The Dink Network

The Dink Network Upcoming D-Mods List

October 4th 2011, 01:02 PM
dinkdead.gif
Seeing as Christiaan's list is somewhat out of date, I've decided to make a new one and keep it current as much as possible.

This is a list of all D-Mods currently in development at the Dink Network. I will try to provide release dates and other tidbits of information as soon as I receive any news. This list is updated often, so be sure to keep checking back!

Do you want your D-Mod added or updated? Send me a message, don't post in this topic.

You can post in this topic for discussion about all listed D-Mods, and asking questions about the development of the D-Mods in general. For specific questions and information, go to the topic of the concerning D-Mods, just click on the title of the D-Mod to get there. And please, no spam.

Now, for the list:
October 4th 2011, 01:04 PM
dinkdead.gif
Current number of upcoming D-Mods: 10 (last update: May 28th, 2018).

A Simple Quest - MsDink - size: quest - release date: TBA

A poor little girl loses her parents and Dink (the great hero) has to be talked into finding them. Wandering through the Underworld, meeting mighty dragons, magical enchanted items and grumpy old men, will Dink manage to find her parents?

All that GLITTERS - SlipDink - size: quest - release date: ** RELEASED! **

A tale of great wealth, heroism, right versus wrong and good versus evil. Includes some surprising and new ideas

Before... - SlipDink - size: romp? - release date: very soon, if you're lucky

A story about Dink's childhood. Presumably with a surprising plot twist!

Dark Avilan (The) - Robj - size: epic - release date: TBA

The Dark Avilan is an epic new D-Mod with lots of new scripting ideas, graphics and spells. It may also contain some kick ass rap parodies but I'm not sure.

Fate of Destiny - ExDeathEvn - size: epic - release date: TBA - Teaser and demo available

Dink is thrown into one of the riskiest quests he's ever undertaken - Resurrect an Ancient.

Grasp of Darkness 2 - Quiztis - size: quest - release date: TBA

The prequel to GoD1, this will be a puzzle D-Mod hybrid, featuring Milder as one of the main characters. Something quite different to your usual D-Mod, this will be just as hard as the first one!

Happy Sunshine Land 2 - Pillbug - size: quest/epic - release date: TBA

Happy Sunshine Land 2 is the bigger and better follow-up to Pillbug's wildly successful first D-Mod, Happy Sunshine Land.

Necromancer - SimonK - size: epic - release date: tomorrow - trailer available

SimonK probably doesn't need an introduction, the general concensus is that SimonK's D-Mods are top of the line. Necromancer is the world's most anticipated D-Mod, as it is the follow-up to the excellent Pilgrim's Quest. A lot of time has passed since we've heard anything about this project though, which may be a tad worrysome.

Northern Lands (The): Chapter 1 - Bluedy - size: quest - release date: TBA

Taven goes on a quest to the Northern Lands to find the rightful king of the Southern Lands

Shrine of the Dragon - Sparrowhawk - size: quest - release date: TBA

Shrine of the Dragon is about a young girl who was taken in by the Dead Dragon Carcass, and about Dink being sent to investigate reports of a group of DDC cultists in the area. It seems the girl's and Dink's paths will cross, and both will be playable characters at different points in the game.
October 4th 2011, 01:34 PM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
Great job. Finally someone steps up to take Christiaan's place. You can add Historical Hero 2 there. I'm glad so many epics seem to be in the makings.
October 4th 2011, 05:59 PM
slimeg.gif
metatarasal
Bard He/Him Netherlands
I object 
Do you want your D-Mod added or updated? Send me a message, don't post in this topic.

Tsk... Reading is Hard isn't it?

Other than that, I thought Necromancer should be on the list. It's the tradition!

EDIT: Hmmm... Reading is indeed hard...
October 4th 2011, 06:29 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
He's not taking christiaan's place per se, he's just making a more updated list.

Still though, good list - But I think we need to take Necromancer out of there, it's never going to be made.
October 4th 2011, 09:54 PM
sob_scorpb.gif
ThePunisher
Peasant He/Him Australia
(Tag Line) How long is this line. 
We need to take cc3 off that not going to be made either;(
October 4th 2011, 10:39 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
Of course it's not. Sabre said it's 99 percent done at one point and then quit. That's easily the worst lie I've seen on this site.
October 4th 2011, 10:42 PM
sob_scorpb.gif
ThePunisher
Peasant He/Him Australia
(Tag Line) How long is this line. 
The DEMO is 99% complete go back and read it again you retard.
October 4th 2011, 10:44 PM
wizardb.gif
MrGantoe
Peasant He/Him Cuba
I'm simply a distraction. 
99% depends on the persons prospective.
Say I've done all the mapping and all I need to do is the scripting. For someone who is a terrible mapper and a amazing person with scripts they might say there 80% complete.
October 4th 2011, 10:44 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
/me looks quietly at his PM

