the headline
GOODBYE, 2025!
Though it might only ever appear infrequently, our little newsletter, The Ardent Ledger, is still very much alive and kicking, and ready to loudly ring in the new year! Goodbye, 2025, you sped by – but not quietly, or without leaving behind an array of impactful changes to Villagers & Heroes!
There was angst and excitement, for example, when a number of dusty Elder Bosses, tired of being largely ignored in their isolated homes where they were only visited periodically and killed instantly without thrill or fanfare, changed all that by dramatically relocating to a little something called Frontier Zones! The addition of these gripping new regions, where players of all levels can come together and engage in stimulating battles, changed the landscape of VH, as did the transformation of the Elder gear system which came along with them.
And that was just the start of 2025! The game cap level continued to be raised throughout the year, not once, but twice, with the release of two all new installments of The Crux content, keeping high level players occupied with questing and the exploration of dangerous new lands. The introduction of Gear Loadout Slots and the ability to quickly swap between preferred battle attire and weaponry improved the lives of all players, as did the implementation of the much requested new feature of gear inspection! And though the year also saw the addition of a brand new set of Fabled Gear, 2025 wasn’t just all about action-oriented combat. Not only did the guilds in the game receive a sleek new GUI, allowing them to better view and manage their members, but all of the mounts in VH, and, yes, there are hundreds and hundreds of them, were endowed with the option of having special abilities granted to them by their owners in the form of Mount Charms!
2025 was indeed a lively year for Villagers & Heroes, and, as always, it is because of our exceptional player community that our little MMO continues to thrive. Thank you, to all of our players for your continued support. We are excited to plunge into 2026 with you, and to continue the journey that we began so many years ago. Happy New Year!
what’s new
HELLO, 2026!
We know the question on many a VH player’s mind, especially those who shed a fair amount of blood, sweat, and tears conquering all of the new Crux zones this past year to attain level cap, is: what can we expect from the level 100 end game content, and are the annoyingly secretive Otters ever going to tell us anything at ALL about it? Yes, we are. So without further ado, let’s give you all a glimpse of, ‘The Battle for the Nexus,’ arriving episodically in 2026!
Had it fallen that eerie night from the lightning charged skies above, or did it rise up out of the earth from a dark abyss below, the strange entity, which, humming with insidious magic, mysteriously appeared between the borders of three regions in The Seven Realms, infusing each with great power. Though the origin of this enigmatic nexus, this convergence of mystical energy, is unknown, as is the identity of its creator, those who have felt its omnipotent touch now crave single ownership of its might! The battle for the nexus has begun. The three factions have gone to war, and the horrors being created within each of their separate realms to gain control of the nexus now threatens the fate of all in the land.
In the twisted jungles of Sunkentooth Marsh, Slarissa’s faction, The Gilded Coil, a slithering group of cunning snake people, have fashioned a tower of unending doom called The Serpent Spire, while her once loyal servant, Captain Theobald, the Lich commander of the Scaldrum, has revolted against her and amassed his own army upon a treacherous island known as The Shattered Coast. There his faction, The Sea Scourge, a horde of undead pirates, have similarly built their own structure of infinite woe, one whispered to be called The Dreadship. And in the Crux, Queen Zoria, too, hungers for control of the nexus. Her faction, the militant Soccoro known collectively as The Hive, have constructed an ominous tier of nightmares which sits nest-like high above her realm. Only the deranged Queen herself knows just what evil lurks within Hiveheart.
The end game content, to be released gradually in episodes and structured upon a faction based reputation system, will task players with uncovering the mystery of the powerful nexus by engaging with the infinite loops of various challenges presented within each of the three different regions. For the high intensity combat lovers, instanced ‘towers’ will be found in Sunkentooth, The Shattered Coast, and The Crux, each rife with grueling bosses who will drop the greatest rewards to be found in the game as more tiers are ascended. For those who prefer less stressful combat, these zones will provide them with the thrill of open world exploration and questing, while still obtaining lucrative rewards from the foes they encounter. And for the more relaxed gamers, those who enjoy gathering and villaging pursuits, the end game content will offer a variety of non-combat oriented activities in the form of such things as scavenger hunts and mini-games which will yield all manner of cosmetic rewards.
