This puts alot of "expectations" pressure on our shoulders, but this is part of the "game" I guess. Our in-work projects are large-scale, and you can never know how will they end up looking and playing, as many new features slowly tend to touch and alter the area of gameplay and this is something that is very fragile (especially for the very loyal Wolfers target audience), and needs alot of testing, balancing....and even new complexitiy of mapping.
Balance of new and classic....and yet giving the players the core of Wolf3D experience - but in a new fresh form, on a new level...and modding is all about trying something new, experimenting...Even if something worked well in "Eisenfaust" and we could just keep it for next mods - doesn't mean we'll not risk making something new/different for next mods....this is the fun of modding. You don't go with one winning formula - you invent many winning formulas, each for it's own kind of experience.
Usually good mapping can cover alot of "unbalancing" in other areas, it's like botox
And we have good mappers I fully trust.
There is alot more to Wolf3D than it seems, and we just try to uncover the potential.
For me it's important to keep the passion going - as it's the core of modding. This - and the importance of Wolfers to keep playing mods of others, it's essencial, I know we all busy with our lifes and get more and more busy - digitally, and generally with more things fighting for our time and attention. Still - without mod players (and feedbacks) - there will be no mods.
Back to passion - "Batman vs. Bane" was not only product of passion - but a mix of many passions - for Batman, for Wolf3D...+ good timing of TDKR movie - and timing is always a critical thing, mod has to be relevant. Good winning formula.
LinuxWolf turned it from a fast mod - to something more inspiring.
In general - LinuxWolf joining was very good for "Team RayCast", it was a wind of fresh air into the team, with now enthusiasm, passion, ideas, coding capabilities....we never had such a devoted coder over time and it allowed us to do more and to release 2 large mods a year (3 if you count "SplitWolf" beta).
This year, 2013....many mods in development, and I can't tell how many mods we'll be able to release this year. Maybe more than one, maybe none...no release dates set. Those are large projects and it's hard to predict when they'll reach completion and required perfection, even though for them most of the coding work is done, thanks to great LinuxWolf's efforts.
It'll be the year of the mappers - everything depends on them. Ron as a head mapper of "No Man's Land" (and it's sequel) - and Dean who is a head mapper of another project.
As art is already made for all the mod in development (wow, that was intensive year of me making tons and tons of art) - it's up to the mappers.
Another good word on LinuxWolf - it was his initiative to release "Eisenfaust", and we all owe him a big thank you for that...otherwise it'd never see a light of day (can you imagine?).
Yes, there is my big credit in making this release happen as well, as I saw potential where others not always did, and made alot of artwork and careful creative planning/brainstorming in attempt to make LinuxWolf's initiative happen and send roots, trying to do the impossible in this modding Alchemy of making one thing into something else...while keeping it loyal to itself...(and you know what I mean).
But after all - people don't play art and features - they play and love maps - Ron and Dean we made the addicting and detailed maps, and those are the core experience of the mod and big big big credits go to them.
Another word in relation to "Eisenfaust" - many Wolf3D mods are made and will be made - but not every modder (in his lifetime) and sure not every year has a priviledge to make/take part in an extraoridnary Wolf3D mod, the kind that will surely stand the test of time as one of the top "Wolf3D" mods, like the mods I myself look/looked up to always.
This is a big privilege, and I thank the community, "Team RayCast" and my guiding angels for allowing me the honour to take part in such "history in making", I want to thank the community for a support and feedbacks, even in hard times.
This is something I'll always remember, cherish, respect and carry with me always...and it inspires me to try to be even better...as our competition - is always with ourselves after all.
I want to thank all of the team for a great year, it was really team effort, and you guys just rock!