Nah, I'll try to give you some more slack. Don't make me take what I said back.
October 4th 2011, 10:45 PM
duck.gif
Heh, I've quit plenty of things that were 99% done, so I can believe it.
October 5th 2011, 03:34 AM
duckdie.gif
So, how do I get my D-Mod added to the list? It should be out by January, with any luck.
Also... Necromancer is gonna be released tomorrow
October 5th 2011, 03:36 AM
dinkdead.gif
"So, how do I get my D-Mod added to the list?"

Just send me a PM with any details
October 5th 2011, 04:26 AM
duckdie.gif
Hey guys, Dink Goes to Hogwarts is NOT cancelled it's just headed the same way as Necromancer
October 5th 2011, 07:33 AM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
Tsk... Reading is Hard isn't it?

Well, I thought I might as well say it in the same post where I praise his good work. I think it would be just plain silly to post a PM when I can say it in the same post. No harm done.
October 5th 2011, 09:19 AM
custom_fish.png
SabreTrout
Noble He/Him United Kingdom
Tigertigertiger. 
@Absolution

I have never said Cloud Castle 3 was 99% finished, you utter cretin. A demo version was 99% completed but I chose not to release it. This was because I didn't feel it would be at all representative of the final game.

It may get released at some point or other, but not as a demo. More as an oddity than anything else.
October 5th 2011, 06:23 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
No it won't. I've chosen not to believe you.
October 5th 2011, 06:45 PM
sob_scorpb.gif
ThePunisher
Peasant He/Him Australia
(Tag Line) How long is this line. 
@Abs
i told you

@Sabre
Why cant you just release the demo.
October 5th 2011, 07:49 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
Agreed. Prove to us you really are or were making it by releasing the demo. Who cares if it sucks or not, just prove you're not lying.
October 5th 2011, 10:23 PM
duckdie.gif
My D-MOD's been added. Yipplydipplydiddlydoo!
ThePunisher: Why did you say "Go back and read it you retard"? He was agreeing with you.
Absolution: I think SabreTrout won't release the demo because 1- it will increase the pressure on him 2- if it does suck, we'll have similar feelings for the whole game.
Demos have only two places where they should be: PlayStation Network (they are there) and Nintendo eShop (they're coming, or so Nintendo says.)
Did you take a look at the peek?
October 5th 2011, 11:24 PM
wizardb.gif
Mrgantoe
Peasant He/Him Cuba
I'm simply a distraction. 
Aye schnapper's and mine was added it's probably the most bland looking one on the list. Yeh saber doesn't have to release a demo because on the DN we are a small tightly packed trusting community (sometimes) so were going to take his word and say it's awesome without a preview to be truthful isn't that why CC1 and CC2 are there?
October 6th 2011, 05:54 AM
custom_fish.png
SabreTrout
Noble He/Him United Kingdom
Tigertigertiger. 
The notion that I need to prove anything is laughable. Whether you believe me or not is inconsequential.

I'm off to do some mapping!
October 6th 2011, 06:03 AM
custom_msdink.png
MsDink
Peasant She/Her New Zealand
Tag - Umm.. tag, you're it? 
Sabre - HOLD THAT THOUGHT!!
October 6th 2011, 06:18 AM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
^
+248.

Demos are usually for those D-Mods that will never be finished, so I totally understand Sabre on this one.
October 6th 2011, 10:22 AM
duckdie.gif
Hey, how come we still believe that Diablo 3 is being made after 3 years?
I don't want this to look like a snap at Absolution but we'll see.
Cloud Castle is ending *cries* *cries* I want it to go on FOREVER!
Dinkulum suggested the name Casket Case for my D-Mod so that when people say they love CC I get an ego boost
Oh my God, D-Mod is in the 3DS dictionary. Looks like Nintendo knows ...
October 6th 2011, 12:44 PM
duck.gif
Um, no I didn't. You must have me confused with someone else. But that's a good idea.

And other games have taken longer to come out, so it's still possible.
October 7th 2011, 01:43 PM
milder.gif
duckhater
Peasant He/Him India
From The Depths Of Tartarus Itself 
When is this ''necromancer'' gonna be released?
October 7th 2011, 04:10 PM
pillbug.gif
Pillbug
Peasant He/Him United States
Love! True love! 
Tomorrow.
October 7th 2011, 04:50 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
Cloud Castle 3 is also coming out tomorrow! Weee!!
October 7th 2011, 11:32 PM
custom_fish.png
SabreTrout
Noble He/Him United Kingdom
Tigertigertiger. 
Don't be so childish/pathetic.
October 7th 2011, 11:54 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
Ooh, I see making a joke now makes me childish. No one can have fun, I presume?