And never fear, crafters, for you will be much occupied with a different sort of ‘tower’ in this content! Each of the three factions –The Gilded Coil, The Sea Scourge, and The Hive – will all possess a unique set of gear and recipes, which are particular to their regions, and magically flavored to their personalities. Special ingredients found only in their realms will be needed to partake of the exciting new spells and passives afforded by the potent gear, which only grows more powerful as players continue to master recipes and unlock new ones!
We are excited for ‘The Battle for the Nexus,’ and, though we cannot as yet provide any dates as to the arrival of its first episode, you all at least now have a taste of what is being cooked in the VH oven for 2026!
what else is new
But enough about distant things to come in the future – let’s talk about what’s actually happening this month in January! The Grinchta’s Lair Event Zone will be departing on January 12th in a fun little build packed with a number of improvements and fixes.
Like what? For starters, all mobile players will be delighted to learn that at long last they can edit the Guild Bulletin Board, which in itself received a few more polishes such as guild leaders can now transfer leadership to characters belonging to their own accounts, and newly formed guilds will now instantly see their names added to the All Guilds menu.
Raids got some love, too! That annoyingly irrelevant lever in Tempest’s Reach has been removed, Xoroth’s charges have been reduced, the Raid GUI will now display the odds of each loot rarity available in the raid tier, the health of raid mobs was decreased by 15%, Heroic loot tables were adjusted, all raids in the tower will now be unlocked at Bronze by default, and players will be able to view PAST Raid Leaderboards, not just those in the present!
Then a few weeks later, on January 26th, players can expect the arrival of the Sugarsweet Summit Event Zone, that luscious pink land filled with chocolate, romance, and deliciously evil foes, where all new rewards can be found. We have heard from player feedback in the past that many of you, feeling that the skeletal dinosaur mount last year was a little too edgy for so bright and perky a land, would prefer something “cute” to better match the lavishly sweet feel of the zone.
We listened to you all! Here is a preview of the adorable new mount, a chunky little unicorn with a winsome manner who will be waddling into the Seven Realms in various candied colors this January for the Sugarsweet Summit Event zone. Could this wee fellow be any cuter? We’ve also got some new pet companions to trot up the summit after your characters! These precious little creatures known as ‘Sugardrakes’ come in a variety of flavors, and are quite literally chomping at the bit in their zest for adventure and more food, a comical trait which will surely make their owners smile.
FAN WORKS
FAN FRIDAYS
There is so much creativity and talent within our VH player community, which is demonstrated every week by the outstanding entries submitted in our on-going Fan Friday contest. Please enjoy this look back at the wonderful artistic creations of your peers throughout 2025!
INTERVIEW
V&H PLAYER: AVA (EU2)
We always love to hear a player’s origin story! Can you tell us please when you first started playing VH, how you discovered it, what aspects initially attracted you to it, and what keeps you playing today?
Oof, that’s practically ancient history…It’s been a long, long time! I originally discovered the game ages ago on Steam. Veterans might still remember – with a shudder (or perhaps nostalgia?) – Travel Runes and the infamous Vigor system you needed just to pick a few flowers. Back then, Oak Valley was the place to be. A lot of that has vanished into the mists of time – let’s just blame it on my tender age back then; my internal hard drive wasn’t quite big enough yet.
Then, about 7-8 years ago, there was a reunion in the Play Store. My thought was: ‘Huh, this is still alive? Let’s see what they’ve remodeled.’ So, I death-defyingly logged back in with a fresh account, and an invitation to ‘Viribus Unitis’ was practically thrown at my feet immediately. And as some of you may have noticed: You just can’t get rid of me. Looking back, it was definitely curiosity and, above all, the guild that kept me here. Then as now, there are just really great people hanging around there – without this crazy bunch, I probably would have moved on ages ago! But to be fair: Over time, a lot of other players have grown on me, too. They pretty much ensure that the chat is always on fire and the days are fun.
