Introduction Thread - Shadowdawn

My name is Fox English, the head (and sole) developer at Stray Fox Studio. Though I currently have to do every role to see this project completed, my primary passion is music (which I rarely get any time to do) and game design. I like designing original characters as well. Sadly I just don't have the passion for programming to really get into it and talk nitty gritty with other coders, but I don't mind helping when I can if someone has a question. I love RPGs, fighting games, and a good side-scrolling shooter the most, but I'll play just about anything if it looks interesting.

I've been working on the Shadowdawn world in some capacity or another since I was a kid. The original game project, simply titled "Shadowdawn", was written in 1998, but I didn't think I could do the whole project myself so it ended up languishing in limbo for a decade. Though that game has been put on hold until I can actually form a team willing to work on a large title, for now I opted for a smaller focus game (that turned out quite in-depth on its own) set in the same world but 4 years before the original story written. It was really fun writing the main character, Arashi, as she just got started as a blademaster, especially seeing how her personality eventually developed into what it becomes. I really consider Shadowdawn Genesis a prequel, but can't really call that in public since the "first" game wasn't released yet! This game already has a completely unique feel compared to other real-time RPGs, having taken a lot of inspiration from Secret of Mana, Ys, Legend of Zelda, and Ultima VII - along with all new game mechanichs I had designed for the original Shadowdawn. Maybe it's an odd combination of games at first glance, but it seems to be working just fine here Of all my goals while developing this project, I have two at the top of my list: bring new people into the genre, and show that action RPGs can have just as much depth as a traditional turn-based game (for those who don't know this already). If anything, my goal to convert at least one non-RPG fan to the genre has succeeded with my dedicated playtester... though I suspect he just likes looking at the animations.

Hmm, well that's about all I can think of to say at the moment. In any case, thanks so much for taking an interest in this little project. Looking forward to talking with more of you as time goes on and more of the unique aspects of the game take shape!

Edited by: Strayfox