Hi guys,
Can you guys help point out some possible areas to improve or give some suggestions? Should I keep the parts about it failing in the end or remove those?
Thanks!
The prompt: Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
Scandux Online was my most successful failure. It was a failure because it died after six months, only to be later revived in brief spurts due to demand from sentimental fans. It was a success, though, not only for its popularity, but also for the invaluable lessons it taught me.
In the summer after seventh grade, I began developing a new online multiplayer game called Scandux Online. I had adopted the project from another programmer who was too frustrated with all the bugs in the fledgling game. At this point, it had about two maps, ten items, and one enemy monster - a chicken. After spending a few weeks working out most of the bugs, I published the work-in-progress on the YoYo Games community. As I pumped out new updates almost every day, more and more players joined. By the end, Scandux had almost 30 maps, including different worlds such as the grasslands, caverns, jungles, and so on; 100 different items and equipment; 20 monsters, including bosses such as a giant dragon, and tons of other features including crafting, pvp (player vs. player combat), shops, and minigames. As popularity increased, people eagerly offered to help me develop the game. To best coordinate and communicate with these helpers and the dedicated players, I started a community forum. This forum had more than 500 members and 15,000 total posts. Although I only needed a few programmers to help develop Scandux, I needed lots of graphics artists to help create the sprites (game graphics). So I started a sprite-requesting system. Submitted designs that were used in the game would earn the artist "points," which ranked their contribution in the game's credits. Dozens of artists flocked to share their spriting skills. The request topic itself had over 600 submissions.
Scandux had over 7000 registered players and over 140,000 total logins. Fans created all sorts of Scandux-promoting content - Wikis, YouTube videos, and even a periodic magazine. To the best of my knowledge, it was the most-played Gamemaker online multiplayer game at its time. Unfortunately, this popularity did not last and as Scandux Online was nearing its death, another programmer bought the game. He was, however, not able to keep Scandux going.
Scandux taught me to not give out power too easily. Suddenly, exactly when Scandux was at its peak popularity, some of my administrators began flaming Scandux for its glitches, inconsistent graphics, and lag. Only later did I find out that they formed a group to develop a Scandux Online 2 (which was never finished). Giving out power too easily to others was one of the most important factors that led to the demise of Scandux.
Despite this, the game itself still had underlying problems in its design that led to the downfall. I learned that a good foundation is necessary for a game to last. I need to work and rework a mostly glitch-free solid base designed to "fit" future features. Fixing a bug in the foundation later is much more difficult.
I think the most important lesson I learned from Scandux was that the attainment of reputation is just as strong a motivator as any monetary or material reward. Graphics artists happily offered their expertise in exchange for nothing more than credit. By volunteering to create graphics, an artist would gain reputation and respect if a game became popular. Then again, others were motivated simply by the opportunity to share their skills and help out others.
These lessons are valuable assets for my future endeavors. As the famous quote by Henry Ford goes, "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."
(An MMORPG is a massively multiplayer online role playing game, which is a type of online multiplayer game.)
Can you guys help point out some possible areas to improve or give some suggestions? Should I keep the parts about it failing in the end or remove those?
Thanks!
The prompt: Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
Scandux Online was my most successful failure. It was a failure because it died after six months, only to be later revived in brief spurts due to demand from sentimental fans. It was a success, though, not only for its popularity, but also for the invaluable lessons it taught me.
In the summer after seventh grade, I began developing a new online multiplayer game called Scandux Online. I had adopted the project from another programmer who was too frustrated with all the bugs in the fledgling game. At this point, it had about two maps, ten items, and one enemy monster - a chicken. After spending a few weeks working out most of the bugs, I published the work-in-progress on the YoYo Games community. As I pumped out new updates almost every day, more and more players joined. By the end, Scandux had almost 30 maps, including different worlds such as the grasslands, caverns, jungles, and so on; 100 different items and equipment; 20 monsters, including bosses such as a giant dragon, and tons of other features including crafting, pvp (player vs. player combat), shops, and minigames. As popularity increased, people eagerly offered to help me develop the game. To best coordinate and communicate with these helpers and the dedicated players, I started a community forum. This forum had more than 500 members and 15,000 total posts. Although I only needed a few programmers to help develop Scandux, I needed lots of graphics artists to help create the sprites (game graphics). So I started a sprite-requesting system. Submitted designs that were used in the game would earn the artist "points," which ranked their contribution in the game's credits. Dozens of artists flocked to share their spriting skills. The request topic itself had over 600 submissions.
Scandux had over 7000 registered players and over 140,000 total logins. Fans created all sorts of Scandux-promoting content - Wikis, YouTube videos, and even a periodic magazine. To the best of my knowledge, it was the most-played Gamemaker online multiplayer game at its time. Unfortunately, this popularity did not last and as Scandux Online was nearing its death, another programmer bought the game. He was, however, not able to keep Scandux going.
Scandux taught me to not give out power too easily. Suddenly, exactly when Scandux was at its peak popularity, some of my administrators began flaming Scandux for its glitches, inconsistent graphics, and lag. Only later did I find out that they formed a group to develop a Scandux Online 2 (which was never finished). Giving out power too easily to others was one of the most important factors that led to the demise of Scandux.
Despite this, the game itself still had underlying problems in its design that led to the downfall. I learned that a good foundation is necessary for a game to last. I need to work and rework a mostly glitch-free solid base designed to "fit" future features. Fixing a bug in the foundation later is much more difficult.
I think the most important lesson I learned from Scandux was that the attainment of reputation is just as strong a motivator as any monetary or material reward. Graphics artists happily offered their expertise in exchange for nothing more than credit. By volunteering to create graphics, an artist would gain reputation and respect if a game became popular. Then again, others were motivated simply by the opportunity to share their skills and help out others.
These lessons are valuable assets for my future endeavors. As the famous quote by Henry Ford goes, "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."
(An MMORPG is a massively multiplayer online role playing game, which is a type of online multiplayer game.)