Because of the language barrier, most of our non-speaking German players know little about EU2. So please tell us about your server! How would you describe it in a few sentences? What is the vibe or personality like on EU2?
Imagine a village where everyone not only knows everyone else but probably also knows what their neighbor had for breakfast. The vibe is always super helpful: If you trip over your own feet, someone is usually already there to revive you (or at least to laugh about it with you). Sometimes you only intend to log in for 5 minutes to water your crops… and whoosh, four hours have passed and you’re in the middle of a raid you didn’t even plan. EU2 has a strange gravitational pull – it just sucks you in and doesn’t let go until you’ve forgotten what day of the week it is.
What single most feature would you most like to see added to VH, and why?
More options for character customization! We urgently need more hairstyles, hair colors, skin tones, faces… Let’s not kid ourselves: The true endgame is looking good while saving the world. Wardrobe Slots shouldn’t just save armor pieces, but really everything related to the appearance: skin color, hair color, flairs, etc. Right now, I’d love to wear my Ice Armor, but my current yellow skin tone totally ruins the vibe.
And one final wish: Please give us the option to hide shields. A clunky shield often completely ruins a perfect outfit, and let’s be honest – the current shield skins aren’t exactly the highlight of the game. It hurts my fashion soul to have a perfect look destroyed by a giant wooden board on my arm.
If you don’t mind sharing, what are some of your hobbies and interests outside of VH?
When I manage to log off, I actually enjoy the ‘offline multiplayer’ mode – aka hanging out with friends and doing stuff IRL. I really enjoy watching Handball, and lately, I’ve actually started getting back on the court to throw a few balls myself. Music is absolutely essential for me – whether I’m at work or chilling at home, it keeps my energy levels up. I also love going to techno raves and music festivals to leave the daily grind behind. And occasionally, I even code for fun. You’d think doing it professionally would be enough to cure me of that, but I guess I just really like solving puzzles.
Now that it’s been almost a year since we implemented Frontier Zones with Elder Bosses in them and revised the gear acquisition system, what are your thoughts about it all? Do you enjoy Frontier Zones, why or why not? Any changes or improvements you would like to see made to them?
All in all, the Frontier Zones are a blast – perfect for leveling and hoarding spores like a squirrel.
However, Bandit’s Retreat definitely needs a layout makeover. The pathing isn’t streamlined at all; you often have to backtrack and fight mobs you’ve already cleared (which means zero loot) just to get out. Also, Gutgor in the Goblin Root Caves is often skipped. It’s not that he’s too hard, but his mob phases just drag on foreveeeer.
The fabled Sets are amazing, and I’m really looking forward to the many new sets that are still to come! Even though the Elder Fragments themselves are soulbound, the gear you purchase with them isn’t. I love that I can even hop on my lower-level toons for a run and buy gear for my other characters. That kind of flexibility makes the runs so much cooler.
My biggest frustration? The unrealistic grind for mounts in The Shadowed Future and The Blighted Bastille. The math simply doesn’t add up for a sane player. With only 25 Medallions a day in the Bastille, obtaining all mounts (34,500 total) forces a grind of 1,380 days. That is almost four years! The Shadowed Future is similarly painful (35 a day for 12,000).
Please adjust these numbers – either lower the prices or give us more dailies, because right now, it’s mission impossible.
And lastly: After a year, the 7 zones are getting a bit stale. And you know the math: More zones = more options = more fun. I think we’re all ready for more zones.
What is something quirky about yourself that your in-game guildmates would never guess?
That is a very interesting question and actually quite difficult to answer! So, to give you the full picture, I’ll share one quirk from my real life and one secret about how I play the game. Anyone who knows me in-game knows that my inventory looks like a tornado hit a thrift shop – it’s absolute chaos. But in real life? It is the exact opposite. I can’t stand mess at all. If there is even a single coffee cup left on my desk, I can’t relax.
