Eriadain: Happening, Or Not
Moa Dragon has posted an update to the Eriadain blog in which he discusses (briefly) the recently-released Bob White Plot documents, and muses (briefly) about what to keep and what to change from these.
Unless, of course, the project doesn’t progress…which, Moa warns, is a very real possibility. Eriadain is “currently at a stalemate,” he says, and is not likely to be finished if Moa Dragon has to work on it alone.
So here’s the challenge to all of you who lament the fact that Origin Systems was never able to release an Ultima game that used the Bob White Plot as its story: sign up and help make Eriadain!. Neverwinter Nights 2 is available on Steam for a modest price, and the toolset offers probably the best balance of ease-of-use and power available to modders today. Moa needs writers, world-builders, scripters, artists…and, above all else, people who really want to see an earlier version of the Ultima 9 plot become a reality.
If that’s you, good Dragon or Dragonette, make yourself known in the comments.
I think we often wonder if any of this is worth it or do we have time for it. I know I do. Doing a project alone, whatever the project, from scratch, is a huge endeavor and I admit sometimes I wonder if I shouldn’t have simply joined a project using NWN2 or the Oblivion engine. Or offered help to Sanctimonia on his huge project.
I wish I could help all of these projects and I probably should, but there is something about doing it alone, however long it takes, and seeing it grow and become “alive”.
Potentially, later on, when my project dies out because it just does like so many others, or when I finish it, I will join a team and say let’s do it. For now, Moa, keep the dream alive and work on it as you can. A slow paced project is better than no project at all.
I’d love to help, but I’m already knee deep in projects both fan and IRL. I’m also not very familiar with the NWN toolsetsand my writing pace is usually very slow.
I’ve toyed with the idea of helping out with many of the projects covered by this fantastic site, and I haven’t. I started playing U9 again the other day and I’m not sure why. There’s something about the off-line Ultima series that I loved that I feel was/is missing from UO and everything I’ve played since. I’m not sure exactly what.. but I find myself wanting to revisit that world periodically. I feel like every once in a while I’m strangely summoned to walk out to find a circle of stones and step into a moongate.
I’ll help out.
This is probably the longest waited, and one of my favorite remakes around. My advice is,
Use this engine and don’t change it. Even if it takes 15-20 years to make. Don’t change it. Don’t worry how long it takes, we’ll still play it in our 50’s-60’s.
Eriadain is one of the original remakes, if memory serves.
Though hopefully, if it’s going to be completed, it will be completed in less than two decades. 😉
You should offer to help out…you could help me build terrain and cities, for example! Working on projects such as these is not always easy, but it is often fun, and gives one excellent insight into what game development is really like.
I’ll think about it. It is rewarding working on these projects. But the same thing I told the guy doing the savage empire remake. I’m not going to work on it unless I’m serious.
I was on the Enilno team waaaaaay back in the day. I’m aware of what goes on behind the scenes, it’s a lot of work, and the most frustrating part is when people -say- they’ll do something and aren’t going to back it up.
Currently I’m a developer for u6o. I like how it’s already a completed game and I can go at my own pace to fill in the nooks and crannies. Also, no one is counting on me to even work on it. So no one can be upset when I don’t do something, or I take time off from it.
I’ll consider it though. And if I’m serious I’ll throw in a hand. It’s definitely a worthy project and a very rewarding experience.
Eriadain is THE first remake at least of U9. I’ve read it announced and canceled too often and got too excited and dishearted too often. I’m no longer getting excited by announcements of it returning with engine X nor am I surprised to see an anouncement like this anymore.
And yes, I could offer to help but I wouldn’t be able to really finish anything, so I better don’t 😉
Thanks for the support everyone. I guess I will update the website later this week for those who feel like contributing. This needed to be said, and I can only thank WTF for the publicity. *bows*