(For those newbies who are not in the know as to what MarioWeen is in the first place, click
here)
After MarioWeen's release on October 31st, 2003, I noted that I had a single level and a single boss that I could not finish in time for the deadline, and that the thought was in my mind to release a "MarioWeen DX" after Halloween with these ideas.
Soon, I had two level ideas. Then three. Three became four. That would give MarioWeen DX
twice as many levels.
So, for an entire year, off and on, I worked on these new DX levels. A Ghostly Ship's graveyard, a Pumpkin Patch, a Lava-filling tower. I also go back and tweak all the old levels - better flow, better design. In one case, I even remake the entire stage (The Ghosthouse).
Late July, early August begins to roll around and I start working on TFH again - I've sworn many times that I
will eventually finish this game. After SAGE, I realize that after September comes October - and what was going to be an "After Halloween" release can now become a "Halloween 2004" release. So, I vow the minute October begins, I will swear off TFH and finish out MarioWeen DX - then, once that's done, I go back to TFH.
One of the four new levels sucks-ass, so I begin to ask around for ideas on what I can do to replace that level - in turn, Ice Dragon suggests not only a new level, but two new bosses, as well. That would give MarioWeen DX 8 levels and 5 bosses. A few days in to October, I became enamoured with MUGEN for almost a full week. Yeah,
Oops. For the week after that, InstantSonic bought me an early Christmas Present - HL2 Bronze, so we could play CounterStrike: Source, together.
In the two weeks I had remaining, I did not have time to complete everything I had planned for MarioWeen DX. Yet again, content would have to be cut out and held off until an additional "After Halloween" release - this time in the form of a patch. Fortunately, not much was cut out: A single boss, a single level, and a bunch of extras (secret levels, etc). I had promised gamers 8 levels and 3 bosses, in return, they'd be getting 7 levels and 4 bosses - so, really, I wasn't breaking my promise
too much.
October 31st rolls around. I do my Halloween Webcast (which is an absolute success; I pack Gamerdude's server to the
limit), Carve my Pumpkin, and do Candy Duty. MarioWeen DX sits, a few hours away from completion. It's snowing outside, which it generally does in late October. It's snowing hard. The Wind is blowing.
I sit down and begin to work on wrapping the whole thing up, when suddenly...
The Electricity goes out.
It's 9:00pm, October 31st, and the entire city of Lafayette, Colorado, appears to be pitch black. No electricity to the Computer.
No MarioWeen DX.
And that's my story. But, with it, comes something else...
Obviously, the electricity is back. The reason content was being cut from MarioWeen DX was simple: I was trying to make the October 31st Deadline. Due to Unforseen Consequences, MarioWeen DX could not make it's deadline.
Rather than spend the few hours to
finish up an incomplete game at this stage, I would rather take this as a blessing to finish MarioWeen DX up properly - to do the missing level and the missing boss, to flesh out the unlockable extras, and release it like that.
No, I won't spend an entire year on this. MarioWeen DX will not be a Halloween 2005 release (Although, you might want to play the game on Halloween 2005, as... well, you'll see. I had wanted to release Marioween DX on October 30th this year, as to keep the surprise a secret for at least one day).
I'm shooting to release for before "The Treehouse of Horror" airs this Sunday (A week after Halloween), but, I told InstantSonic I'd play CS:S with him now (I pretty much locked myself off from most communication for the last week before Halloween, working myself to death to finish MarioWeen DX) so I don't know how much of a solid release date that is. I'll finish it before New Years, though, so count on it at least being released during the Holiday Season.