And the in-game secret? Although, I suspect many of you have already noticed this, since it’s pretty hard to hide:
I absolutely cannot stand still. While we are waiting for a raid to start or discussing things in guild chat, I am constantly jumping on fences, running in circles, or trying to parkour onto the roof of the nearest building. If my character isn’t moving, I feel like my game has crashed.
As a level 99 player, what sorts of things are you hoping to get out of end game content when it arrives? Or maybe it is not something that concerns you? Why or why not?
If I let my inner collector do the talking, I’d say: Just give me a hundred new mounts! But honestly, that’s just a bonus. What I’m really hoping for are challenging and varied encounters – Bosses that actually make us sweat with complex mechanics that require real strategy and communication.
Beyond combat, I really hope the new zone has something magical about it. Currently, The Crux feels like a place you want to escape as soon as you’re done with your dailies. The new zone should be a place where you enjoy spending time. Do not give us another ‘Southeast Crux’. That zone was so small, I felt like I was standing in a broom closet. It felt incredibly cramped. We need a vast world to explore, not just a tiny waiting room for the new Level 100 bosses.
Aside from that, optimizing existing content is always a win. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel – sometimes just polishing what we already have and smoothing out the rough edges makes the game feel brand new.
What NPC in the game would you trust with your life? What NPC would you dread being stuck in an eight car ride with? What NPC would you invite into your guild, and why?
Oh boy, now everything comes to light. Should I really out myself here? The honest truth is: I barely read any quest text. I have promised myself to do it eventually – probably with my 15th character on my very last Rebirth… so, in about 10 years. That means I can’t give you a qualified answer based on deep lore or touching backstories.
But if I had to choose based on pure instinct and gameplay experience: Who would I trust with my life? The Training Dummy in the Village. Hear me out: As a player who loves optimizing builds, I have spent hours unleashing my full DPS on that poor guy. I’ve hit him with fire, ice, earth, lightning, holy attacks, and even shadow magic – and he has never once complained, never hit back, and never betrayed me. That is a level of stoic loyalty and stability that I simply have to respect.
Who would I dread being stuck in an eight-hour car ride with? Anyone who has read my patch notes on the forum knows the answer: Gladius! Absolutely not. Eight hours next to a guy who seemingly speaks exclusively in CAPS LOCK? My ears would be bleeding after the first mile. He’s just too loud for a confined space. Please, no.
Who would I invite to my guild? Definitely Olimpias. She just seems like someone who wants to play every day and is up for any shenanigan. I like people who prioritize fun over everything else. If there’s a party or a crazy raid run, she looks like she’d be in instantly. That’s exactly the kind of energy I want in my guild.
Do you consider yourself to be more of a ‘villager’ or a ‘hero’ or both? How would you like to see the villaging side of the game improved? The combat side?
I don’t even have to think about this for a second: Team Hero, 100%. I simply need action. I love the thrill of combat and, let’s be honest, getting shiny loot.
On the other hand, standing still at a workbench every day or bending down to pick up insects? Oh boy. That is just not for me. While I respect the dedication of pure Villagers, for me personally, that repetitive loop has massive ‘falling asleep at the keyboard’ potential. I just don’t have the patience.
For the combat side, I am craving more complexity. I would love to see a deeper Talent System that allows for real build diversity. Instead of just getting passive stat boosts (yay, +1% mastery…), I want talents that fundamentally change how skills work or interact. Give us more buttons to press and more ways to theory-craft unique playstyles!
For the villaging side, I stand with the community on a request that has been around for years: New Crafting Specializations. A jeweler specialization to craft rings and necklaces would be fantastic. Also, the actual crafting process could use a rework.
Pressing a button once a minute to smelt an ingot is… well, let’s call it ‘deadly boring.’ Sure, it’s great if you want to do laundry on the side, but from a gameplay perspective, I’d love to see something a bit more interactive than watching a progress bar while my brain goes into standby mode.
If you were stranded on a desert island, and you could have one book, one movie, and one famous historical figure living or dead to keep you company, what and who would they be?
