Old Website Updates

[Doan the Nado]

I only keep the last 5 updates on the front page of my website. If you want to see any of my older ones, here they are, in order from oldest update to most recently removed update:

July 13, 2004
I added the History of my game's world, along with the Story that opens the game. Just use the links at left to check out the different parts of my game that you want to know about.

July 14, 2004
I took some screenshots of my game today so that those with dial-up connections and those who do not want to download my video demo can see what I have. Others may be interested, too, as I describe each picture in detail.

July 23, 2004
I've been busily working on my Custom Menu System for the last couple days, but I was having trouble returning to normal play. Thankfully, xddga suggested that I create a custom camera rotation system, and it solved all of my problems. Look for it and other new features on my new demo.

July 24, 2004
I'm trying out a new look on my website, and I think I may have found a winner. I am also adding a screenshot of my CMS in progress.

July 24, 2004
I have created a short video to show off my CCS and what my CMS will look like. Go to the Demo page for an explanation of everything.

July 26, 2004
Big update here. For those of you who were questioning a moat that flowed around the castle for no apparent reason (myself included), I changed its look. What I have now is actually physically possible, give it a look. I have also done some minor work on my CMS to show how it will look when I'm done. Keep in mind that it's not yet functioning (I'll have to do some major coding to get this working, at least 64 different text VFX to get all of the digits working and multiple script conditions to display the numbers properly), but this is how I expect it to look.

As for the website, I've added bookmarks to some pages to make the links more effective. I've also added a guestbook, but I'm not yet sure if it's working properly. E-mail me at [e-mail] if you're having problems using it. Otherwise, leave me some feedback!

July 26, 2004
I got all of the VFX for my different numerals in my CMS complete. I'll be working on the scripts to display them next. I've also made a few changes to the Guestbook so that it functions a little bit better. Note that the posts now display in the opposite order they did before, with the newest ones first. Once the post count exceeds 20, I'll delete the oldest ones off the web and save them on my computer.

August 13, 2004
It's been a long time, but I finally made an update. I simply haven't had a lot of time to make progress on my game. I am still ironing out CMS details, and I'm getting happier with what I see. See how it's going to look on my Custom Elements page.

I have also created a 20 second demo video of a title screen that I created for Mritter so that he wouldn't give up hope. Click on the link above or go to the Demos page to see it. If you're interested in how I made this title screen, check out these posts.

October 12, 2004
After much poking, prodding, hinting, and outright demanding by players interested in my game, I have decided that it is definitely time for another update. This update is one of the biggest yet, as I have added a new feature that will make my website a more useful place for all of us. Thanks go out to vespuleth for all his help in making this possible.

That's not all, though. I have made more progress on my CMS (custom menu system) which now makes it possible to change formations. The default menu's options are also now available, finally making it possible to access those options that could only be changed through the X-menu, including controller vibration and text speed.

The Story page has now been updated to reflect some minor changes that have been made in my opening plot. Other updated pages include the Custom Elements, Screenshots, Demos, Links, and Guestbook pages.

Sorry to disappoint, but the opening cutscene has been put on hold for now. After creating a map and then realizing I would completely have to redo it, I have moved on to other things until I get the motivation to tackle map creation once more. The exciting thing is that I'm preparing to begin work on a CBS tech demo. See the Custom Elements page for more details. Look for more frequent updates in the coming weeks.

November 2, 2004
This update has been in the works for the last week or so, but I have been holding off on publishing the changes until I got it completely finished. Most significantly, my website is now hosted on a new server, and within 3 weeks, I will be getting rid of my old account, so it will be important to change all or your favorites and links to www.doanthenado.com by that time.

As I said on my message board, the best thing about switching to this new server is that I have a lot more space and bandwidth, and I will be able to provide unique hosting and uploading services to those who are interested. See the Links and Services page for more details. This page should see more content in the months to come as people send me demos, videos, and web pages to host. This is where all of that content will be accessed.