Man, such a buzzkill. >_>
October 8th 2011, 01:42 AM
sob_scorpb.gif
ThePunisher
Peasant He/Him Australia
(Tag Line) How long is this line. 
Why cant you atleast release the demo?
October 8th 2011, 04:11 AM
milder.gif
duckhater
Peasant He/Him India
From The Depths Of Tartarus Itself 
It's been three days since ''tomorrow''
October 8th 2011, 06:58 AM
duckdie.gif
Sparrow, link my D-Mod to this dev thread please
October 8th 2011, 01:09 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
Duckhater, get used to it. People have been shouting "Necromancer/Cloud Castle 3 are coming out Tomorrow!" Yet, of course, they never do.

Take a look at the Necromancer trailer.
October 8th 2011, 02:21 PM
milder.gif
duckhater
Peasant He/Him India
From The Depths Of Tartarus Itself 
Actually,I don't care if it releases or not.Striker said that he'll release the full version of Back from the grave when necromancer releases.That's why I asked.
October 8th 2011, 02:50 PM
wizardg.gif
leprochaun
Peasant He/Him Japan bloop
Responsible for making things not look like ass 
Tomorrow can also mean never… tomorrow of tomorrow of tomorrow and so on. If it hasn't been beta tested yet, it's probably not just going to be released, seeing as how if there are some bugs when it's released, you have to fix them then rerelease it. So, making sure you got all the bugs is important.
October 8th 2011, 03:25 PM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
Cloud Castle 3 will come out sometime. Necromancer is coming out tomorrow.
October 17th 2011, 04:30 AM
sob_scorpb.gif
ThePunisher
Peasant He/Him Australia
(Tag Line) How long is this line. 
You need to get rid of CC3 and necromancer from the list there never going to be released.
October 17th 2011, 04:51 AM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
Patience, Punisher. Necromancer's coming out tomorrow.
October 17th 2011, 06:13 AM
duckdie.gif
Punisher, darling, SabreTrout wasn't able to get a good enough lawyer and Arik couldn't be bothered to upload it, but I saw Dertin walking around in Modern Warfare 3.
October 18th 2011, 03:10 AM
eye.gif
synbi
Peasant He/Him Finland
 
You could add my upcoming dmod to the list as well, Sabre. Atleast I can promise it'll be released before Necromancer!

shameless development topic advertisement

October 18th 2011, 03:17 AM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
Hmmm... I think you're talking to the wrong fish here... or bird... or Englishman. Wait, that fails too cause Sabre is in Korea now! Dammit!
October 19th 2011, 01:32 AM
eye.gif
synbi
Peasant He/Him Finland
 
Whops I think I did! Sparrowhawk, I meant you, please
November 7th 2011, 06:12 PM
maiden.gif
I would swear that one of the big 'canceled' DMOD's said it would be released when Duke Nukeum Forever came out. Doesn't that mean it should be out now?
November 11th 2011, 11:08 AM
custom_iplaydink.gif
iplaydink
Peasant He/Him Sweden
Hmm.. 
I see you added Agatha. Good catch, Sparrow!
August 12th 2012, 07:48 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
Exactly why was my DMOD never added to this list?

Want some updates? I'll do them.

TO THE DEV THREAD!
August 12th 2012, 09:31 PM
pq_knight.gif
ExDeathEvn
Peasant He/Him New Zealand rumble
"Skinny Legend" 
If it ever was on this list it was removed due to no activity response in its dev thread, or you never responded when Sparrow was messaging people to check if what was listed is still valid.
August 12th 2012, 10:19 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
"...or you never responded when Sparrow was messaging people to check if what was listed is still valid."

Actually, he never did. Not to me, at least.
August 12th 2012, 11:23 PM
wizardg.gif
leprochaun
Peasant He/Him Japan bloop
Responsible for making things not look like ass 
Oh hey cool, my dmod is up there. I should stop putting off finishing it.
August 26th 2012, 01:59 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
Jesus Island...Dink gets stuffed on the way?