‘The Martian’ by Andy Weir. I’d read it to boost my confidence. If that guy can survive on a frozen planet with no air and only disco music, then a tropical island with coconuts and sunshine is basically ‘Easy Mode’. It would keep me from complaining.
The Matrix. Just to constantly remind myself that the island might not even be real and I’m actually just stuck in a buggy loop of the game code.
Nikola Tesla. If anyone can figure out how to build a Wi-Fi router out of a coconut and some seashells so I can log back into Villagers & Heroes, it’s him.
royal guardians
We are thrilled to announce the Royal Guardians of the Realm for 2025! Our sincere thanks and congratulations to the following individuals for their outstanding contributions to the game and to this community, and for always going above and beyond in their efforts for Villagers & Heroes.
sneaky scribbler
The gallivanting eavesdropper who hops around the servers collecting all of your amusing conversations from World Chat is back! Nobody is safe when the Sneaky Scribbler is around!
YOU SAID IT
MARLBORO MAGIC
Sharad: why is my head on fire?
Balic Alistane: how else will I light my cigarette?
–US2
ARTIFICIAL INCONTINENCE
Rakotis: bladder forming
Meagan: lol
Rakotis: ladder – stupid voice AI
Just For Fun: Major lol
–EU1
VIRAL CONTENT
elvensourcer: sharing is caring right…?:)
Lady Hawk: usually, unless its a cold
–US2
DIVINE INTERVENTION
Sagey: I am a poor priest here
Sagey: I am doing my part!
Pope Leonhard: i can help you
Pope Leonhard: im the pope
–EU1
APE-PLIED MATHEMATICS
Eldriken: is anyone here a member of Mensa?
Purple Unchained: no but I’m highly intelligence. I’m a grand master chest champion
Arteliese: what’s a chest champion? 🙂
Arteliese: is that like a gorilla zoo thing?
–US3
BAD TO THE BULB
Avilla: are nasty onions the best way to level up gardening in the beginning?
Avilla: hasty*
Dolly Daydream: omg that is an amazing typo , i love it
Shoot on Fright: lol , ‘nasty’ onions
–EU1
FITTING IN
Chaos Knite: haven’t lived til your playing tetris in your inventory
–US3
DEGREES OF ACCEPTANCE
Atropon Ego: anyone for shadow den?
Cyril Squimp: couple of mins and I’ll be there
HazelNok: i’m in
Cyril Squimp: shadow’s den… be there or be square
tank n spank: I’m offered on behalf of all us Square people. we don’t tolerate shapists here!
Antavious: #geometry rulze
–EU1
DON’T CROAK IN THE HEAT
Saladin: I found a pale frog
Priest Daimheach: is it sick?
Kippu: get it some syunscreen stat
Saladin: it’s a zing
–US2
ANCIENT WISDOM
Tudy: How do you moove so slow?
Antavious: cause im old
–EU1
ALE IN A DAY’S WORK
lady charlane: just tell the truth kat- its a whole pie and youre not sharing
Katingale: Ooo…does beer pie give you more experience?
lady charlane: i suspect it gives you less
Rocnroll: makes u happier!
Katingale: So you don’t notice how long it’s taking to craft. Win win.
Shadarious Hawk: not really but it makes you think you are getting more exp
–US2
PANEFUL HUMOR
Dankangel: i’m lost
Cassi85s boy: hi lost, I’m cassi
Lyrica: my dad used to say that. love dad jokes
Grace Lightning: i met the inventor of the window sill yesterday, what a ledge
Cassi85s boy: what a SILly joke
Lyrica: hahaha XD
Grace Lightning: dad joke
Lyrica: I saw right through it lol
Grace Lightning: cassi you’re meant to support guildies and laugh at their jokes
Grace Lightning: sorry if i’m being a pane
–EU1
A LOVE THAT WON’T DECAY
Honey Bee: thanks for the raids everyone, im going to go say hi to ranubis, i think he misses meeeee
Jenni Purrdy: yeah he mentioned you this morning
Jenni Purrdy: where’s honey with my usual tea? he asked
Honey Bee: sounds like him he’s a silly mummy
–US3
PARENTING YOUR PROTAGONIST
Susebron: its 8pm do you know where your alts are?