Another goal of this upload was to reorganize a lot of the content. Nothing has been removed, but there were getting to be too many links along the left side, so I combined similar pages into one. The History, Story, and Gameplay pages are now all part of the Game Details page. The Screenshots and Demos pages have been combined into the Media page. The Custom Elements page has received some small additions and will also likely see more changes when I next update.

The new Media page has seen the most change: it contains all-new videos, focusing more on short videos that show one feature as opposed to having one long video. These videos will be linked throughout the site in their relevant areas, but all of them can be found on the media page. The latest demo will also be available here at all times in 3 different formats (.xps, .max, and .xmem).

The final change is the addition of advertisements to my site. I hope these do not detract from your experience of my website, as I merely intend for them to help offset my domain costs. It costs me about $80 per year for this site, so if I can get some of that back through ad revenue and small Amazon Honor System donations, I would be very happy.

As usual, let me know what you think of all my changes in the Announcements and Suggestions forum on the Domain Message Board.

November 6, 2004
I added Taizongames' RPG to the Hosted Media area, and also added a new link to AMP's site on the Links page. I also uploaded some surprise scary pictures in the Other Media section. You should check them out.

November 23, 2004

I added Jugem's demo files to the Hosted Media area, and I also changed the order of some of the page links at left. More updates will be coming sometime next week.

[vespuleth]

January 24, 2005
I added two new files today in the Hosted Media area. Nash has completed his Zelda Game, and Taizongames mailed me his memory card to give you guys a demo of his Zelda game. Be sure to check them both out. In other news, I am basically done editing out all the FrontPage crap from my source code, so now the site is all mine! See you around!

[Doan the Nado]

February 3, 2005

In the last couple of days, I've added a few new demos to the Hosted Media area. Be sure to download the new content and give it a try. In addition, the first Domain contest has been announced, so head on over to the message board for details. Soon to come: a video demo for WilliamKirk's game, as well as a new Zelda-like demo from Doyleman (aka NateDogg).

February 8, 2005

I created a separate page for Hosted Media, including the completed games, demos, and videos of everyone who has submitted them to me. In the future, I also hope to add web pages for those who would like them.

In addition to that, I have updated Nash's game, as he fixed a few bugs, and I also uploaded Doyleman's Zelda game. Check them both out on the new Hosted Material page. Again, any comments regarding the site, including questions and suggestions, can be sent to me in an e-mail ([e-mail]) or posted in the Domain Main forum on the message board.

February 26, 2005

My game's content hasn't seen any updates, but I've been adding new content for others every few days. Keep an eye on the Hosted Material page to see all of these updates as they come. Just in the past two-and-a-half weeks, I've added or updated two playable demos, A Prequel to Paladin and Miniature Mayhem, and a slew of audio and video files for A Prequel... Also, keep an eye out at the message boards for details of the first real contest, which should be kicking off sometime in the next few weeks.

March 29, 2005

Dungeon Warden has created a very helpful RPGM2 Advanced FAQ which goes in depth on a lot of the flags, variables, preset scripts, and more. Also be sure to keep an eye on the Hosted Material page for new content from members of the Domain community.

I do have an important announcement to make about my future in the Domain. I have unfortunately not been doing as well as I should in my classes, and there are some things in my personal life in general that I need to focus more energy on than I have been. For those reasons, I will be putting down RPGM2 for a while, and I won't be around the Domain much at all. I need to talk to Vespuleth about this, but I'm hoping that he can manage it in my absence. I am sorry to leave (even temporarily) such a good community, but I'm sure you guys can get along without me.

April 10, 2005

A very early April 10, but April 10, none-the-less. My first update to Doan's site. I have two reasons for the update: One is so that I am familiar with how all of this works, so that in the future updates will be easy and fluid for me. Second, we have a few new games that have been submitted. I wanted to test play them before putting them up, but, well, my Memory card is currently going through mental relapse. Has anyone watched the X-Port program continuously upload for 15 minutes without making any progress? I have. I am torn as to what to do. I think killing the system may corrupt my memory card, and well, I have other files I don't want to lose. So yeah, they didn't get play tested. The two new games are an updated version of Nash's Link's Adventure, with some added features and fixed kinks, and Smurf's Genesis Chronicle. Please drop by the Hosted Material page if you want to download them. Thanks, and have a good morning.

