Badstench
11-28-2011, 10:23 PM
The following is a re-creation of an interview with the Game Master conducted in 2009. New forum members may not be aware of it, so for your reading pleasure...
Good evening everyone.
We know you've been waiting for this moment, so no mucking around...
...Except to invite everyone to participate in lively discussions after the interview involving any matter you might hear tabled by...
THE GAMEMASTER!
************************************************** ********
1) Can you tell everyone, please; what was the exact date that Sryth went live on the worldwide web?
Sryth went live in a very limited form late in 2002, but was officially live sometime in June of 2003.
2) What content was available to play when the game first went live?
The very first content available in late 2002 was a small adventure that ended up with characters arriving at a small town on the western frontier of Tysa. When the game went officially live in 2003, the first content was the Village of Hawklor and the Caves of Westwold adventure.
3) Did you do any marketing for the game to attract participants within the first six months of it being presented?
I don’t believe there was any marketing done for the game that early. Primarily, it grew by word of mouth. Now that I think of it, though, I’m not sure how people found out about it at the start, unless it was via search engines.
4) What was your expectation for Player numbers after one year, and was this realized?
I wanted to see if the game would attract ten thousand registered players. I didn’t seriously think it would reach that number for a couple of years, but there were more than a thousand registered accounts within the first year, which was surprising to me.
5) Over the years, have you ever thought the endeavour of presenting the game was too much and you might stop doing it?
Before I began working on Sryth as a full time project, it was difficult balancing work, family and the game. I realized how much I enjoyed creating the game, though, and began to think how I could go about it as a full time effort.
6) Did you always plan to make a business out of the game?
I had originally set out to see if I could build an online, text-based role-playing game similar to the types of games I enjoyed playing. I realized fairly early on that, if I didn’t create a business out of Sryth, it would likely never grow beyond a small game.
7) The game has been a full-time endeavour for approximately two years. Was it a scary proposition to quit your previous job and the security of a regular pay check for the uncertainty of Sryth as a viable means to survive financially?
The short answer is, “Yes”. My wife (and No.1 co-conspirator) was fully supportive of it, which made the decision much easier than it might otherwise have been – but it was still a bit scary!
8) If any Players have aspirations of starting their own game with the idea of making “millions”, what is the first piece of advice you would give them?
The only advice I would ever give to anyone creating a game is that it’s always helpful to imagine the types of things you would like to see in a game if you were playing it. If you have fun creating it, and it’s the type of game you’d enjoy playing yourself, then chances are there are others who will also like it – at least, that’s the theory I subscribed to!
9) Various aspects of the game world (history, geography, politics, etc) are very detailed. This suggests that Sryth existed for much longer than when the game first appeared online. How long have you actually been living with Sryth in your head?
Sryth has actually been around in one form or another since about 1988. Yes, I said 1988! It began as a setting for a story I was writing, and later became the setting for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign I ran with friends.
10) Within the game mechanics and rules, there are obvious hints that you’ve been involved with role-playing games in the past. What games were they?
The only table-top RPG I played was Dungeons & Dragons, though I always enjoyed the “choose-your-own-adventure” style role-playing books. I played a few computer games (back in the days of the Commodore Amiga) and enjoyed titles like the “Bard’s Tale” series.
11) The story lines for the adventures in Sryth are very well written. Are you the sole writer of all the content presented?
Thank you! Yes, I am the only writer, although I get lots of great ideas from those I will call my co-conspirators.
12) Without naming names, do you run a character in the main game alongside other player characters?
I do have a character in the game, but he’s used mostly for testing and doesn’t appear on any of the top ranking lists.
13) Part of your job entails answering complaints/ queries/ suggestions/ bug reports, etc from Players. On average, how many times would you receive such correspondence over a week?
I probably receive 200+ emails/ reports per week. It can take quite a long time to go through them, so I usually try to do it in batches. With a large volume, it’s easy for things to get lost, mishandled, overlooked, etc, so if you’ve ever sent something that required a response and didn’t receive one, please send it again.
14) A lot of feedback/ complaints/ queries/ suggestions, etc concerning the game are aired between the Players via the forum. Do you scan the various boards and threads of the forum to learn how your customers are responding to the game?