KandiArch: no, they have been Lost Heroes for a long time
KandiArch: and the rest are Long Lost Heroes For those who may not know, we have a guild on US2 called Lost Heroes
–US2
MOD-ERATELY FAST
Elfios: Can someone tell me how to make my mount faster?
strider jer: There are three ways, and one requires real money.
strider jer: With an event item, which increases your speed by 30%.
strider jer: With drops from plants, which increase it by 10%.
strider jer: And by buying a premium mount, which increases your speed permanently. MayoNeesan: The 4th way is to kidnap a mod and demand a ransom for their release.
Tanara: lol
–LatAm
WIGGING OUT
chadwikvonchadz: instead of 4 for every time get only 1 more than
chadwikvonchadz: 1-2-4-8-12 and so on
MoonRaven: if I eat the wrong buff again…there will be hell toupee
WaveChild: that’s a hairy threat Moon
MoonRaven: absolutely XD
chadwikvonchadz: furreal
–US3
GOING POSTAL
Chrystal: Still missing topaz Sygma?
Valuzy: i sent
Chrystal: Great
Sygma: haven’t received yet. did you put the right stamp on?
Sygma: ha got it. the ardent mail isn’t what it used to be
–EU1
THE MYTH OF MO
Balic Alistane: plat palace 12/15. We’re gonna smack revelle around for cursing poor old mo Dust: mo palace, mo problems
Balic Alistane: true story mo used to be named Percy Manpockets. He was a traveling mote vender until he tried to take a shortcut through the flooded cloister and revelle cursed him. Now he’s named mo because he’s trying to say motes
ExoticHealz: sensational
–US2
WOOD YOU BELIEVE IT
Veyilor: I knew a guy that would say, ‘when one door closes, another one opens.’ Great guy, terrible cabinet maker
Sygma: thanks
Emeraldia: Haha. Indeed Veyilor xd
Emeraldia: Yw.
Veyilor: you liked that one huh? so maybe you could help me with a little woodcrafting problem I have in hands
Veyilor: because everything I saw wood not work
Veyilor: I feel like I’m being lightly roasted by you Emeraldia
Conde Mor: vey… sometimes… “when one door closes, another window opens”
Veyilor: I never take the window! sometimes it’s too high and I am only lvl 47 in tailory
–EU1
A PUNCTUATING THOUGHT
Luna Tic: whats a Luna PD…?
Temera: comma PD
Dust: police on the moon
–US2
CRUISE CONTROL
Sanshi: hit with your cars i.e auto attacks :p
–EU1
THE RIGHT STUFF
Desirah: theres no pvp right?
GoGoGadgetGo: or left
Chrystal: Right
Chrystal: Never left. Its a trap!!
Desirah: no duels aswell?
Chrystal: right
GoGoGadgetGo: left
Desirah: or left ? lmao
–EU1
A NEW LEASH ON LIFE
StenBloodfallen: if were going with do..g like my dog.. for example years do Samuel l Jackson years count?
Suriyana: uhm not sure lol
StenBloodfallen: one Samuel L Jackson Year is equivalent of 48 regular years im assuming
Suriyana: oh lol
Priest Daimheach: jeez…wonder how long a Chuck Norris year is…
JSPGirl: >_<
StenBloodfallen: one Chuck Norris year is equal to a millennia
–US2
BEYON-SLAY THE TOMB
Fishee: whos mans is this
Lilianna: umun? he might be single
Sanshi: wasnt hge leader of the northern tribes?
Zbok: all the single mummies, all the single mummies…
Fishee: put yo wraps UP
Bezalel: 😀
Fishee: pharaohs in the club (club)
Zbok: guess they have already wrapped up dating
Besalel: carbon dating?
