Dying Bright Games

5 September 2023

The last few steps have been the most grueling.  I realized that I have been putting off the small parts like stats and prices and tables to the very end, and they are torturous.  This is especially true because - on most of them - I have no reference point.  I am literally just guessing on things like, "what should the starting HP be?" or "how much stronger should this sword be than the one just below it?" or "if a player gets this relic too early in the game, are they just going to be completely OP?"

My friends have been kind enough to play through it a few times with me, which has been really reassuring and helpful.  All of them had positive feedback, even the friends who are known for being pretty direct.  I still have some stats to adjust, and so during playthroughs I occasionally have to just make things up on the fly, but it is almost to the point that I could send it out to reddit to see what they think.  Speaking of, I think I am going to make a post there now letting them know about the project.  I don't use any social media other than reddit (as I find all other sites to be mind poison), and so I am hopeful that I do not come off as a shill by sharing this website and my game.  Good or bad, I am honestly just so proud of myself and wish to share my attempt at creating something.  I simply have not created anything other than stuff for my job in so long, that even if this project is a huge flop that gets lampooned across the internet, I will still be proud of myself.  I will also be a better person, having retrieved things from an earlier version of that I thought I had to put away for ever.  Most notably my sense of play.

Betsy sent me the first draft of the cover she is working on today.  It is gorgeous, even though she accidentally drew the main character as a cowboy instead of a knight ("I can't believe I did that!!" we laughed so hard).

It's not fully colored in yet, but I thought I would share because it is just so beautiful (pictures below this post)

I am lucky to be working with such a talented artist.  Hopefully the last leg moves quickly, and then I can start the fun task of figuring out how the hell one goes about doing a Kickstarter...

Check out the current state of She is Your Queen 

Please send any feedback to MCManning@Proton.me

That's all for now!  Check out these pics!  Ignore the cowboy!!

• MC

25 August 2023

So far my new approach has been succesful; I continue to work on filling in each section as outlined in the index, but am doing so without adding any new sections unless absolutely necessary.

It is remarkably difficult to write instructions, even for the most basic actions.  Often they suffer from excessive vagueness or excessive...excessiveness.  Still, it feels as though I am refining my writing skills a bit each time, and learning more and more about what works and what doesn't.

I am not looking forward to filling in all of the tiny details of the assets (e.g. weapons, armor, items, powers, etc.).  These "little" entries end up dramatically bogging me down, and are the easiest for me to lost in as I start to obsess over formatting, font, or alignments.  Even so, it is a work in progress and a true act of "devouring the whale."

Up to 88 pages.  Proud of myself.

Check out the current state of She is Your Queen 

• MC

6 August 2023

All updates will be posted here.  

Right now we are in the process of completing work on my first game She is Your Queen.

• MC