Reality's 5th

Started by DeviantGent, Wed 12/10/2005 22:17:30

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DeviantGent

So yeah. Reality on the Norm is fast approaching its 5th birthday. Quite a funky landmark, in my opinion. I'm hoping there's gonna be some new submissions to the site to commemorate this event.

My question however is this - how does the AGS community view RON? I'm relativly new to both communities (only been around for a year or so), but I can tell that RON hasn't been as active as it once was. I'm wondering why that is. Is it because the standard of fanmade adventures has left RON behind? Or is it some other reason?

I'm hoping this dry season doesn't cause RON to completly disappear. Its a unique concept that's showcased some very talented AGSer's (Grundislav, Dave Gilbert, Yahtzee) beginnings. It would be a shame for it to die due to lack of interest.
The Deviant Gent
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Chicky

Just you wait 'till Eric's 'Time out' ron game. THAT will liven things up for sure!  :D

Kweepa

As you know, there are a bunch of interesting looking RON games in production - Dave's Without a Prayer, Eric's Time Out, another Kittens from Creed, perhaps ElaineMc's The More Things Change, err...
Still waiting for Purity of the Surf II

MrColossal

I am definetly still working on my game, if I'll make the Feb. anniversary I dunno.

I told myself this is the final year I'll work on the game so it has to be out by the end of the year, not that that is a release date of any kind but it's been going on too long now... maybe I'll release something for the RELEASE SOMETHING! thingie...

I don't think RON will die since there's no reason to take it off the internet it will always be there waiting for someone to work on.

Eric
"This must be a good time to live in, since Eric bothers to stay here at all"-CJ also: ACHTUNG FRANZ!

SSH

#4
Not to mention my musical "BalaRONy":

What's the Story in BalaRONy, wouldn't you like to know?
What's the Story in BalaRONy, wouldn't you like to know?
Raising the dead, including himself, with Davy we should go... Ba La RON y
Or up to the Castle inventing with Van Ess, he's ever to naughty and ever so nefarious


Based on Balamory, of course  :=

12

Mr Flibble

I'd pay money to listen to it in a moderately sized venue.
Ah! There is no emoticon for what I'm feeling!

Janik

I've got a little RON entry planned too. I really like the series and the concept of it too, I hope it will last a while.
Play pen and paper D&D? Then try DM Genie - software for Dungeons and Dragons!

edmundito

I'm working on something... ¬¬

... involving RON. ¬¬

It's secret. ¬¬

And it's... erotic. ¬¬

Nah, it's not erotic. Just secret. ¬¬
The Tween Module now supports AGS 3.6.0!

magintz

The good thing about time out is Eric will finish it in about 10 years, and travel back in time to tomorrow and release it ^_^

I may attempt to make a RON gam for fun.

Also there is Steve McCrea's 3D I-Spy 4 game coming out in a while (guessing next year at least)
When I was a little kid we had a sand box. It was a quicksand box. I was an only child... eventually.

Dave Gilbert

#9
Nothing gives me more disappointment than to see the state RON is in right now.  Two years ago, when I was an admin for RON, I did everything in my power to try and generate publicity for the site.  I contacted various webzines and managed to get us a write-up on adventuregamers.com.  I posted on every game and adventure usenet group I could find, encouraging folks to check it out.  I came up with games and activities for folks in the RON community to partake in (polls, art contests, even a round-robin short story) in the hopes of generating enthusiasm, but nobody was very interested.  I kept this up for a year and a half, yet the number of released games dwindled and the overall quality dropped like a stone.  Eventually, even *I* had so much trouble maintaining my enthusiasm that I gave up my status as admin. 

I remember, back when RON was in its infancy (you know, a whole 4 years ago), folks would refer to RON as a "newbie training ground."  At the time, I didn't like the term as it implied that the games were amateurish.  But, in a way, it's very accurate.  RON games ARE a newbie training ground, but that doesn't mean they should be bad.  If anything, it should be an ideal place for new game-makers learn the lay of the land in terms of proper game making.  Look at "Treasures of RON," "III Spy", "Cabbages and Kings" - these games were written by three well-known members of this community (Grundislav, Creed, and Steve McCrea), but they were virtually unknown at the time of their release.

I wish I could come up with a clear-cut explanation as to why this happened.  RON had some great characters, a mythos that was slowly building, a large number of resources folks could use, and then pffff.  Nothing.  This community certainly has a steady stream of newbies coming in.  I wish there was a way to direct them towards RON and give it a try.

jetxl

Twice did I tried to make a game using RPG maker sprites and twice did did I stop working on the games because of the lack of creative freedom. I searched everwhere, but couldn't find the right sprites I wanted AND that had the same artistic style.

The same goes for RON, but in that case you also need to take the episode storyline in consideration (read: played and finished every RON game to date).

Kweepa

Quote from: jet on Sun 16/10/2005 15:13:48
The same goes for RON, but in that case you also need to take the episode storyline in consideration (read: played and finished every RON game to date).

That's a good point, although there are plot summaries, character bios, etc on the site. I don't think anyone is going to make a RON game without at least playing a couple of the games but there's no need to play them all...
Still waiting for Purity of the Surf II

DeviantGent

I see RON as a newbie training ground. And that's not a bad thing. You've got all the backgrounds, sprites and backstory you need to make a pretty decent game without straining for original inspiration. Had I dived in with one of my many planned projects (like I had done before with KNP) I would most likely had dived a slow painful death. As it is, my RON project has taught me pretty much everything about AGS I need.

However, when you've done an excellent RON game and got the confidence and skills you need, the temptation is to carry on with an original project. When that happens, you leave RON behind, and more often than not, you don't have time anymore to drop into the community. Pretty much all RON contributors are now members of the AGS forums, and they rarely pop into RON as regularly as they did.

But the place will always be around. It has no intention of just collapsing and dying overnight. As long as the site is still around, and at least one dude is around as an admin, they'll always be people willing to add to it.
The Deviant Gent
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AGA

There may be tons (50+ ?) of RoN games, but you can still play through them all in a day. Having to get to know the universe before creating your own game isn't much of an excuse...

edmundito

One Problem I've started to notice with the RON ga,es is that the old AGS windows engine goes crazy on my computer with my GeForce 6600 GT. Sometimes I get a black screen and I have to guess where to click... it's painful.  :'(
The Tween Module now supports AGS 3.6.0!

aussie

Quote from: Dave Gilbert on Sun 16/10/2005 14:50:07
I see RON as a newbie training ground. And that's not a bad thing. You've got all the backgrounds, sprites and backstory you need to make a pretty decent game without straining for original inspiration.

That's exactly what I always thought RON was.

Quote from: Dave Gilbert on Sun 16/10/2005 14:50:07
Nothing.Ã,  This community certainly has a steady stream of newbies coming in.Ã,  I wish there was a way to direct them towards RON and give it a try.

Funny, sometimes I get PMed by newbies asking if I'm interested in making a game (I got PMed today, in fact). I always point out the RON website to them. And then I mention how it all started there for some of the better-known AGS game authors (like Dave Gilbert, Grundislav or Yatzhee).


I don't know, perhaps there should be a conscious push to make RON a bit more prominent in the AGS page. I've always found the whole wackiness of the RON concept attractive, and I'm sure a lot of newbies would. But I don't think new people joining this community even know about it.
It's not the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog.

http://www.freewebs.com/aussiesoft/

DeviantGent

True. The only way I discovered RON was through a link from 'Yahtzee Takes on the World', his old webcomic featuring Davy Jones from RON. Much more could be done to feature it more prominently on AGS, maybe suggesting it for New Makers.
The Deviant Gent
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Sam.

well, this thread spurred me into announcing my secretest project, ive been hiding it for a while, but feel free to go to GiP to check it out!
Bye bye thankyou I love you.

edmundito

Well, Ron turns 5 years old this friday the 17th. So, anyone releasing some goodies this month?

I'm looking on the direction of Time out, Mini RON, and Without a Prayer. It's about time they're released!  >:(
The Tween Module now supports AGS 3.6.0!

Pet Terry

Quote from: Edmundo on Sat 11/02/2006 22:13:05
I'm looking on the direction of Time out, Mini RON, and Without a Prayer. It's about time they're released!  >:(

And Cattus Migrus. :D

Let's see if the release of all those highly anticipated RotN games liven things up. Here's hoping! Personally, I love the idea of RotN but I have never got around finishing a RotN game yet. I have quite a few positive memories of playing RotN games in my days as a newbie.
<SSH> heavy pettering
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