I wasted almost 3 days trying to find a good way to draw the maps on the game.
I tried to render some terrains with Bryce 5 (I bought it almost 8 months ago and never used it for anything useful so far…), the final effect is nice enough but don’t know if would fit well with the rest of the graphics.
I am also considering using simple “old-style” maps, drawn only with a single ink (color) on a old paper map…

Today I’ve written the final rules for Magic Stones 🙂
I’ve spent quite a lot of time on those, trying to balance every faction (or school) present in the game. Read more about the magic schools available:

Fire Magic: The druids of fire invoke the terrible destroying power of flame on the battlefield: from this, they draw strength and benefits, in them burns the desire for victory. In the past, it had been banned to teach this school because of its excessive dangerousness, but recently the Great Council of Magicians decided to reinstitute it as a discipline of study. This is definitely the most feared school in the entire world of Aravorn, filled with powerful magics of attack that inflict the most damage of all the schools.

Air Magic: The air druids invoke the invisible force of icy mountain winds to help them crush enemies on the battlefield. This school has its origins in the remote peaks of Meridian, and has been practiced mainly by hermits or old sages of the place. Recently, it has spread to the rest of the kingdom. This requires great concentration and has a very interesting line of magics, including healing, attack, and mana regenerating magics.

Earth Magic: The earth druids draw strength from the life forces of nature, and are among the heartiest and strongest in the kingdom. This magic school is the most common because of its easiness to learn and its popularity among the rural villages. Crowded groups of druids practice in clearings in the forest, where they can find an abundance of stones and trees to evoke the typical creatures of this school, characterized by powerful defensive magics.

Water Magic: The water school: this magic school, once popular, has now fallen into oblivion. This was also defined as meta-magic, the mother of all other magic, since it was able to activate or prolong the effects of all other magic. Given that it has been almost entirely forgotten, it is impossible to create a new druid with a knowledge base of this magic. Nevertheless, you can find Water artifacts, magic formulas, runes, stones, etc. in the most remote (and dangerous) places in Aravorn, and with time your druid could learn to use the power of water magic.

It’s fun how people waste huge amount of money asking continuously for advice on marketing.
“How can I make a good game” – “How to get into Real top 10” – “Could this idea work” and so on 🙂
My friend Gabriel today on forums said the truth “Make a good game and it will sell”. Easy answer, for a very hard task, but it’s all you need to know, really…!
It’s also fun how people start making a game and think only about the revenues. I know, everyone neeed money, including me, but so far I made the game I wanted to make, and not the one that the market asked me to do!
For me making games is a pleasure, complete freedom. The only game I made thinking about profits, Spin Around, ended in being my worst selling game ever.
My theory is that if you love your job (in this case, the kind of game you’re making) there are much higher chances that you’ll have success.

I define “Neverending games” the ones that have almost unlimited replayability. A very good example are the Sid Meier’s ones 🙂
Games like Civilization can be played for months without problems (I know someone that still has the original Civilization and occasionally plays a match…!)
I won’t dare to say that Magic Stones will be replayable as Civilization (eh it would be too much) but I’m looking forward that direction.
The process should be simple: you go around the map and you gather artifacts and make experience, then you partecipate the tournament of the druids every year (have yet to decide how simulate a year). If you play well you get more experience (but no new items). While if you play badly (if you lose with less powerful opponents) you actually LOSE experience (and since the game gets saved automatically, you can’t cheat… well, in theory!).

That way I hope people won’t stop playing the game after some weeks…!

I’ve finally done the magic tournament screen. It appears when you select from the main menu the Challenge Druid mode.
This option leads you to the Black Tower, the place where the druids challenge one other to duels every year. There will be 16 different druids in the tournament and you will challenge them to a duel. You will proceed to the death, until the winners are announced.
For each battle you have won, you will gain experience points, but will not obtain artifacts as in the previous option.
To simulate the passage of a year in the game, you cannot participate in the tournament for 2 consecutive turns. But first, you must visit the land of Aravorn again (Gather Artifact mode), exploring at least one of its places. With the passage of time, the places you have already explored can be re-inhabited by enemies, which allows you to explore them again in search of new artifacts.

Small Screenshot of the tournament screen (don’t worry there will be even male opponents, the 2 women is just a coincidence… heheh)