Released April 23, 2010

On Wednesday at the f8 summit, Facebook revised one of their policies regarding user data and how developers were allowed to use it. Previously, an application was only allowed to store user data (such as name, email, etc) for 24 hours and then would have to re-fetch the next time the user used the application. This has changed. Developers may store the data indefinitely, however you the user still has to approve the permission for the application to access that data. This has had some outcry on the Internet (along with some of features that arose out of the developer conference) regarding privacy. We at Crusader Games feel we should be upfront with what data we plan on accessing and storing, and the purpose for it.

The main bits of information that we plan on storing, once you approve the application or connect with your Facebook account to the Valendera website, is basic information that we would ask for anyways with regards to user registration. This is Name, Email, and Facebook ID (your unique Facebook ID number, not username and such). We will store that information in our databases solely for account purposes. We will also access your friends so you may invite them to join the game, show you which of your friends play, and for easier play purposes, place your Facebook friends into your in-game friend list. With regards to your wall and activity stream, we will submit to your wall achievements such as “Jimmy just reached level 15 in Valendera” and the like. Of course this will not be automatic and you will need to approve the post before it is done (as much of the games out there do now). We have not decided with regards to your profile picture if we will use it or not. If we do, it will only be for purposes such as comment posts and other community features.

I know our game is a ways out, but once again I wanted to be proactive and show our intents with this information, to alleviate any concerns our potential players will have once the game is released.

Chip Lambert
Technical Director

Released April 16, 2010

Welcome to the first entry of our development diary series where we will chronicle the development process of our first Facebook game, Epoch of Malice, based on our Valendera franchise. We hope to make this a weekly post series.

In this first part we are going to cover the social aspects of the game that we have planned for launch and beyond.

The world of Valendera was created by Jeremy Webb as a Dungeons campaign about 10 years ago. We all would play for hours on end whenever we got together, so with this game we wanted to bring as much of that social aspect that we could. Nothing will ever be able to capture that environment of the sound of dice rolling across the table, the smell of pizza and Mt Dew (and other drinks) but your friends will still be there.

Starting Out
We will have two options of registering for and playing the game. You can create a new account on the site or connect to the game via your Facebook account. What’s the difference between the two options? Nothing really. Both will allow you to play the game, create guilds, have friend lists, etc. However if you connect with Facebook, you will automatically have any friends that play show up on your in-game friend list. You will be able to invite your Facebook friends, ask them for help, or brag to them easier via wall post when you get that legendary artifact sword. Connecting with Facebook would give you an advantage from the social standpoint, but no advantage in the gameplay itself.

Social Media Features – Launch
At launch we plan on having the following social features:

Party – take on harder bosses and quests with your friends or make new friends by partying with others.

Facebook Wall Posts – Just slayed Merkle the Grey? Well then you should let all your friends on Facebook know, that way they can join in the fun!

Invites – You will be able to send invites to your Facebook and non-Facebook friends so they may join you on your quest to save the land from Evil (or save it from Good if you do desire…..more on that coming in a future post) Whenever a friend accepts your invitation, be it Facebook or not, their character will automatically be your in-game friend list so you will be able to contact them easier for parties or raids.

Chat & Forums – We will also have the two staples of any social media website, chat rooms and forums. Here you will able to chat with other players about strategies, form parties, talk about the latest episode of Caprica and more.

Future Social Plans
These features are ones that due to time will not make it into the initial release of the game. However they will be launched within the months following the release.

Guilds – Players will be able to form guilds with their friends and other players. The full benefits of doings so are still being designed, but we hope to have many. One thing guilds will be able to do is have a small portal on the Valendera community website to show off their members and achievements. Also the guild portal will allow the members of the guild to stay in contact with each other in one centralized location.

Social Network Community Website – Already in development with the possibility of being available at launch is a full social networking website where players can interact with each other on a more personal level and even organize Valendera campain games for Real-Life D20 systems.

Thank you for taking the time to read the first entry in our series. Next week I will go over the general overview of the game and what we have planned feature wise. And hopefully have some eye candy to share. Please post your comments and questions on our Facebook page. We are working on our comment system for this site.

Chip Lambert
Technical Director

Released March 19, 2010

After years of setbacks and clawing, we have stepped back and completely re-evaluated our direction and future. No longer will be dreaming of creating the next Dragon Age Origins or Mass Effect, rather we have came back to reality and decided to start small and get our break in the social gaming market. We believe this will give us the building blocks we need for bigger projects.

With this refresh, we have updated our website to be more Web 2.0 and social media friendly. This gives us the hooks we need for better social media integration, giving our players a better experience as well. We have not gave up on the Valendera or Omen universes. These are our two core franchises, and as such, we currently have plans to bring both to the social game market, with the first being a reboot of Valendera: Epoch of Malice, a game originally announced in 2007 with the Torque Game Engine. This new version will be a different media, but still the same scale and scope, an epic RPG, set in a world of rich lore and fantasy. It will be playable on the upcoming Crusader Games portal (more information on this coming soon) but have deep Facebook integration and playable there as well.

We are also in the process of redoing the Valendera website. With it, we are laying the foundation for a deep community for our players. Once again it will leverage heavy social media integration, so players can invite their friends to join them, and stop the old Gods from cloaking the land of Valendera in eternal darkness. A press release with more details on the game is coming shortly. Also we still have the plans for d20 sourcebooks of the Valendera world and free OpenSRD compatible classes and more, so you can continue to experience the world in your own way. Novels, comics, and more will be released for Valendera as well, to expose our fans to Mr. Webb’s creation.

We have more coming in the next few months. This website will grow and have more features for our community, as will the Valendera website and franchise. Thank you for your continued support over the years, going back to our infamous Half-Life mod, Assimilation, that caught a little to much attention We look forward to providing you with one of the best social experiences you will have.

Best Regards,

Chip Lambert
Co-Founder/Technical Director

Released March 19, 2010

As the priest walked across the temple floor, a small bit of parchment caught his eye as it fell from a bookcase. His face turned pale white with fear as he read over it:

The world’s eyes are closed
but the ever vigilant shadow sees all.
The veil of dawn has so since parted
and dusk of eternal darkness shines
upon the inevitable horizon.

From the farthest and darkest of voids
the first threat of the world has become the last
undying promise made by a triumvirate of evil.

For the First is said to be whose name shall never be,
the Second a prophet of madness whose has lost his wings,
and for the Last whose name burns upon the tongues of man
as the eternal fires of the infernal realms nothing can be said…

For all three proclaim:
“No rest shall there be for
those who carry the title
hero upon their name.”

He ran out of the room screaming, for he knew that since the old prophecy had reappeared, the end of the world was nigh. The Corruptor was about to be reborn and undo the work of his brother The Creator. A war not only here on the earth, but in the Heavens as well is about to take place. A group of “anti-heroes” will band together to save not only their world, but redeem themselves and find their destiny.

Valendera is coming to Facebook and the upcoming Crusader Games portal. The world’s fate is in the hands of the most unlikely of hero parties. Join Elric, Granite, and more in a race to change their destinies and find redemption. We know their true destiny, what is yours?