I am sure that all of us love this game. But some people want to know more about the creation and development; how did this game become what it is? I am definitely one of those people.
Being a game fiend, I have played many board games and I have even attempted to create one as well. I have heard that this game started off as a board game similar to dungeon and dragons but that the players had more fun attacking each other rather than work cooperatively.
What was your motivation for creating the board game and why did you decide to make it into an online game?
Also, I am curious to know more about what the game was like as a board game and the differences involved with what it has become, and how the game has changed and the difficulties that you have had to overcome. What has the 'tweaking' process been like?
I would also like to know if you have an overall vision for Hero Mages and what it might be. Is it a game intended for fun and exciting quick battles, or do you eventually want to turn it into a game that has many different levels of strategy to it?
Thanks and best wishes for the future!
Thanks so much for your interest! Here are your answers:
Quote from: AdolfTickler on November 18, 2009, 05:16:57 PM MT
What was your motivation for creating the board game [?]
The goal was to create a dungeon crawl board game for my friends and me to play. As I delved further into the project and realized what I could achieve, other factors pushed me to move forward, but the main motivation has always been the creative challenge of the design process and the satisfaction of sharing my creation with others. The fantasy dungeon crawl in particular allures me- I’m fascinated with the diverse characters and creatures, and I enjoy the challenge of maximizing the potential of their strengths and weaknesses.
Quote from: AdolfTickler on November 18, 2009, 05:16:57 PM MT
I am curious to know more about what the game was like as a board game and the differences involved with what it has become, and how the game has changed and the difficulties that you have had to overcome. What has the 'tweaking' process been like?
The original board game could be played as a cooperative or competitive dungeon crawl. Players traversed through a massive 3D dungeon board and fought through rooms of monsters to secure treasure and escape.
I wanted the game to be simple, quick-to-play, and diverse, but the original board game was anything but. I probably should have known from the beginning that a roster of over 40 heroes and 100 different monsters wasn’t going to yield a simple game. You’d think that with so many different units you’d end up pretty diverse, right? Wrong! The reality was a ton of units with slightly altered stats and very similar abilities. Quick-to-play? Pah! The first play test with Baker took over 3 hours with at least 25 minutes dedicated to battling a near-indestructible water elemental. As I recall, we never actually defeated it.
So, it was back to the drawing board…many, many times! With each version I’d come up with some breakthrough to push the design closer in the right direction. Most games typically have a dice roll to hit, a roll to defend, and sometimes a roll to save, so the first triumph was the combat system. Using the twenty sided dice eliminated the need for multiple dice rolls and table lookups, which sped up the game play considerably. The next major step was narrowing down the character selection to the most core and distinctive characters. Finally, I came up with the shared deck concept for the spells, which really pulled the game together. As everyone was enjoying the competitive aspect so much, I removed the monsters and transformed it into a pure party vs. party game.
Quote from: AdolfTickler on November 18, 2009, 05:16:57 PM MT
[W]hy did you decide to make it into an online game?
My friend Torsten inspired me to create the online version. Despite the daunting challenges of building a computer game without prior game development experience, I was intrigued and began concurrently programming the engine as I was finishing the board game prototype. The board game received a dazzling professional review, but unfortunately lacked the necessary components for licensing. At this point, I weighed the options of self-publishing a board game vs. developing the computer version. Due to costs and potential audience, I decided to make Hero Mages into an online game instead.
Quote from: AdolfTickler on November 18, 2009, 05:16:57 PM MTI would also like to know if you have an overall vision for Hero Mages and what it might be. Is it a game intended for fun and exciting quick battles, or do you eventually want to turn it into a game that has many different levels of strategy to it?
Hero Mages is just the beginning of what D20Studios plans to create as a new genre of fun and accessible strategy/RPG games. As our community and demand increases, you can expect a series of expansions including new characters, spells, and features for our existing multiplayer. We are also designing a single-player/cooperative game mode that will allow players the opportunity to pit their wit against the hazards and denizens of the dungeon. After that, the possibilities are endless. As an independent company, we have the freedom to follow our visions and deliver the content our fans want. Let us know what you’d like to see next!
Sorry Ross, but it is way to hard to figure out how to ask you a question. I'm having problems with getting my minitore. i've gone to the link, signed up, was verified through email, but was not given a key or password. what do i do now. i also forgot my username and password:( Also are you going to be at Gencon this year.
No worries - that's why the forum's here! Please try to keep your posts on appropriate topics, though, for fastest response.
The Minotaur code is handled on BBGSite. Once you're logged in with your BBGSite account, goto https://contest.bbgsite.com/giveaway/hero_mages/ and click on the redeem key. All you have to do is provide a rating score for Hero Mages and the key should appear on the page. Also, feel free to post a comment on our page at https://gamelist.bbgsite.com/goto/hero_mages.shtml.
Yes, we will be at GenCon this year: https://heromages.com/forums/index.php?topic=248.msg1243#msg1243