I don’t visit the forum that often, but I would like to become more involved with it as time permits. I can’t begin to tell you how many Players have told me that the forums and wiki were invaluable to them as they got started playing.
15) Do you envisage the game of Sryth existing, say, five years from now?
Yes! I hope to be able to keep Sryth going for a long while to come. I’m sure the game will continue to evolve going forward. Many of Sryth’s additions and features have been suggested by Players and have really helped to round out the game.
16) Do you ever find it difficult coming up with the material to continually satisfy your customers?
Coming up with content and storylines has never been difficult, though turning them into adventures or series of adventures can be tricky. It always takes longer than I expect to turn an idea into a working, living part of the game.
17) And, without giving too much away, do you have a long-term plan in mind for the development of the game, whether by content, mechanics, presentation, etc?
I would like to simplify/ streamline both the presentation and the mechanics of the game going forward. This will likely entail a series of small changes over time rather than a large number of changes all at once. All of the newer game content uses the newer set of game mechanics, while some of the older adventures use some mechanics that are no longer in use.
18) We know you are creative and possess a great imagination, but did you need to learn anything concerning the business side of the operation before presenting the game online?
That aspect of it has been a “learn-as-you-go” process. I was fairly proficient with the technology side of things, but I’ve learned more than I really wanted to since the whole process began!
19) Hypothetically, if some big corporation knocked on your door and wanted to buy all the rights to the game for a seven figure sum, could we expect to be sending future emails to that corporation instead of you?
No! Emails would still come to the gamemaster, but the address might be different… say, gamemaster@beach.on.hawaii.com :)
20) And lastly, looking at the game as both a business and something you love doing, and weighing everything up against the pressures and responsibilities of everyday real life, would you say that you are satisfied with the way things have gone and are going?
I couldn’t be happier with how Sryth has gone thus far, and I have big plans and high hopes for the future. The greatest part of this for me is being able to create the game for such dedicated and supportive Players. The feedback, suggestions, complaints (there have been a few!) and praise I’ve received have shown me that Players care about their characters and the game. Having such thoughtful and dedicated Players has made it all worthwhile!
************************************************** *******
Gosh! Those last words are enough to bring a tear to your eye.
We'd like to take this opportunity to thank The Gamemaster.
Again, thankyou for tuning in.
Good evening everyone.
We know you've been waiting for this moment, so no mucking around...
...Except to invite everyone to participate in lively discussions after the interview involving any matter you might hear tabled by...
THE GAMEMASTER!
************************************************** ********
1) Can you tell everyone, please; what was the exact date that Sryth went live on the worldwide web?
Sryth went live in a very limited form late in 2002, but was officially live sometime in June of 2003.
2) What content was available to play when the game first went live?
The very first content available in late 2002 was a small adventure that ended up with characters arriving at a small town on the western frontier of Tysa. When the game went officially live in 2003, the first content was the Village of Hawklor and the Caves of Westwold adventure.
3) Did you do any marketing for the game to attract participants within the first six months of it being presented?
I don’t believe there was any marketing done for the game that early. Primarily, it grew by word of mouth. Now that I think of it, though, I’m not sure how people found out about it at the start, unless it was via search engines.
4) What was your expectation for Player numbers after one year, and was this realized?
I wanted to see if the game would attract ten thousand registered players. I didn’t seriously think it would reach that number for a couple of years, but there were more than a thousand registered accounts within the first year, which was surprising to me.
5) Over the years, have you ever thought the endeavour of presenting the game was too much and you might stop doing it?
Before I began working on Sryth as a full time project, it was difficult balancing work, family and the game. I realized how much I enjoyed creating the game, though, and began to think how I could go about it as a full time effort.
6) Did you always plan to make a business out of the game?
I had originally set out to see if I could build an online, text-based role-playing game similar to the types of games I enjoyed playing. I realized fairly early on that, if I didn’t create a business out of Sryth, it would likely never grow beyond a small game.
7) The game has been a full-time endeavour for approximately two years. Was it a scary proposition to quit your previous job and the security of a regular pay check for the uncertainty of Sryth as a viable means to survive financially?
The short answer is, “Yes”. My wife (and No.1 co-conspirator) was fully supportive of it, which made the decision much easier than it might otherwise have been – but it was still a bit scary!