Whut.
August 26th 2012, 02:05 PM
dinkdead.gif
Yeah sorry, couldn't really think of anything

Kind of a play on your "stuff happens". If you have anything better I'll change it.
August 26th 2012, 02:11 PM
anon.gif
Absolution
Peasant They/Them
The Dark Lord of the DN. 
I suppose in a way, he gets stuffed. But how is the question?
September 30th 2012, 03:00 AM
wizardg.gif
leprochaun
Peasant He/Him Japan bloop
Responsible for making things not look like ass 
I think you can take "Dink and the 4 Towers" off the list now. Or you could make the release date July 22, 2012.
March 24th 2014, 05:47 AM
boncag.gif
Godley
Peasant They/Them
 
Need moar updates.
June 6th 2014, 09:41 PM
custom_coco.gif
Cocomonkey
Bard He/Him United States
Please Cindy, say the whole name each time. 
"Bored of the Rings" should probably not be here anymore, since it's out and all.
June 6th 2014, 11:59 PM
wizardg.gif
leprochaun
Peasant He/Him Japan bloop
Responsible for making things not look like ass 
If you're removing things you can take mine off as well.
June 7th 2014, 04:21 AM
slimeg.gif
metatarasal
Bard He/Him Netherlands
I object 
There is so much stuff on there that is never going to be finished... I think that anything without a development thread should be cut. Everything that hasn't had its development thread updated in the last year should also be cut. Just some guidelines I think should keep this list somewhat relevant. Right now it has no relevance whatsoever, except as a list of DMODs that have been anounced in the last couple of years.

This would pretty much axe every DMOD from this list except:

The dark avilan
Fate of destiny
innominatum (would be removed anyway if leprochaun says so)
Shadows of Death
Shrine of the Dragon

I mean, there are DMODs on this list with their last update back in 2008. And I'm not even talking about necromancer, where the joke is starting to wear on me quite a lot.

EDIT: Alternatively you could keep a seperate list with DMODs that have been anounced and released. Just to keep spirits up.
June 7th 2014, 08:32 AM
pq_knight.gif
ExDeathEvn
Peasant He/Him New Zealand rumble
"Skinny Legend" 
That's kind of a sad looking list if we cleaned it up to show only those four/five Dmods...
Fortunately there are still more then just the ones we know about in development at present.

Seems everyone's jumping on the "Secret project(s)" bandwagon.
June 7th 2014, 08:58 AM
spike.gif
Happy Sunshine Land is still being worked on (Or at least it was a while ago, based on the magical land of Chattichat. On the other hand, what I perceive as a "while" may just as well have happened 6 months or more ago...) The rest, no idea, but it's clearly quite outdated indeed.
June 7th 2014, 10:10 AM
wizardg.gif
leprochaun
Peasant He/Him Japan bloop
Responsible for making things not look like ass 
It's not that I'm not working on anything anymore, it's just that the particular project linked was ripped apart and doesn't really exist anymore.
June 7th 2014, 02:15 PM
goblins.gif
I just don't want to announce a project I'm making officially until it's at a point where I can see the finish line. I have got far in my project but I think it's still too soon to make a topic for it.
June 9th 2014, 03:27 AM
dinkdead.gif
Updated!
Here's a list of removed D-Mods, if any of them are actually still being worked on, let me know:

Blue Harvest - Zeddex
Bounty Hunter - synbi
Deadwood - Zeddex
Georgie Porgie - Spinnerweb
Green Voice in my Head (The): The Siege - Raven
Innominatum - leprochaun
Kuroppoi Sai no Dunjon - Christiaan
Lowlife: Bugs and Rugs - MrGantoe/Schnapper
Ravager (The) - JugglingDink
Shadows of Death (The) - DinkKiller
Western City (The) - taxi720/kenji720rs

That's sad

There were a few that I left because I'm not sure about, I'll probably ask the individual authors for an update...

And I just couldn't bring myself to remove Necromancer

June 10th 2014, 02:46 AM
knights.gif
DinkKiller
Peasant He/Him United States
The world could always use more heroes 
You should put Shadows of Death back on the list for now. I'm waiting on my friend to finish building his desktop so he can beta test for me to help clean up bugs and polish it up before I release it as an Unfinished.
June 10th 2014, 02:46 AM
slimeg.gif
metatarasal
Bard He/Him Netherlands
I object 
I thought that The shadows of death was still being worked on. It would be released as an unfinished DMOD, but that doesn't warrant axing it from the list...

EDIT: Hmmm... Seems like Dinkkiller beat me to it.

Also I wonder why day of the carcass hasn't been axed. Erwin has only posted once in the last two years and the development thread hasn't been updated since 2009.
June 10th 2014, 06:04 AM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
Erwin's been gone long times before though, without giving any updates on his Dink activities. So assuming whether Day of the Carcass is in development or not is kinda impossible at this point.
June 10th 2014, 06:11 AM
spike.gif
My prediction's getting more likely day by day!

