and all the more confidence that the future of this project is bright indeed.
In my mind, the hardest challenges are behind us. We've forged working relationships, proved that we can meet or exceed deadlines despite the fact that we're all doing this on a voluntary basis, and gotten the basic mechanics of the game world hammered out.
Now comes the execution.
Still plenty of pitfalls, but that we have come so far....that we even dared to
begin a project like this in spite of the long odds against it succeeding....that says lots of really good things about the nature and the quality of the people I'm working with, and all those who come here to read about our progress and our latest thinking.
In addition to putting a pretty enormous grin on this weary face, it gives me a lot of hope about our chances from here on.
We've bested the early demons. Now, we gotta best the execution and feature creep demons, and if we do that, then the end result WILL BE a playable, awesome public release of Candle'Bre that'll create quite a stir, and hopefully raise more than a few eyebrows.
And we CAN do it. We
are doing it, exactly one day at a time.
So...to everyone who has signed on with the project....whether it be to help with the coding or AI research, to make the world we're piecing together beautiful or keep us all informed with entertaining and informative newsletters....whether it be by taking my half coherent ramblings on rules and turning them into a document that's crisp and readable and easily understood, or keeping up with the growing body of fiction that serves as the Candle'Bre "bible," or the testers who are chomping at the bit to put our game to the ultimate test, or any number of other vitally important tasks that keep us going on a day to day, sometimes hour to hour basis....a humble and heartfelt thank you....
Guys....Gals....this project simply would no
be if not for your timely rescuing of a foolish man who spoke words he had no hope at all of making come true on his own....without your creative energy and enthusiasm, without your BELIEF in Candle'Bre and the possibilities it represents, none of this....not so much as the first shred of this would even be here.
That it exists even in its current form, with yet much to do, is a living, breathing magical testiment to all of you.
I for one, have no intention of letting go of that magic.
I want to see where this road we're on will take us, and if we keep on our present course, I see it taking us wonderful places indeed.
Dreams are never just materialized out of nothing and gifted to those with idle desire....no....dreams are made real by sweat in one form or another.
We've all done some pretty serious sweating to get us to this point, and there's more on the horizon....but I believe.
I think it's safe to say that everyone on the team believes, or they wouldn't be with us.
Those who come here to read about us either believe or want to....and all that belief is simply more fuel for the engine, to my way of thinking.
That's why we're gonna do this.
Cos we believe.
Thank you....everyone.
Thank you.
-=Vel=-
(to bed with me before I get all riled up again...lol)
(or words to that effect)
I try to "infect" everybody with my own sense of enthusiasm about the project....as to the mania...well, there's very definitely a maniacal side to me, but not "that" way....
