Ruins of Mounri Beta: What could have been...
Ruins of Mounri was really a testament to how much blood, sweat, and tears can go into a project... for me at least! The past two years of development have been a wild ride, and I am proud of the progress I have made. A lot went into the decision to cancel the project, but I will try to explain some of it.
1. Lack of Motivation
This was apparent in January. The game had not really gone anywhere since the Prototype Release. While I had rewritten AI, added basic GUI and a Title Screen, and had reworked the Mage entirely, I still had nothing to show for a Beta. Not to mention my ongoing health problems. In late October / early November, I was informed of a tumor on my pituitary gland. With blood tests here, MRIs there, and even a STIM test, it was clear that my body had not been producing the proper hormones I needed for years. This has affected my weight, voice, and mental health.
2. Art Style Switch
This is what heavily delayed Beta. I wanted to change the art-styles of my game in order to give it a fresh coat of paint, to brighten it in low lighting conditions, and to experiment. I chose to go with an Ancient Greek theme for the art. I always imagined the game-world of Mounri being a mountainous place which is of course inhabited by cyclops. Below is a picture of what could have been, this art is not present in Alpha 5.0 of the game...
3. The Decision
With these factors, it was clear to me that I have lost a sense of direction with the project. I also was balancing designing a game and telling a story, something I am not that good at. The story of the game was... well... it SUCKED! I had a lot planned, including a set of rules and religion for the Mounrian (cyclops) society. But the game didn't revolve around this backstory I had planned. I therefore decided to end development of the game and posted this letter everywhere I could: https://twitter.com/MicahTheManiac_/status/1369083764291350530
Final Thoughts
It has been a wild and fantastic ride developing this game, but I am moving on through life and have to leave this in the past. I am moving on to developing a new game, and I am excited that this one might turn out. I am taking it slow, at it's own pace, and I am not overthinking. I have big plans for this new game I am working on. A video can be found here: