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Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 00:27 SGT
Posted By: Gilbert

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Ghosts of Games Past

Dug through my personal subfolders today, and found the remnants of some projects that have faded away as vaporware. The bones of more such potentials, crushed beneath the heartless wheel of the development cycle, surely lie deeper beneath the surface; But for today, let us inspect the remains of two that showed so much promise - in fact, the first one was actually completed!


Misleading, we all went Uni

Presenting FourOPoly, totally no relation to Monopoly. Except the properties. And the Chance cards. And the Public Utilities. And the Jail. But hey, it has Class Events instead of the Community Chest, and a Free Toilet (so important in this day and age for a First World society!) instead of Free Parking (for reasons of realism), and more squares than Monopoly to adequately tribute my old classmates!

Would have forgotten all about it after a quarter-baked effort to implement an online version, together with all the in-jokes, had Law not mentioned Settlers Cafe and board games. I really should self-finance a few copies of FourOPoly and donate them to the Settlers and Mind Cafes one of these days. After I raise a few millions bucks for a legal defense against Hasbro.

One innovation was the use of dice rolls to decide Chance and Class Event outcomes, which prevents the loss of cards, and more importantly saved me from printing them out back in JC. Stuff like "Caught playing cards. Go do CS" sure brings back memories :) I vaguely recall preparing for a FourOPoly II: Top of Ivory Tower expansion back then, with a vertical tower on top of the Free Toilet square. Wonder if that qualifies to sufficiently differentiate it from Monopoly, like the Late for the Sky variants.

One trial run back in JC suggested that the property prices and rents needed some balancing, but I guess we'll never know how it would have turned out, now.

Another never-completed project was Sents vs Skuge, a text-based MMORPG set in the DotA universe - which reminds me, it is possible to connect to SG games from Taiwanese airports and Caltech, as proven by csq :P


Crude concept art for login


SvS GUI

I was programming this on my days home from fulfilling my NS disruption-resumption dues last May-June (that's what NS life can do to you), after I completed my 4O Dice game. Lost interest abruptly after ORDing, and the November crash of my computer nearly wiped out the in-game graphics. Won't be continuing development anytime soon...

Some poems were prepared to introduce the chosen heroes, including many hints on their abilities and characteristics - DotA players, this shouldn't be hard :P

(Some names and titles removed to avoid making it even more blatantly obvious than it already is)

An Elvish knight of a human House,
[Name] bows to no lord or Crown.
Only by Paladine shall he be judged,
One of God's chosen, high in regard,
Whose honour is ever his to guard.



Skeletal warrior of unholy might,
Smites with Grond all good in sight.
His bleeding blade, life doth drain,
His restless soul no death dare claim,
While magic yet flows in unseen veins.



Leader of a scattered centaur tribe,
He suffers not a patronizing jibe.
Half stallion and half son of Adam,
And all muscle in a two-ton frame,
Containing a heart so brightly aflame.



No mere zombie, this immense hulk,
Rotting flesh sewn into a single bulk.
With a stench to repulse,
And a meathook to announce,
Fresh meat for the [Title] to take out.



The Perfect Blade, Unwavering Hand,
Best swordsmaster in all known lands.
Like a biting storm in his rages,
This Orc heals even as war he wages,
Against the fools who duel him unaided.



Pariah warden, lone child of Night,
A shadow's whisper removed from sight.
Poisoned dagger eased into the back,
The [Title] appears, viciously hacks,
Coup de Grace! Another's in the bag.



[Race] huntress of a righteous calling,
Arrows hit harder under her bidding.
Say nothing against the wily [Title],
Her icy shafts know no strangers,
Even as one suffices for the lesser.



Elite Marksman, cruelly laid low,
Only dry bones left to pluck his bow.
A foreboding breeze in times of need,
Upon his followers a pact to feed,
The living fire that fuels his deeds.



Casting infernoes for food and fun,
[Name]'s hot in more ways than one.
Arrayed in light, dragon-served,
She slays those who richly deserve,
A Laguna from Mistress [Name2].



Warlock by great Demons so prized,
Three tools to take a mortal's life.
A simple curse to turn to sheep,
Wicked spikes, that the brave may weep,
Finally the Finger, to send down deep.



Sayer long gone, whose spirit remains,
To all who breathe, a dreadful bane.
The cultist speaketh to those who wake,
What Death once gave, He will unmake,
Under bats and specters, All will break.

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Next: Child of Stars


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2 comments

csq said...
tink u spelt drow ranger name wrongly


June 28, 2007 - 13:28 SGT     
gilbert said...
http://www.dota-allstars.com/heroes


June 28, 2007 - 17:27 SGT     

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