"If the full version ever comes out in 2020, it will be a hit."
June 10th 2014, 02:20 PM
dinkdead.gif
Shadows of Death is back

Day of the Carcass seemed to be a fairly advanced, large project so I left it there... I emailed him about it though so it can wait a little while.
June 11th 2014, 03:05 AM
slimeg.gif
metatarasal
Bard He/Him Netherlands
I object 
Currently on the list:

epic 6x
quest/epic 1x
quest 2x
romp 0x

Considering only 2 new epics have been released after 2005 (HH1 and HH2) I think this might be a reason for pessimism.
June 11th 2014, 11:59 AM
custom_coco.gif
Cocomonkey
Bard He/Him United States
Please Cindy, say the whole name each time. 
I'm just gonna come out and say it:

Malachi the Jerk is an epic. I realized this when working on the LP with RobJ. It's just too friggin' long to be a quest.

fire away, haterz
June 11th 2014, 01:13 PM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
I wouldn't call Malachi the Jerk anywhere near Epic. It's a great D-Mod, but I'd say it's closer to a mid-length Quest. It really depends how you look at it, I guess. But let's compare it to Initiation (which I don't actually consider an Epic for a number of reasons):

Malachi has 336 screens, under half of the total screen amount. Initiation has a hundred less. Initiation also has 20 less scripts, but Malachi has a lot more "unnecessary scipts" (object interaction and stuff), so I'd say both have probably around 380 or so scripts that actually need to be there. Initiation takes around 4-5 hours to complete, Malachi takes about as long. However, if you cut out all the super-lengthy dialogue, scenes and NPC conversations (parts where you don't actually make any progress), Malachi's length is easily reduced to half of that, making the actual game around 2½ hours long. So based on that, it's debatable, but as I said I don't really consider Initiation an Epic either so...

Now let's compare both of those to HH1, which I consider to be an average Epic (not the biggest, but not the smallest of the Epics). HH1 has 576 scripts, out of which around 150 are "unnecessary", reducing the total amount of required scripts to around 420. HH1 uses 578 screens, about 75% of the total. It also takes around 4-5 hours to complete, if you cut out all of the dialogue/NPC conversations where you aren't making any progress.

So yeah. Malachi is a great D-Mod, but eh... calling it Epic kinda hits a sore spot in me, as a creator of two Epics, and knowing that HH1 & HH2 aren't even the biggest Epics out there.
June 11th 2014, 01:38 PM
custom_coco.gif
Cocomonkey
Bard He/Him United States
Please Cindy, say the whole name each time. 
You've hit a sore spot with me too. I made dialogue my focus when I made Malachi, and quite deliberately so, working to what I think I can do well. In your analysis, you consider it something to "cut out," to not even consider. I don't understand that at all. I dispute that. I consider the "super-lengthy dialogue" integral to the "actual game."

Furthermore, whether you consider Initiation an Epic or not, that's what the site says it is. I'm sure Malachi isn't nearly as big of a mod as HH or HH2, but neither are quite a few epics.
June 11th 2014, 02:27 PM
slimeg.gif
metatarasal
Bard He/Him Netherlands
I object 
What constitutes an epic and what constitutes a quest is debatable. I really hope we don't have to set stringent requirements like a minimum number of screens or scripts to define what makes an epic. Playing time is a pretty bad measure too as playing time can easily be inflated by making parts of the game run slower than ideal. For example screenlocking every screen every time could easily elevate a small combat-heavy quest well into epic territory with respect to playing time.

As for Malachi, I can't judge what it should be as I'm still stuck at the goblin boss. But from what I've seen it feels more like a quest than an epic. A bit similar to initiation which to me also feels more like a quest. This is based mostly on the scope of the storyline which is a lot more modest than something like prophecy of the ancients. Another aspect is the relatively modest size of the map, after all it's not the playing time that defines how I feel about a DMOD but the feeling of expansiveness. Having a lot of scripts and a lot of map screens can really aid in this feeling of expansiveness. I must say that this is where initiation really nailed it because there is things to do everywhere, it's just that it's relatively small map never makes it feel like an epic.

I consider the "super-lengthy dialogue" integral to the "actual game."

That's the key point here isn't it? In my example of the combat-heavy quest screenlocking every screen the author would say that he considers the "super-lengthy fighting" integral to the "actual game". Would he be right?

