Hello again, everyone!



A few months ago I was contacting people who were involved in Spellborn's development, hoping to get some info about the technical details on the way the map files are packaged inside the client. One such developer was quite helpful and promised he will look into the problem for me. After a week he sent me a short email and claimed he was able to open the map files using a certain build of the UnrealEd map editor.


That was extremely good news, but I decided to keep my excitement in check until I had something solid on my hands. I replied, asking for details on how this feat has been achieved.


No answer came back. I emailed the developer again after a couple of weeks, and after the very promising messages we exchanged in the past, I received the following reply:

Sorry it took so long to reply.

The situation is basicaly like this. Most people I talked to about it want to put Spellborn behind them.

And I can understand them. I'm starting to feel the same way. Not because of the game itself, but just everything around it.

How the game was handeled during the development, how it sometimes seemed destined to fail of people at least seemed to want it to fail and stuff like that.

When I think about the game the whole situation still makes me feel pretty bad, and thats why i'm also trying to put it behind me.

And seeing how the "biggest spellborn fansite" with people who want the return of Spellborn only had around 250 members (or signatures on their petition),

its.. well, just depressing actually.


Anyway, that time I managed to get the editor running seemed to be a one time thing, since I can't get it running anymore, don't know why.

And with nobody to help trying to get the editor and/or a server running consider the maps lost I guess. It's all very sad really.

I'm sorry to dissappoint you and I really wish it was different.

This was one of the most depressing emails I have ever received. After witnessing the last official servers being shut down, after Acclaim disappearing into Disney via Playdom, after trying to open the game maps and failing, after failing to contact the owners in order to learn about their plans for the game, this e-mail reply was the last straw for me.


It made me lose my faith in the future of Spellborn, and starting from that day I decided it would be better if I never visited anything Spellborn-related again. I had my hopes crushed, and it was an awful feeling.

But I now know that there can be no way but up from here. I don't feel the urgency I felt since Spellborn has been shut down anymore. I am not angry anymore about the whole saga. I just hope I'll see Spellborn again someday, in one form or another, and I'll continue to hope until I'll walk the plains of Aldenvault again. With anger out of the equation, hope is all that remains.


I have good memories to cherish and there's a lot of stuff to do in this community. My plans to write fanfiction and create Spellborn videos are being reignited. What I don't plan to do anymore, is interview ex-developers, and I hope you guys understand.


All in all, I feel very motivated and excited and i just wanted to share this with you. We might be just a handful of people, but as long as we're here, the hope won't die.


Be strong. I know I'll be.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesseamerica


Jesse America


        * Executive Producer at One Two Gaming

        * Expert Consultant at MEDIA 2007

        * Owner at Mystic Box B.V.


Founder / Creative Director

Spellborn International Ltd.


Computer Games industry


September 2004 – November 2006 (2 years 3 months)


The sister company to Khaeon, Spellborn International, was founded on the request of the private investors in the "Chronicles of Spellborn" project. I was one of the four directors of the company and was responsible for investor relations next to my duties as Creative Director on the game itself. I created the original I.P. and game design for the game.

Founder / Producer / Creative Director

Khaeon Games B.V.


Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Computer Games industry




June 1999 – November 2006 (7 years 6 months)


I founded Khaeon Games together with two partners in 1999. I was leading in establishing the company’s identity and vision. I also hired a large majority of the development team and managed the studio on a day-to-day basis. I was responsible for the creation of the three unique I.P’s that Khaeon developed (Alpha Black Zero, EuroCops and the Chronicles of Spellborn), and was also responsible for publisher and investor relations. Next to my management duties I alternately functioned as Producer, Art Director, Project Lead and Creative Director.

Hello again, everyone!



A few months ago I was contacting people who were involved in Spellborn's development, hoping to get some info about the technical details on the way the map files are packaged inside the client. One such developer was quite helpful and promised he will look into the problem for me. After a week he sent me a short email and claimed he was able to open the map files using a certain build of the UnrealEd map editor.


