Forge: Loom Sequel in production

Da_Duke2000 · 10-25-2009, 08:27 PM

Update: Janury 15th, 2011 - Happy New Year

Well, Happy New Year to everyone here on the forums, registered or not. Its been a while since we've had a formal Update here on the board, so I thought it was time to do so. (That, and one of our members was scared we've stopped working!).

True, progress has been slow in this last 8 weeks. Our lead scripter is busy with his studies, and I recently began new work in mid-November which has dedicated a lot of my focus. Not to mention, Christmas!

But, lets talk FORGE for a bit.

In the last two weeks we've had remarkable outreach from the public, and from old contributors. We've got 5 wonderful new audio tracks, and contacted our artist for THREE more lovely backgrounds for Chapter 2. We've had offers for plot and puzzle help, (You know who you are ), and even an offer for sound effects! Offers for translations are coming in, and while that's a long time away its wonderful to see the support from the public.

On the topic of Donations, the Donations we've received from those on the list have been so tremendously appreciated i truly have no words. The first two Chapter 2 backgrounds were all but entirely paid for by those donations ($160 is what was charged, for the two) and the next three will be in the area of $240. We still have $87 in Donation funds available, it will be insufficient to cover the costs of all three, but I have faith that between now and the completion of the backgrounds, we will see more donations come in.

In the spirit of not sounding preachy, I want to remind everyone here that all of Chapter 1 (And its 13 backgrounds, AND portraits, AND sprites) were all paid for without the help of donations. So be assured, as much as your donations are a cherished gesture to the success of FORGE, the team will ensure its completion one way or another.

Here is to a great 2011!

Update: September 15, 2010:
-We have enabled our Donations page.

Update: September 4th, 2010:
-We have just finished our twelfth full color background, which is entirely whats needed for Chapter 1 to be considered complete.
-New full time spriter joined our team in August, bringing our backgrounds to life.
-Full size printable poster (of our box art) will be available in a few weeks, just finishing touches now.
-To ensure the fanbase stays excited and remains hopeful, we will most likely be launching a formal release of Chapter 1, upon completion.
-While art and scripting are in progress, side additions are being worked on. Such as a companion Book of Schematics, and even perhaps a companion Audio Drama.

-

Myself and a team have been working on a LOOM Sequel entitled FORGE. It will be following Rusty and his journey to rescue his father, free the Forge, and unite the Guilds of the world.

This project is in Active development, and I not want to this project to come across as flaky or tentative. Our forum is setup here:
http://forge.freeiz.com/
(New URL, April 1, 2010)

Its being scripted in AGS, and we've got a solid team thus far. Though additional background artists would definitely be welcome. Anyways, please stop by, post here, or MSN/Email me directly at Da_Duke2000@hotmail.com if you're curious about the project.

Thanks for reading.

~Duke Davidson

PS: One of the subforums is password protected for members.
PS2: An important detail. This will be a Freeware game. No profits of any kind will be generated.

Nickelstein · 10-26-2009, 06:43 AM

What......

Giant Graffiti · 10-26-2009, 10:17 AM

What do you mean "what"?

Valkian · 10-26-2009, 11:50 AM

I think he is in awe that such undertaking is being pursued by actual real people.

Are there any screenshots or some other visual material we can see?

Da_Duke2000 · 10-26-2009, 11:04 PM

Definitely. Check the forum link and hop into the Melting Pot subforum. We have links to character designs, GUI design, and one of our background shots. But, to make things a little easier for this topic, here are two links:

Panorama:
http://oeo.la/aOzVC

Rusty's GUI in Action:
http://oeo.la/aOAQC

More is available (including a live demo of the GUI's operation) in the members section.

Valkian · 10-26-2009, 11:43 PM

Hey, that looks pretty good. Do you need a writer or say... creative consultant?

Da_Duke2000 · 10-26-2009, 11:51 PM

Email me, or MSN me at the above address. I'd be happy to hear from you or anyone interested in becoming a part of the project. From donating ideas, to artistic/musical contributions. We have the first chapter completely storyboarded, but if you have some creative thoughts, please feel free to come on by.