The answer isn't straightforward. One can talk about what is more important in a DMOD, the amount of content, length of gameplay or some other measure. My feeling is mostly based on how much I feel I have accomplished when I finish the DMOD, not how much time I spend doing it. Did everything I did really amount to an epic adventure? It's more about 'what is there to do in this DMOD' than either 'how much content has this DMOD' or 'how much time do I spend finishing this DMOD'.

Dialogue in this is a bit of a problem as listening to dialogue doesn't really give a sense of accomplishment. It doesn't feel like you're doing anything. Still, it is of course very valid content, much more so than a ton of unnecessary screenlocks for example. There is this odd experience that makes a storyline feel much more expansive when 100 lines of text are being told by 20 NPCs than if they're being told by 2. Even though both in terms of content and in terms of playing time the DMODs would be exactly identical. This is perhaps where my feeling of Malachi as a quest is coming from, the world doesn't seem as expansive as for example in Quest for Dorinthia.

This is my feeling, for what it's worth. As I've said I didn't finish Malachi yet so I can't give my definitive judgement.

On the other hand there are DMODs categorized as epics that aren't that terribly long in terms of gameplay (Quest for Dorinthia and AGAE for example). Categorization remains challenging. Still I believe the leading motif should be how much there is to do in a DMOD rather than the amount of content or the playing time.

EDIT: Please see this separate from any comments regarding quality. I think Malachi is a great DMOD and I really respect the amount of time you put into it. I understand that the 'epic' title is a bit of a badge of honour. I felt the same way, it's a part of the reason why I returned to the Scourger to upgrade it from quest to epic myself.
June 11th 2014, 02:39 PM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
You've hit a sore spot with me too. I made dialogue my focus when I made Malachi, and quite deliberately so, working to what I think I can do well. In your analysis, you consider it something to "cut out," to not even consider. I don't understand that at all. I dispute that. I consider the "super-lengthy dialogue" integral to the "actual game."

I never meant it like that. I find the dialogue in Malachi great. However, I could make a D-Mod with 768 empty screens, and have one character in one of the screens scripted to have a conversation that lasts for 8 hours. Would that make it an Epic? No. I consider the dialogue in Malachi very much a part of the game, but not always as part of the adventure that moves things along, which is what the Romp/Quest/Epic rating should mostly be based upon, imo. As far as Initiation goes, it used to be listed as a Quest, which it should've stayed as.

I know that with your own D-Mods, there's always the case that you're looking at it from an author's point, and not from a player's point. This makes you think of it as much "bigger" and "longer", and well... epic than it is in reality. For example, I uploaded The Rise of the Goblins as a Quest, when looking back after the years, it should've most definitely been a Romp.

EDIT: And as Meta said, not anything to do with how I feel about the D-Mod's quality. I think it's great.
June 11th 2014, 03:00 PM
spike.gif
I'd say we have several dmods that really shouldn't be marked as epics. We don't, however, have any quests that really should be marked as epics. (I haven't played Malachi very far yet, so no comment on that one)
June 11th 2014, 03:23 PM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
Then there's also the fact that times have changed. What used to be considered a big, unique D-Mod back in the early days can be looked at today and thought of as nothing special. However, they should remain in the "Epic" category cause that's what they once were, even if they wouldn't get counted in by today's standards.
June 11th 2014, 03:33 PM
slimeg.gif
metatarasal
Bard He/Him Netherlands
I object 
I think that's rubbish. Why would you lower the bar for DMODs from the past? No reason to discourage people by saying they should now obide higher standards. That doesn't motivate anyone. I think every DMOD should be judged the same when it comes to the category it is put in. And in my opinion that could very well include changing the category 15 years after release if that is correct according to the current ideas. After all the entire idea of making these categories is to help people to decide what kind of DMOD they want to play, that should be leading.

If you are able to make a DMOD that is more expansive than prophecy of the ancients you should be rightfully proud. Even if making prophecy of the ancients was more difficult back in '98.
June 11th 2014, 04:09 PM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
Of course I'd lower the bar for them. Don't you realize how much harder creating a D-Mod was back then? If we still had to make them the same way, this community would've been dead ages ago. Furthermore, when was the last time you saw an absolutely shootty Romp being released? It's been a while, hasn't it? Back in the day, this site used to be filled with those kinda crappy D-Mods nearly every week, making a big, bugless D-Mod much more special and stand out. These days, every release is a quality D-Mod, with very few Romps even being made anymore. The old D-Mods were made then and current D-Mods are made now, and if we were to place the older Epics into today's world, half of them would be thrown out of the Epic category. And if we were to place modern D-Mods into the world back then, every new D-Mod released would be an Epic.