Zbok: lol
Fishee: ok beza that was good :p
Zbok: agree, hope it gets to the next issue of Ardent Ledger
–EU1
behind the scenes
Villagers & Heroes gained a secret weapon in 2025, not a shiny piece of hardware or a new operating system, but a person, an incredibly gifted programmer, who, after having worked with Damon some thirty odd years ago at Dynamix, joined our Otter team this past year on a part-time basis, and has been quietly invigorating the game with so many of the recently added features that you all have been enjoying these past twelve months. The implementation of Gear Loadout slots and the ability to inspect one another’s gear are just a few examples of his numerous contributions. We’ve mentioned him previously on our livestreams, but we thought you might appreciate the chance to get to know him more – this family man, lover of music, boardgames, and gardening, who, when he’s not busy coding, has been anonymously playing among you in-game and studiously learning all of your needs and wants for VH! His warmth and intelligence has truly brightened our Mad Otter team, and we feel so lucky to have him. Everyone, please meet, Kevin Ryan!
What was the first game that you and Damon ever worked on together?
Damon and I first worked together on Arctic Fox that was published by Electronic Arts. It was the first original game for the Amiga computer. We had black box which was a pre-shipment dev version of the Amiga computer. It came with a wooden keyboard. The game was drive around in a tank and Save the Earth from aliens converting oxygen in Antarctica.
You’ve created a number of your own games over the years! Please tell us about some of them. Which one are you most proud of and why? How about the most frustrating, and why?
Skyfox II (Commodore 64) – This one was fun because I set it up so the 6502 code would write new 6502 code on the fly based upon what was needed for each frame. It allowed having more hardware sprites on the screen at once by reusing them all on one screen. Electronic Arts published this one too. Space missions through asteroid fields.
F-14 Tomcat (Commodore 64) – I did a lot of research for this one to make it accurate as far as the F14 jet goes and was happy with how it turned out. Borrowed ideas from MicroProses’s Gunship that was out at the same time. The graphics were actually fonts that I built on the fly so by writing one byte I could fill a block of area on the screen. Speed of execution on these old computers was very important.
Blade Hunter, Heart of China, and The Adventures of Willy Beamish (MS-DOS) – These were the Dynamix adventure games that Sierra published. I designed the Dynamix Game Development System and helped a little on the development of the games.
The Incredible Machine (MS-DOS) – This was a build-your-own Rube Goldberg machines on your computer. It also had a bunch of puzzles to solve. It was challenging to get the physics working using only integers. Floating point was too slow back then. I still get messages from people that enjoyed playing it or have happy memories of playing it with their late Dad. I’m most proud of this game. Everything just sort of magically went right.
Marble Blast (Windows/Mac/X-Box) – Mark Frohnmayer wrote this amazing ball physics code and when I was over at the Game Developers Conference for a day, Jeff Tunnell got it to me to see if I could come up with a game. I gave them a prototype a few months later that turned into Marble Blast. Didn’t get to work much after that point (was frustrating) because my infant son was dealing with serious medical problems after his liver transplant. At that point gamedev was a very low priority.
Now that you’ve been playing and working on V&H for almost a year, what aspects do you enjoy the most about it? Which aspects would you like to see improved?
The best part of V&H is the community. I’ll lurk in the game at times and listen to the chat to see what people like and don’t like and if there are any issues that would be good to tackle. It is a good community with lots of nice people helping each other. It’d be nice to amp up what can be done in the villages and the player’s houses.
How did you first get into the game business? What was your background/education prior?
I wrote my first game in high school on Wang computer that had 8kb of memory of which around only 4,900 bytes were available to use. The language was BASIC and I wrote quite a few games for it.
After getting an Apple II computer I started writing games in 6502 code. I didn’t have an assembler so I had to enter everything in hex codes. The code looked like this:
$AD $07 $43 <– (which meant load accumulator with value $4307)
I graduated from the University of Oregon and a Eugene company published a couple of my games. And then Damon called me and I ended up being one of the partners when Dynamix was formed.
What advice would you offer young programmers hungry to dive into games, and first learning how to navigate the business?