Da_Duke2000 · 12-22-2009, 03:22 AM

Just an update, we should have 5 Backgrounds total completed in the next three weeks. A few of our spriters have been dedicating their time to their schooling recently, so the character/element sprites are a little behind as well. Anyone wanting to help with artistic skill can feel free to contact me. Otherwise we'll get along just fine, albeit a slower pace.

But, we have re-hauled our GUI system and if anyone's curious they can email me or visit the forum link and request the direct download.

neon_git · 12-22-2009, 04:42 PM

Oh man, I hadn't spotted this thread before. Loom is probably my second favourite game ever after Grim Fandango - I'm pleased to see a fan sequel in the works. I'd love to get involved, but I don't have much free time these days. Best of luck to you though

Da_Duke2000 · 04-01-2010, 04:23 PM

Here it is! Demo launch day. Thanks to everyone for their efforts in the release of this Tech Demo.

The Demo will Start with a Loom recap and then move into some Forge Screen shots. To replay the preview, you can do so from the Tapestry Selection. To learn about the new GUI, use the Tutorial. And to play with the GUI freehand, enter the Mini Game section.

New Website and Forum is here:
Quill O' The Wisp - Forge Homepage

Thanks everyone.

Eduardo · 04-02-2010, 09:53 AM

Well, that was interesting, the preview looks nice, and the interface is a nice idea (although I see future cursing when I miss a line by an inch...

)

Da_Duke2000 · 04-02-2010, 03:10 PM

Its much easier at full screen

.

I appreciate your feedback.

Da_Duke2000 · 09-04-2010, 01:32 PM

Update: September 4th, 2010:
-We have just finished our twelfth full color background, which is entirely whats needed for Chapter 1 to be considered complete.
-New full time spriter joined our team in August, bringing our backgrounds to life.
-Full size printable poster (of our box art) will be available in a few weeks, just finishing touches now.
-To ensure the fanbase stays excited and remains hopeful, we will most likely be launching a formal release of Chapter 1, upon completion.
-While art and scripting are in progress, side additions are being worked on. Such as a companion Book of Schematics, and even perhaps a companion Audio Drama.

LeChuck Norris · 09-07-2010, 12:33 AM

This project is just amazing!

Congratulations to all who makes this happen!

{snip} *

I understand this image was released before time? If there is any issue with this deletion, please don't hesitate to contact me - Darth333

Da_Duke2000 · 09-15-2010, 10:52 PM

Thanks for your kind words LeChuck Norris! Here is a good way to help too.

Update: September 15, 2010:
-We have enabled our Donations page. Take a look

.

V. Melkalis · 09-19-2010, 04:59 PM

Frankly, I find it a bit insulting to carry on Loom's heritrage on a sequel, be it fan made or not. It is true Brian Moriarty envisioned the possibility for such projects to happen, but in the end I don't think I would be able to stomach them for what they would make to the original game.

One of the things that made Loom so great was the game's somewhat catastrophic open end. It showed us that while there's always a chance to achieve redemption, some errors cannot simply be undone by magic. Add anything else that may oppose that notion, and it will quickly turn into another "fight against darkness" piece of generic fantasy, which is opposite to the premise of the original game that actually tells us that Chaos itself cannot be stopped or defeated at all, as it is the background that sustains the entire universe.

Da_Duke2000 · 09-20-2010, 01:34 AM

Thanks for you comments V. Melkalis, your point of view is appreciated. You're actually the first person (in the time we've spent making the project) that has voiced such a concern. But, I can appreciate your point of view.

Loom's ending was cataclysmic, absolutely, The possibility for the end of the world effectively. Still, I find it hard to imagine that it was Brian Moriarty's intention to have the Theme of LOOM as a parable of an inescapable apocalypse.

The Teams perspective of LOOM, is simply that the story of FORGE and FOLD deserve to be told. It is known that sequels we're planned, and it's easy to assume based on that, the ending of LOOM was only part of a global story arc. While a cliffhanger ending could be likened to a Greek tragedy where the cataclysm is a lifes-sesson in disguise, we prefer to see it at face value; An unfinished story, that a small group of loyal fans want to see come alive and end properly.

Think of it as visual fanfiction if it helps you.

. Everyone loves fan-fiction.

V. Melkalis · 09-26-2010, 06:08 PM

Speak for yourself. I hate fanfiction. Having the freedom to do something doesn't mean that you should always do it.