8) If any Players have aspirations of starting their own game with the idea of making “millions”, what is the first piece of advice you would give them?
The only advice I would ever give to anyone creating a game is that it’s always helpful to imagine the types of things you would like to see in a game if you were playing it. If you have fun creating it, and it’s the type of game you’d enjoy playing yourself, then chances are there are others who will also like it – at least, that’s the theory I subscribed to!
9) Various aspects of the game world (history, geography, politics, etc) are very detailed. This suggests that Sryth existed for much longer than when the game first appeared online. How long have you actually been living with Sryth in your head?
Sryth has actually been around in one form or another since about 1988. Yes, I said 1988! It began as a setting for a story I was writing, and later became the setting for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign I ran with friends.
10) Within the game mechanics and rules, there are obvious hints that you’ve been involved with role-playing games in the past. What games were they?
The only table-top RPG I played was Dungeons & Dragons, though I always enjoyed the “choose-your-own-adventure” style role-playing books. I played a few computer games (back in the days of the Commodore Amiga) and enjoyed titles like the “Bard’s Tale” series.
11) The story lines for the adventures in Sryth are very well written. Are you the sole writer of all the content presented?
Thank you! Yes, I am the only writer, although I get lots of great ideas from those I will call my co-conspirators.
12) Without naming names, do you run a character in the main game alongside other player characters?
I do have a character in the game, but he’s used mostly for testing and doesn’t appear on any of the top ranking lists.
13) Part of your job entails answering complaints/ queries/ suggestions/ bug reports, etc from Players. On average, how many times would you receive such correspondence over a week?
I probably receive 200+ emails/ reports per week. It can take quite a long time to go through them, so I usually try to do it in batches. With a large volume, it’s easy for things to get lost, mishandled, overlooked, etc, so if you’ve ever sent something that required a response and didn’t receive one, please send it again.
14) A lot of feedback/ complaints/ queries/ suggestions, etc concerning the game are aired between the Players via the forum. Do you scan the various boards and threads of the forum to learn how your customers are responding to the game?
I don’t visit the forum that often, but I would like to become more involved with it as time permits. I can’t begin to tell you how many Players have told me that the forums and wiki were invaluable to them as they got started playing.
15) Do you envisage the game of Sryth existing, say, five years from now?
Yes! I hope to be able to keep Sryth going for a long while to come. I’m sure the game will continue to evolve going forward. Many of Sryth’s additions and features have been suggested by Players and have really helped to round out the game.
16) Do you ever find it difficult coming up with the material to continually satisfy your customers?
Coming up with content and storylines has never been difficult, though turning them into adventures or series of adventures can be tricky. It always takes longer than I expect to turn an idea into a working, living part of the game.
17) And, without giving too much away, do you have a long-term plan in mind for the development of the game, whether by content, mechanics, presentation, etc?
I would like to simplify/ streamline both the presentation and the mechanics of the game going forward. This will likely entail a series of small changes over time rather than a large number of changes all at once. All of the newer game content uses the newer set of game mechanics, while some of the older adventures use some mechanics that are no longer in use.
18) We know you are creative and possess a great imagination, but did you need to learn anything concerning the business side of the operation before presenting the game online?
That aspect of it has been a “learn-as-you-go” process. I was fairly proficient with the technology side of things, but I’ve learned more than I really wanted to since the whole process began!
19) Hypothetically, if some big corporation knocked on your door and wanted to buy all the rights to the game for a seven figure sum, could we expect to be sending future emails to that corporation instead of you?
No! Emails would still come to the gamemaster, but the address might be different… say, gamemaster@beach.on.hawaii.com :)
20) And lastly, looking at the game as both a business and something you love doing, and weighing everything up against the pressures and responsibilities of everyday real life, would you say that you are satisfied with the way things have gone and are going?
I couldn’t be happier with how Sryth has gone thus far, and I have big plans and high hopes for the future. The greatest part of this for me is being able to create the game for such dedicated and supportive Players. The feedback, suggestions, complaints (there have been a few!) and praise I’ve received have shown me that Players care about their characters and the game. Having such thoughtful and dedicated Players has made it all worthwhile!
************************************************** *******
Gosh! Those last words are enough to bring a tear to your eye.
We'd like to take this opportunity to thank The Gamemaster.
Again, thankyou for tuning in.