That's like asking why would I lower the bar for movies made in the 1960s compared to movies today. The fact that older films may look like crap today doesn't mean there still aren't classics amongst them.

I think the time period of each D-Mod should definitely be taken into account. There really isn't a single Epic before Pilgrim's Quest (except SoB) that has been able to stand the test of time. That's because the standard was much lower back then. And the standard back then shouldn't be judged by the standard today.
June 11th 2014, 04:25 PM
custom_coco.gif
Cocomonkey
Bard He/Him United States
Please Cindy, say the whole name each time. 
What? POTA, LOT, FIAT don't stand the test of time? I don't believe it.

Anyway, I don't think "epic" should be a quality judgment. The description on the Files page is plainly about length. That's what really bothers me - it's treated like an exclusive club with no firm criteria for entry. There should be a clear standard for what is an epic and what isn't so that it doesn't become a dumb political thing like it is.
June 11th 2014, 04:34 PM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
Okay, forgot about FIAT. But with POTA and LOT, as much as I love those two D-Mods, as well as with both QFDs and AGAE, you can really tell they're not from the newest bunch of D-Mods.

Anyway, I don't think "epic" should be a quality judgment. The description on the Files page is plainly about length. That's what really bothers me - it's treated like an exclusive club with no firm criteria for entry. There should be a clear standard for what is an epic and what isn't so that it doesn't become a dumb political thing like it is.

I never meant the definition of Epic should be a quality judgement. I was just pointing out that the times are different, and that quality is amongst the things that have changed. The files page says that an Epic is "around the size or larger than the original game". Now when I think D-Mod size, I think 5 things: How big the map is, how long does the D-Mod take to finish, the amount of scripts that are required for the game, how much is there to do in the gameplay, and the overall "feel" of the adventure which Metatarasal spoke about.
June 13th 2014, 06:30 PM
bonca.gif
Erwin
Peasant He/Him Netherlands
Friendship is magic 
I haven't done any D-Modding in the last 3 years. Enter the Dead Dragon Carcass was the last bit of D-Modding I did and I pretty much left since then. I've been too busy watching ponies and playing games. I've considered getting back to D-Modding several times but instead started looking around for other ways to make games. Dink is just too limited for what I want so I tried Game Maker. Turns out I find Game Maker to be too limited as well (and a piece of crap) so I'm trying Unity now.

I think I'll finish my D-Mods one way or another. When I started D-Modding I never intended to just leave them at a demo. I wanted to finish my projects. Turns out I haven't really finished anything so I can't just quit.

I'm coming back. Day of the Carcass will one day be completed. I'm just not sure yet if I want to finish it as a D-Mod or try to recreate it using something else (like Game Maker or Unity).
June 13th 2014, 07:29 PM
custom_skull.gif
Skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
I've been too busy watching ponies

Ponies steal a lot of daily time, don't they?

I certainly hope DotC will see the light of day sometime in the future. The demo had some amazing things.

I've also been looking a bit into Unity lately, but I'm afraid my current skills are too limited for it.
June 13th 2014, 07:39 PM
goblins.gif
I've been using Game Maker for a long time. I think there's a lot of great things about it and personally enjoy using it, but there are also some silly things that really need to get fixed...
June 20th 2014, 05:40 AM
sob_scorpb.gif
ThePunisher
Peasant He/Him Australia
(Tag Line) How long is this line. 
Necromancer SERIOUSLY needs to be removed I am not even sure if SimonK even lurks around here anymore.

June 20th 2014, 09:05 AM
wizardg.gif
leprochaun
Peasant He/Him Japan bloop
Responsible for making things not look like ass 
I saw him lurking last night, pred.
June 20th 2014, 09:19 AM
sob_scorpb.gif
ThePunisher
Peasant He/Him Australia
(Tag Line) How long is this line. 
I very highly doubt it.
June 24th 2014, 03:56 PM
dinkdead.gif
Fun fact:

Necromancer has been in the pending files list for several years now. It's just fun keeping people in suspense.
June 25th 2014, 04:32 AM
knights.gif
DinkKiller
Peasant He/Him United States
The world could always use more heroes 
Necromancer has been in the pending files list for several years now. It's just fun keeping people in suspense.

So, are you saying that after all this time, the D-mod was complete years ago, and the staff knew about it, then kept it from being released to the public?

CONSPIRACY!!


October 20th 2014, 08:28 AM
sob_scorpb.gif
ThePunisher
Peasant He/Him Australia
(Tag Line) How long is this line. 
Necromancer needs to come off.
December 27th 2015, 08:04 AM
dinkdead.gif
millimeter
Peasant He/Him Canada
Millimeter is Wee-Lamm, Recording Artist. :-) 
Interesting topic on Epic vs Quest.

