ello, my name is Gavan Woolery, and I am about to show you something impossible. While many sat idly and criticized the lack of creativity in the gaming industry, I spent the last two years trying to change things. In an era of eight-figure game budgets and hundred man development teams, I am attempting to prove that one [crazed] individual can compete. Whether or not my efforts are ultimately successful, my hope is that they ignite the spark of a revolution. At the very least, I would like to change people’s perception of what is possible.
And so begins the manifest of what i hope is a radical change in the way we play online. Permanent Deaths? Procreation? completely changable landscapes? Pipe Dream? I’d like to think not… But reading this manifesto i was reminded of my formitive years (camera pulls back, and pans out across the clouds.) I think it was around 1997-or 98, Ultima Online was king shit of the interweb, and everyone was scrampling to see what was happening next, Everquest was out as well, and i believe Asheron’s Call was on it’s way.
I remember i had played UO for a bit, but quickly grew bored of it’s repetitious and static world, plus i was ganked by my best friend… sob. When one day i came across a group developing something called “The Awakening Project” and promissing to bring “a fully realized 3D world to life, the size of the earth, fully changable evirons, permanent death…” real
life, basically. I was in, i mean, at the very least it wouldn’t work out and i’d play asheron’s call - but i needed something to believe in you see, i needed a reason to wake up in the morning… Alas, it was all for not, and the project colapsed under its meager weight after only a few years of existence.
What did this teach me? A little saying that goes something like “I’ll believe it when it completely consumes all my free time and leaves me a friendless, jobless, wreck of a man.”
check out what’s left of the awakening project |here|
read about Genesis |here|
Interesting how both sites look like they were written in 1993?
You have some good points here. Not only does Genesis sound like a pipe dream, it IS a pipe dream. Trust me, much of the time while I developed the game I thought: “This is crazy, it’s never going to work…it’s way too ambitious.” But for some reason something drove me on. And eventually I created something that…while not a playable game yet…is a fairly developed engine. And people started to care about it! And I started receieving a ton of support, in services offered, hosting, etc. For all I know, the product could still end up as vaporware like so many have before it, but I think if it can continue to catch the public’s eye, and their helping hand, it could succeed! Time will tell I guess….
Gavin,
reguardless, thank you for attempting to create something new and interesting - don’t let my cynicism get you down. All the best of luck to you, and i’ll be waiting and watching to see what you come up with.
Good luck!