Haggis · 09-27-2010, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V. Melkalis

Speak for yourself. I hate fanfiction. Having the freedom to do something doesn't mean that you should always do it.

So, you have the freedom to read fan fiction, but that doesn't mean you have to read it. Of course you may not like fan fiction, but there are those who do enjoy it, and I can see people enjoying a fan game, even if not everyone would. If you do like it, great, if you don't like it, just stick to the original, and nobody comes to harm.

Scummbuddy · 10-01-2010, 07:38 PM

Not to be a jerk or to throw fuel on the fire, but this thread was most fitting for this somewhat recent event.

Brian Moriarty was at PAX East this past March 2010 and after a discussion of Interactive Fiction, for which he was on the panel of, I asked him if he could write a blurb that said "Forge and Fold COMING SOON!!". He looked at me, chuckled a bit, and then wrote the following:

I was first to ask questions after the panel, but to be nice, I asked a dumb quick question to the guy running the panel, and really wanted to ask the group on the panel about any company rivalry stories back in the heyday. As I tried to ask that more fun question the guy running the panel told me "One question, thank you!" and moved on. And he was a bit of a jerk about it. Blech.

So I stayed after to get Brian to sign that above. I hate that I only had lined paper for it. I felt so juvenile. But the signature is now sitting in my "Classic Adventure" LucasArts game box on my shelf. Sweet.

Da_Duke2000 · 10-02-2010, 02:23 PM

That makes me smile to see, and congrats for getting the chance to meet him and ask a question like that.

This makes me curious about a topic posted on GameFaqs a while back, 3 months earlier:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/564920-loom/52730578

Seems like that either may have been hot air, wishful thinking, or perhaps it took less than 3 months for the students project to fizzle. Or, they're keeping it under tight wraps. In any case, thanks for the picture!

Would it be ok if we maybe used that picture, in the future?

Scummbuddy · 10-02-2010, 06:12 PM

You can use that note for all your Loom needs.

And yes, that link you posted is interesting as some of his students were there in the audience. Perhaps he/they would have said more if I was able to say something in front of the whole audience...

Zum · 10-05-2010, 09:28 PM

I've tried the game and it's plain awesome, but I'm hoping Bobbin makes its appearence here as in Forge he should have guided Rusty through the game!

Da_Duke2000 · 01-15-2011, 11:29 PM

Update: January 15th, 2011 - Happy New Year

Well, Happy New Year to everyone here on the forums, registered or not. Its been a while since we've had a formal Update here on the board, so I thought it was time to do so. (That, and one of our members was scared we've stopped working!).

True, progress has been slow in this last 8 weeks. Our lead scripter is busy with his studies, and I recently began new work in mid-November which has dedicated a lot of my focus. Not to mention, Christmas!

But, lets talk FORGE for a bit.

In the last two weeks we've had remarkable outreach from the public, and from old contributors. We've got 5 wonderful new audio tracks, and contacted our artist for THREE more lovely backgrounds for Chapter 2. We've had offers for plot and puzzle help, (You know who you are ), and even an offer for sound effects! Offers for translations are coming in, and while that's a long time away its wonderful to see the support from the public.

On the topic of Donations, the Donations we've received from those on the list have been so tremendously appreciated i truly have no words. The first two Chapter 2 backgrounds were all but entirely paid for by those donations ($160 is what was charged, for the two) and the next three will be in the area of $240. We still have $87 in Donation funds available, it will be insufficient to cover the costs of all three, but I have faith that between now and the completion of the backgrounds, we will see more donations come in.

In the spirit of not sounding preachy, I want to remind everyone here that all of Chapter 1 (And its 13 backgrounds, AND portraits, AND sprites) were all paid for without the help of donations. So be assured, as much as your donations are a cherished gesture to the success of FORGE, the team will ensure its completion one way or another.

Here is to a great 2011!

Ab1sso · 10-11-2011, 09:33 AM

Hi to all, I'm Abisso, Quill o'the Wisp co-founder, and currently the only stable member.

You can find important news regarding Forge here:

http://forge.freeiz.com/forum/index....pic,277.0.html

Please take the time to read, spread the word and try to help the project in any way you can.

Don't let Forge cool down. Forge must stay hot!

Thanks for reading,

Abisso