Would you consider the original offering by Seth a Quest by comparison?

Certainly Mystery Island is a Romp, as it has a short and direct path with zero non-essential side events, whereas the original game had several branches that were at least a couple shoots long, and Seth managed to wrap them all together and kept the "to and fro" wandering to a minimum.

Mm.
May 12th 2016, 12:57 PM
spike.gif
SlipDink
Peasant He/Him United States bloop rumble
2nd generation. No easy way to be free. 
I am planning to release "The Last Quest: Part 1" sometime later this year.

Despite the pretentious title, it should be more of a romp than a full quest. And, I also plan a part 2.

This will be my 1st submission.
August 30th 2016, 09:13 AM
dinkdead.gif
Baphomet
Peasant He/Him
I Like War. 
Soon this year I will release The Black Skull episode 1. In my opinion it's crap but I will leave the rating up to you guys.
April 22nd 2018, 03:31 AM
dinkdead.gif
About time this was updated! It's been almost 3 years.

Removed
Day of the Carcass, Erwin
Ridge Conspiracy, scratcher
Scenia, Christiaan

Either they're confirmed abandonded or it's been years since we've heard from the author.

Added
All that GLITTERS, SlipDink
The Northern Lands: Chapter 1, Bluedy

Confirmed still in progress
A Simple Quest, MsDink
Dark Avilan, Robj
Necromancer, SimonK (I hear this is being released really soon)
Shrine of the Dragon, Sparrowhawk

I have contacted everyone else by email or PM and will give it 2 weeks or so before I assume they're abandoned.

Any other updates let me know!
April 22nd 2018, 04:05 AM
wizardb.gif
Bluedy
Peasant He/Him Romania bloop rumble
I like Frutti Fresh 
Wow, I expected my dmod to be forgotten about already. I should resume work on it *AGAIN* if theres still hope for it. I think Im in the mood to code again. God bless, there may still be a chance for the northern lands.
April 22nd 2018, 04:54 AM
peasantmb.gif
yeoldetoast
Peasant They/Them Australia
LOOK UPON MY DEFORMED FACE! 
very unfortunate to see ridge conspiracy removed
April 22nd 2018, 08:03 AM
burntree.gif
Oh, this is very cool to see this being updated. I'm disappointed that 'Ridge Conspiracy' won't be completed too. It sounded like an interesting concept. Plus I liked the style of the lost forest dmod.

I started working on a dmod last summer but haven't touched it in months. Maybe this will inspire me to get going again. I've improved considerably as an artist since making my last dmod.

May 23rd 2018, 07:03 PM
spike.gif
SlipDink
Peasant He/Him United States bloop rumble
2nd generation. No easy way to be free. 
You can add my planned dmod, currently in the early stages of development.

It is entitled, "Before...", a story about Dink's childhood and if I am lucky, it might even be ready in time to be an entrant into the "Plot Twist" dmod contest.

February 25th 2019, 11:43 PM
sob_scorpb.gif
ThePunisher
Peasant He/Him Australia
(Tag Line) How long is this line. 
Take Necromancer off the list Im sick of this tomorrow crap.
February 26th 2019, 12:33 AM
peasantmp.gif
Skurn
Peasant He/Him Equatorial Guinea duck bloop
can't flim flam the glim glam 
this
February 27th 2019, 04:00 PM
dinkdead.gif
Ok.
...tomorrow.
February 23rd 2020, 01:56 AM
milder.gif
Krish
Peasant He/Him India
its btr to burnout than fade away 
Does Anyone have a clue about the Green Voice in My Head Part II? I would love to play that.
April 1st 2021, 12:29 AM
sob_scorpb.gif
ThePunisher
Peasant He/Him Australia
(Tag Line) How long is this line. 
Nah seriously remove Necromancer.
This "tomorrow" stuff is just ridiculous
April 1st 2021, 02:11 AM
custom_robj.png
Robj
Jester He/Him Australia
You feed the madness, and it feeds on you. 
Necromancer should be happening tonight.

After dinner.
April 1st 2021, 02:14 AM
peasantmp.gif
Skurn
Peasant He/Him Equatorial Guinea duck bloop
can't flim flam the glim glam 
simonk will be off for the next few weeks, so he will probably try to upload it a couple times.
May 5th 2021, 03:45 AM
peasantmp.gif
Skurn
Peasant He/Him Equatorial Guinea duck bloop
can't flim flam the glim glam 
none of these are in development anymore. unsticky now.