Developers Corner

Good evening, ladies and gents. Most of you may not even remember me; I haven't been here for about a year. So! For those that know me, "Hi again!" and for those that don't, I'm going to tell a brief story.

2 years ago, I started the design work for an MMO project, originally titled "The Nexus Project". Since I knew I lacked the skills and resources for a full-fledged MMO, this was being designed as a 2d isometric game. 6 months later, I started looking for a team (the was December 2006).

I got the same line most of you do; telling me that I could never succeed, I was doomed to fail, start off making Pong, etc, etc. But, I kept pushing. We signed on some concept artists, which were great, we had some basic sprite work done and were designing little 2d maps.

Then, something unexpected happened. The project, now titled "X-Shift", began catching more and more attention. Modelers and animators started getting interested. The next thing I knew, X-Shift exploded into a full-blown, 3d vision of the future!

I became inspired, and my inspiration inspired others, and it snowballed from there. That was 1 year ago. We are now actively seeking investors, and have a demo in the works. All of the innovation, set to transcend the original 2d design is still there, but now, X-Shift is larger than I ever expected it to be.

Our team is working on creating the characters, as well as the city, which is planned to be about 15 miles across and have nearly 10,000 buildings (which you can enter), a full sewer system beneath and a wilderness area to the north. Its also planned to be a single instance world, which means EVERY player, plays together. This also means we can have an ongoing storyline that truly is set in motion by the players!

To add to this, there was talk of a big promotion for me at my graphic design job. And! I met the woman of my dreams on New Years Eve. I even later proposed to her under the full lunar eclipse (I'm such a romantic).

Ah yes, life was good... yes, I said "was". ...and then, things went to hell. I won't go into the details of why (since its not really relevant), but our relationship started falling apart. In all the stress, my performance at work started to slip.

Two months ago, I was fired from my job. That night, my girlfriend broke up with me (apparently she couldn't take the stress either). I cashed out my 401k to keep up with my bills, but now that's gone as well.

Tomorrow, I'll be getting my eviction notice, and I don't know how long until my internet and electricity get shut off (a matter of days, I suspect). The guy that was offering us "seed" money to keep the lights on just found out that the two companies he worked for were sold, and so now he's no longer able to invest.

My team is at their breaking point. They're overworked and understaffed. And, despite the latest and greatest update in our demo, news of my being forced to leave is shaking the team apart.

So what's the point of all this? We need community support.

Check out our site http://www.xshiftonline.com Check out the screenshots, listen to the music, and join the forums. Read about our visions for the game and, even if you can't donate to the project, just let the team know that they haven't been working this hard for the last year for nothing.

These are, without question, some of the most amazing people I have ever had the pleasure to work with. And X-Shift is the greatest vision I've ever had. We need you.

And here, to show you what we're capable of...




Thanks.

And no replies... I'm touched.

Well, apparently our little project has stirred up notice in several other communities. We've just signed on some new programmers and we're looking at implementing a new AI technology into the engine. We also have a team looking to X-Shift to utilize their new world editor for real world testing.

Make no mistake; X-Shift is the future of online gaming. We, ourselves, have come from the gaming community, and we still need its support to finish what we've started. Tell us what you think. If you like what you see and hear, your comments will inspire others to look and listen. We've all wanted something new to come from the ashes of rehashed concepts; here's your best chance to see it actually happen.

We're still looking for animators! Know anyone?

Good luck mate!

I'm not really sure of what kind of response you're looking for.  I seriously doubt you'll find an outpouring of financial donations if that's it.

The screens look interesting, but nothing revolutionary.  I like what I'm hearing about being able to enter 10,000 different buildings, but I'll have to see it to believe it.  I really have no idea what the premise of your game is or what it's all about.

When you get further along in development, I'll check it out.

p.s., sorry to hear about all the problems.  When it rains it pours, but it's always darkest before the dawn. 

The music on your website page rocks. Good luck m8

Thanks guys. And to give you a better idea as to the premise of the game, I'll paste a bit of explanation I gave on the IGDA boards.

Want to form your own corporation, or religion? Mass produce a new robot for market, specifically designed and programmed by you? Or make your living as a blackmarket surgeon (because yes, people at the hospital ask too many questions)?

Target that cybernetic eye implant on your opponent in combat to even the odds. Form a band and become a rock star. Join or manage your own team in the deadly new past-time sport, Fuse, and go for the world championship.

Our systems, content and gameplay are all being designed specifically from scratch for this new genre.

Wow.. reading this just made me feel a lot better about my life.

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

Good luck with your life, mate.

Heh, thanks. I choose escapism.

If the world doesn't understand you, create one that does.

Hey

Sorry to hear about the problems, it sounds really serious and not fun : (

But think about this: You have gone further the 99.99% of all other people that dreams about becomming a MMO developer.

And you know you have to fall a hundred times before you are are a knight! So dont give up, you have come to far. Soon it will be back on the right track.

Ohh, the screens do look amazing. I dare others to show there own screens from their MMOs if they dont like these.