October 7, 2005

Well, as the dates indicate (and as Valkysas so kindly pointed out), it's been nearly six months since my last update. During that time, some new RPG Makers have come out (see the new Other RPG Makers forum), a few Domain members' games have been completed, and ProBoards (our message board host) made a major update. Much of my time since I got back to college from summer break has been spent trying to get the message board back to the way it was before the update.

As for the site, I am just now polishing off some changes that will allow me to make easier updates, as well as to make the format consistent with the new message board look. Page loads should be faster since there is no longer a background image, and some other small changes have taken place, such as making the links look the way they do on the message board. Of course, the thing you all are probably most interested in is the Hosted Material page, which now has all the content that people have asked me to put on the Domain (I hope). If something is missing or incorrect, post in the Domain Main forum to let me know.

Well, that's all for this update. Next update I will address any new concerns that you guys have, as well as possibly putting some info up on the new game that I have been working on (although I haven't had the time to do much with it recently). Thanks for your patience and perseverance, and I look forward to your continued involvement in the Domain.

October 9, 2005

I know, some of you are saying, "Doan, another update?!! But you just updated a couple days ago!!" Yes, it's true, this is the second update in one weekend. Hopefully I can stay more up-to-date like this and keep putting games on the Domain as soon as they become available.

This update feature's the entire collection of Dragaron's completed games, as well as WilliamKirk's final Paladin demo. Get them while supplies last!!!

Okay, yeah, supplies will never run out, but you still should check them out and then let the respective creators know what you think of their games.

Unfortunately, this update also removes a game. It was found that HolyFlame's "Fantasy Advents" was made with a pirated copy of RPGMXP, so I decided that I should remove it from the Domain. I am here to support all of your creative endeavors, but if it involves using illegal (pirated) software, it doesn't belong here.

November 10, 2005

I just added a new game on this very early Tuesday morning, Doyleman's "The Farm Life" sim. Look for it on the Hosted Material page. As a side note, the Domain message board is seeing increased activity as people get back into a routine, and many are getting back to work on their games. Be sure to stop by the various Game Forums to learn more about everyone's projects. It's now easy to see which boards have been updated recently, because they are arranged by order of last post (thanks to a javascript written for me by ProBoards moderator Peter).

In other news, I hope to get back to work on my own RPGs before too long, as well as getting a chance to play some of the many that I haven't had a chance to play yet. In the few months that I've been back down here in Columbus, I've built a dresser, a loft, a computer desk, and a support structure for a metal loft, all out of wood and work. The dresser and desk were for myself, and the lofts were for my girlfriend's dorm room. I did all this while also attending classes, working on computer programming assignments, working as a server at Ruby Tuesday, regularly checking the message board, sharpening up my chess skills since I hadn't played it in a couple years, and hanging out with my girlfriend, who also goes to OSU now. I guess I'm trying to say that I've been busy, and I'm sorry that I haven't spent as much time as I would have liked to playing your games and working on my own games. Now that all the building is done, I finally have a chance to catch up on classes and then get back to my RPGM2 activities. Thank you for your patience and understanding; it has been much appreciated.

November 18, 2005

I am thoroughly convinced that the world's problems could be solved if only everyone had a homework assignment that they should be working on. While catching up on some of the Domain posts, I was thinking that this site should have a page dedicated to the Guides and FAQs that we have made for RPGM2. An hour and a half later, that page is now part of the Domain, and is accessible from the link at the left fittingly called "RPGM2 Guides". Browse the page, try the guides, and be sure to let the authors know that you appreciate their hard work. After all, what's the point in writing a guide if no one cares? Also, as it says on that page, if you have a guide that could help RPGM2 users, please submit it to me, following the directions on that page.

Speaking of submissions, I am still accepting game submissions and putting them up as soon as possible after I get them. So keep those submissions rolling in and I will try to keep people playing them. On that note, keep an eye on the Domain Main forum for details on an upcoming contest.

