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The enduring web of indie veteran Spiderweb Software
Spiderweb Software is one of the oldest independent development studios in existence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Vogel, Spiderweb has been developing RPG gems for close to 18 years, beginning with the Exile series, and more recently launching the first of its new Avadon trilogy, titled The Black Fortress.Today the indie industry is regarded as a true form of gaming and art, producing superstars, millionares and rabid fanbases, all within a cool bubble of hipster trendiness. As Vogel tells Joystiq, it didn't start out that way."When I started, there was no indie culture," Vogel says. "We were writing what was called 'shareware' and everyone thought that we were losers. The whole thing about indie developers being respectable and able to make real money on Steam and iTunes is a very new development. And it still makes my head spin."Vogel is lucky -- he found a loyal, niche market in the indie RPG genre -- but he's also displayed a lot of dedication to have survived on his own for almost two decades, longer than many in the latest wave of indie developers have been alive."I'm proud of survival," Vogel says. "I've been doing this for seventeen years, working for the same company and making the same genre of game in the same way. The list of people who have done that is very short."
The Anvil of Crom: In praise of forum PvP
Hello my fellow barbarians, and welcome back to The Anvil of Crom. The new year is but a babe at this point, but there's already a lot going on in the world of Funcom's Hyboria. If these first few days are any indication, I'm certainly not going to be hurting for column topics in 2011, and the Age of Conan community isn't going to be hurting for discussion items either. As far as my in-game adventures are concerned, I'm plugging away at the Khitai content with my Demonologist and seriously considering making him my permanent main. I'm still waffling a bit as I love alts and love the way they allow me to experience different parts of the game, but the post-80 grind is simply too much to bear on multiple toons. I guess moving to a single-character playstyle is ultimately a good thing, but in past games I've been unable to shake the nagging suspicion that I'm missing something. Look for more on this in a future column (assuming I can make up my mind). Anyhow, it's been quite a while since I took the community's pulse (mid-November to be exact), so what say we take a look at what's got Age of Conan's players (and developers) talking of late.
Spiderweb's Jeff Vogel on shareware game development
If you enjoy classic role-playing adventures that provide hours of addictive and virtually bug-free entertainment, you should check out shareware titles Geneforge and Avernum from Spiderweb Software. For the past decade, the Seattle-based developer has been providing Mac and PC gamers with inexpensive, quality alternatives to mainstream RPG releases. The engaging storytelling and character development that was introduced in earlier Spiderweb releases Exile and Nethergate have remained a formula for success through eight iterations of the Avernum and Geneforge franchises.As Geneforge 4: Rebellion nears completion, RPG Watch caught up with company founder and head Spider Jeff Vogel to learn more about his creative process and how Spiderweb's games are evolving. He had this to say about adding incremental graphic enhancements to the latest Geneforge: "I don't have a religious opposition to decent graphics. I never have. I always put in the best graphics my limited budget and programming skills allow. It's all about fun, and about creating an engrossing experience for the player. And if I have a way to improve the atmosphere of the game and pull the player in more, I'll do that. I can never match the big boys, but I do what I can."After reading the interview, head over to Spiderweb's home to learn more about Jeff and the life of a shareware developer.