Completely finish a game. Play games. See what they did and think about how you would implement it or what you would do differently. Listen to advice and follow it – ignore advice and don’t follow it – figure out which is which. Be persistent. Have fun, but do the not-fun things when necessary.
How is working on a live MMO different from working on other games that you have done in the past? Pros and cons?
In many ways it is pretty much the same. You want the GUI to be straightforward and intuitive and not even noticeable as much as possible. You want game-play to be fun, balanced, and challenging and fun (did I already mention fun). The whole server/client/database thing does give you more to think about on the tech side of things.
What are your other hobbies and interests outside of coding?
I’ve finally got a garden going. When I was living in the mountains it wasn’t possible. Now I’m slowly figuring things out and making it larger each year. Also just started brewing again. Made pear cider and an IPA. And just started trying to make mead for the first time. Will find out how it turned out in a few months.
What’s it like being the father of three programmers? Is there a lot of ‘shop talk’ at family gatherings?
We’ll talk about the various things that we are working on. The big thing we do together is board games. We’ve played a lot of Castles of Burgundy, Brass: Birmingham, Terraforming Mars, and a whole bunch of others. We must have around 40-50 board games now and we try to play one of them every Sunday. Lately we’ve been playing Nemesis: Retaliation. Patrick tried to kill his Mom in that one (and succeeded). Sometimes your goals in that one are that someone else doesn’t survive.
If you could assign yourself any project at all to work on for Villagers & Heroes, what would it be and why?
It’d be fun to create some random game elements and creature AI. I made a rogue-like creation system a few years ago for an unreleased game. It is fun to tackle harder challenges.
I know you to be an avid music lover, and regular concert goer! What are your top three concerts of all time, and why?
Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Cow Place (San Francisco) – Oct 22nd 1978
This was the Rust Never Sleeps concert. My friend and I drove over from Fresno. Got there in the morning and waited in line all day. When doors opened ran to get as close to the front as possible. It was made into a film so I can see the concert I went to and some of the photo flashes going off are mine. Ran out of gas in the middle of the night on the drive home on Highway 99. Got picked up by truant officers the next morning as we were walking back towards Madera. They gave us a ride to a gas station.
Crosby, Stills, and Nash – Los Angeles Sports Arena – June 1977
My brother-in-law took me to this one. It was their reunion and they were playing in front of a crowd that had many of their musical peers in so they had something to prove that they still had it. Was a lot of fun.
Elton John – Stateline Tahoe – August 2015
I got us cheaper seats midway back in the outdoor arena they have there. We got there early and were sitting in our seats and this guy comes up and asks if we are Elton John fans. Then he asks if we want better seats. He then leads all the way to the front right in front of the piano and gives up the tickets which say “Elton John Comp” on them. See the guy on the stage – he worked for Elton. Sean took some great photos.
contests
WINNERS OF THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!
The 12 Days of Christmas Event, which just wrapped up, brought much cheer and fun to the game this holiday season in VH! Whether it was the unusually fierce competition of growing roses, or performing all manner of silly tasks in Bingo, or making us laugh with hilarious memes, or dazzling us with unique culinary creations and handmade Xmas ornaments, or giving us the delightful opportunity to meet your real life pets via letters written by them to your virtual pets, the six contests of the event exemplified the outstanding community spirit of Villagers & Heroes which makes this game so special.
While the server gifts were earned through overall participation, four of the contests additionally yielded individual prizes. There were so many fantastic entries, so, as always, selecting the top three in each category was a difficult task. Our special thanks to the members of the Event Committee for the time and care they spent on the voting process.
Which brings us to the winners! Congratulations to the following individuals for their terrific entries in the 12 Days of Christmas contests, and a huge thanks to all of you who participated this year!
VH HOLIDAY MEMES CONTEST:
THE BAKE-A-BOSS CONTEST:
VH ORNAMENTS CONTEST:
PET LETTERS CONTEST:
The winning Pet Letters can be found here:
Thank you, Everyone, for a wonderful holiday season in VH this year! 😄 ⭐ 😄