December 13, 2005

Update time! For those of you who don't know about it, a contest has been running at the Domain for a few weeks now, and we've only seen a few entries. The thing is, it is not as much a contest as an activity that we can all join in. For every game that you play and review, you will receive a portion of the ad revenue for November and December. That is, I will mail you a check for playing other member's games! For more details, go to the new Contest Forum.

As far as Domain content, the Hosted Material page has seen the addition of Will's Solemn Truth demo, as well as an update for smurf90's Kuromei Chronicle. I often update that page without updating the front page, so it's a good idea to check that page every week or so to see if there's a new game to play.

[Doan the Nado]

March 14, 2006

I can't believe this is my first actual "update" of the New Year! The truth is that I am constantly adding member games to the Hosted Material page as it becomes available, I have simply neglected to update the home page. Since the last update in December, a new completed game has been added (Jugem's "Tetris"), two demos have been posted (El Mastodon's "Scurvy Dogs" and LunarMoon2's "Final Moon"), some new songs have been added by GangstahFoLife, and two new guides have been added to the RPGM2 Guides page, a VFX Tutorial by Rodak and a World Creation Guide by me. Be sure to head on over to the Hosted Material and RPGM2 Guides pages to see what you think.

The next topic of business is the Contest, which is still ongoing. This was supposed to last until the New Year, but has been extended three more months. I will be going home for Spring Break, and I'm sure some of you will have some free time, too, so check out the Contest forum for information on how to enter. Get those reviews in by March 31 if you want to get paid! Also, I said, I will be going home for a week and a half for Spring Break, so if you have anything you want on the Domain, I will need it by Thursday morning (March 16), or else you will have to wait until I'm back in Columbus on March 26. Have a fun and safe Spring Break!

August 17, 2006

Wow, talk about being busy! Not long after my last update, I began a class schedule which included 7 different classes, and I finished with 6 A's and an A-. During the summer, I've been working three different jobs and visiting my girlfriend back home whenever I have the time. But enough about me...

Exciting things are brewing in the Domain community. I recently added a chat feature that can be seen on the message board, although it still needs a little work. Doyleman has put out a new completed game. Two of his completed games and an update to Jugem's Vanished Nights demo can be found on the Hosted Material page. On the Guides page, we have an all-new addition courtesy of RealityBites. But that's not all...

Ixzion has recently asked us to produce material for a page in the first-ever print RPGMMag! There are a few posts in the Domain Main forum regarding what we plan on producing, along with information on how you can help out.

More changes include plans to write my own message board that will be hosted on my home computer. I recently bought an all-new system, and once I move into my new place, I plan on getting everything transferred to there, where I will have better control over everything. For a while, there should be no noticeable changes, at least until I start working on a new message board.

One more note: the 2-year anniversary of the Domain is fast approaching, and we have recently broken the 100-member mark. Thanks to everyone who contributes to the Domain and makes us the giant family that we are today.

September 7, 2006

Ahh, drama. Anyone who has been to the Pavilion or Domain recently knows that there was a bit of an issue. The good news is that everyone has apologized, and we all seem to be ready to move forward. In fact, there may even be some good to come out of it, but regardless, I'm just glad it's over. Especially since...

...the first ever print Mag has shipped (at least to my knowledge). We should all be receiving our crisp copies in the mail sometime next week, and two of those pages showcase some of the Domain's talent and knowledge. I was going to put the pages up here during this update, but I think I'd rather hold off so that those who haven't seen them yet can see them for the first time in the issue. After the "newness" wears off a little, I will be putting the two pages up here on the Domain for our own reference purposes.

There have also been quite a few updates added. The Guides page now features a brand new guide courtesy of Nash, and an accompanying game save thanks to RealityBites. The Hosted Material page features two new completed games, including Kumo Shinagi's long-awaited Light Warrior, as well as Nash's Mecha Mage movie. Demos by Reality and Nash have been added, and Dungeon Warden's Crown of Order has been updated as well, so be sure to check that page out.