“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao Tzu
Hello! Welcome to the madness! This is Vaerfel Idle. This is my attempt into the foray of MMORPGs, as there is no better time than now. Ashes of Creation just literally went belly-up across a ~10 year span. This is the era where everybody is losing trust and faith in video game designers... and I don't blame them. I myself have lost trust!
So... about 11 months ago. I saw a video on SpacetimeDB. It's really quite the database, boasting as something these guys have developed themselves, for MMORPGs specifically. I then realized that it was time. It was time for me to start developing a game. I'm not a developer by trade... and I've not written much code on my own. Like. Ever. But... we're also in the age of AI / LLMs.
It clicked. Start using AI to help build a game. We determined our backend, thanks to SpacetimeDB being compatible, to be Rust / SpacetimeDB. It's all built from scratch on a Rust engine. That I've created.
Idle games are something that I really haven't play too many of. Cookie Clicker, a classic. I've heard things about Leaf Blower. Played a bit of Milky Way idle, as a friend of mine noted that as well. In my head, I'm uniquely opposed to playing the type of games I want to build. Or at least, hesitant. I don't want to follow the same channels. I want to branch out and make my own monster.
That's what Vaerfel Idle has turned into. A monster. A monster of code, half-ideas, half-finished premises, and placeholder assets. It's beautiful. A working prototype of an entirely new breed of idle game. Party up with your friends in real time. Explore zones, dungeons, and bosses together. Get that fat loot. Craft some freaking legendary weapons and armor. Show off what you've got.
Alas. We're making headway. Slowly but surely. I'm doing full time stay at home Dad stuff right now, dealing with a special-needs 3 year old boy, a beautiful 1st grade daughter, and taking care of the house, etc. My best chances of content creation are in the evening, when I'd want to rest and play games... that's my chance.
I'm proud of myself. This game is far from perfect... But I've not given up. I've watched a friend or two try to vibe-code their way to a product. It's not an easy task. There are so many roadblocks and hassles in dealing with AI-assisted-tools, ever before dealing with the actuality of what you've created.
Vaerfel will continue to grow. I'm thinking about rewriting a good chunk of it here once we really narrow-in our gameplay loop. Figure out what players enjoy the most. Then build a system with all the existing logic we have on a fresh set of rails. New places. New dungeons. Better balance, etc.
Please, join the discord, take the ticket, and enjoy the ride. I want you to help us along the way with feedback, pointers, and genuine thought. I'm not creating this game in a void; I'm creating it for you. And I don't ever want to forget that.
Thank you for your time.
Marty