For five years now, our little two-person team has been quietly, but intensely, designing, writing code, busting bugs, inventing spells, rituals, and incantations, and in general, making our vision of Mage Faire a reality. We’ve told friends and family about our project, but for the most part we’ve kept pretty quiet, because with two people creating an MMO, it can get kind of embarrassing telling people, “We’re making great progress,” over and over again, for five years.
In July of this year, we hired two Principal Artists, and it feels like our progress has accelerated far more than just the factor of two in team size. Val and John are using the spells Gordon and I developed for creating the world around you, and lo and behold, they are creating the world around us! They’re inventing special effects–the visual whooshes and schwooms that happen when you cast different spells. They’re creating avatars that look beautiful and powerful, and are fun and easy to customize. Every day, we can see our goal of alpha testing this winter draw closer. So, we figured we’d better start getting the word out, lest no alpha testers materialize.
Imagine you lived in a Harry Potter-like world, where everyone has magical powers.
Part of the time, you do magic in the privacy of your own home. You try out and perfect the use of new spells. You create magical inventions and even custom spells where no one can look over your shoulder. You make your home a more beautiful (or more fun, or more surreal) place to live, by magically shaping it and conjuring your favorite magical doodads wherever you like.
At other times, you venture out into the world. You learn new spells. You explore and hunt for hidden goodies. You head for the Magic Jam, to offer help to mages less experienced than yourself, or to seek help on a tricky bit of magic you’re trying to puzzle out. You take in a Merriment or two, then pop into your guild hall to see what your friends are up to. Everyone is abuzz: Will our guild win the Skyship contest?
You deck yourself out, of course, in all your latest finery and magical accessories. Your whole guild intends to arrive at the Festivale in style: in the customized Skyship you submitted to the contest….
Much of what there is to enjoy at Mage Faire is created or performed by regular people, not unlike yourself, who are just enthusiasts for their particular magical interest. You can learn some fascinating magic by watching a demo, or you can demonstrate a nifty bit of magic you invented. You can be entertained by a busker, or you can put on your own magical show. You can have your cool magical steampunk contraption displayed in an exhibition, and meet and chat with your contraption co-exhibitors.
Mage Faire is a sandbox. We build tools (spells). Players (mages) will build most of the content. The Mage Faire experience will largely be driven by the collective creativity of the mage community. I can’t wait to see what emerges!
I think this sounds like a fascinating project and an exciting game! I can’t wait to see what comes of it.
I am intrigued and excited to see inside this magical world.
Wow. 5 YEARS. Can’t imagine how excited and scared you must be. I found your game through a post on the now extinct Glitch site. Lots of homeless Glitchen looking for a home….
Excited, trying not to be scared. 😉 We sincerely hope we will be the home you’re looking for.
Another homeless Glitchen here. Glitch alpha/beta tester for almost two years. So excited to find another non-violent game to hopefully playtest and call home 🙂
What they all said. EX Faunasphere and Glitchen beta tester. LOVE the non combat!! Why oh why, cant developers see there is a NEED for this type of MMO! Looking forward to the Grand Opening!! Thanks!! 🙂
A water colored world with magic to create a masterpiece! *lines up with other displaced Gitchen*
Another ex-Faunasphhere/ex-Glitchen here. I can hardly wait to experience another non-violent game.
Also from Glitch and i love the non violent atmosphere.
As another sadly displaced Glitch player, I am extremely interested in the non-combatative and sandboxy, player-driven content aspects of this game. Can’t wait to be able to enter the world!
Another Glitch and Faunasphere refugee here and this sounds like it would be a magical place for us all to land. It’s a great, creative, imaginative (if not a little off in the head) group and we really need a new place to play.
– The Mage Faire experience will largely be driven by the collective creativity of the mage community. I can’t wait… – me either! not only do we glitchen play well together, we know how to have fun. we also like to take pictures 🙂
Hi! My name is Liz , and I’m also a Glitch refugee. 🙂 I found your site thanks to a post on the FB page – UR – What remains. I’m still searching for a game that measures up to Glitch. Mage Faire looks like a good fit. I was an early beta tester for Glitch, and I’d love to help if you still need testers. I’ve signed up for the Alpha Testers list.
The colors here, and the art on your website … I’m crossing my fingers that I will see these things in Mage Faire!
Ann DramaDuh, you will. All the screenshots and videos (there will be more soon, honest), and the web site background, were taken from areas we’re building into Mage Faire.
I cant wait to jump into this game and have new experiences!