That was extremely good news, but I decided to keep my excitement in check until I had something solid on my hands. I replied, asking for details on how this feat has been achieved.


No answer came back. I emailed the developer again after a couple of weeks, and after the very promising messages we exchanged in the past, I received the following reply:


This was one of the most depressing emails I have ever received. After witnessing the last official servers being shut down, after Acclaim disappearing into Disney via Playdom, after trying to open the game maps and failing, after failing to contact the owners in order to learn about their plans for the game, this e-mail reply was the last straw for me.


It made me lose my faith in the future of Spellborn, and starting from that day I decided it would be better if I never visited anything Spellborn-related again. I had my hopes crushed, and it was an awful feeling.


But I now know that there can be no way but up from here. I don't feel the urgency I felt since Spellborn has been shut down anymore. I am not angry anymore about the whole saga. I just hope I'll see Spellborn again someday, in one form or another, and I'll continue to hope until I'll walk the plains of Aldenvault again. With anger out of the equation, hope is all that remains.


I have good memories to cherish and there's a lot of stuff to do in this community. My plans to write fanfiction and create Spellborn videos are being reignited. What I don't plan to do anymore, is interview ex-developers, and I hope you guys understand.


All in all, I feel very motivated and excited and i just wanted to share this with you. We might be just a handful of people, but as long as we're here, the hope won't die.


Be strong. I know I'll be.

That's a well written post. It saddens me every time as well, thinking what could have been and comparing it to reality...

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesseamerica


Jesse America


        * Executive Producer at One Two Gaming

        * Expert Consultant at MEDIA 2007

        * Owner at Mystic Box B.V.


Founder / Creative Director

Spellborn International Ltd.


Computer Games industry


September 2004 – November 2006 (2 years 3 months)


The sister company to Khaeon, Spellborn International, was founded on the request of the private investors in the "Chronicles of Spellborn" project. I was one of the four directors of the company and was responsible for investor relations next to my duties as Creative Director on the game itself. I created the original I.P. and game design for the game.

Founder / Producer / Creative Director

Khaeon Games B.V.


Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Computer Games industry




June 1999 – November 2006 (7 years 6 months)


I founded Khaeon Games together with two partners in 1999. I was leading in establishing the company’s identity and vision. I also hired a large majority of the development team and managed the studio on a day-to-day basis. I was responsible for the creation of the three unique I.P’s that Khaeon developed (Alpha Black Zero, EuroCops and the Chronicles of Spellborn), and was also responsible for publisher and investor relations. Next to my management duties I alternately functioned as Producer, Art Director, Project Lead and Creative Director.

Hey Stilla,


I don't exactly understand why you posted that as a reply...

Stilla is a strange one I see.

What I am trying to say is that I don't get it either. :|

Alright I see something is going on again on the forums :-)!!!

Like zugu said:

"We might be just a handful of people, but as long as we're here, the hope won't die."

so lets not give up!

Code:

if (Stilla = Jesse){

echo "Well thanks Stilla for the post, for me its a big \"hope-boost\" to see that the \"Founder / Creative Director\" is with us..."

}

else{

echo "Dont get it XD"

}

well yeah... I think my post is the most confusing now...

Alright I see something is going on again on the forums :-)!!!

Like zugu said:

"We might be just a handful of people, but as long as we're here, the hope won't die."

so lets not give up!


if (Stilla = Jesse){

echo "Well thanks Stilla for the post, for me its a big \"hope-boost\" to see that the \"Founder / Creative Director\" is with us..."

}

else{

echo "Dont get it XD"

}

well yeah... I think my post is the most confusing now...

I don't get anything you just said...

I don't get anything you just said...

Funny thing is, I did

But you should have wrapped it in a code box ;p

Funny thing is, I did

But you should have wrapped it in a code box ;p

Code boxing it, doesn't make it english.

Wow.. This makes me sad..

@flythth nice to see another programmer


<script type="text/javascript">

function Topic_Reply(Understand_Reply)

{

if (understand_reply !=true){

echo ("You are not a Geek")

}

else{

echo ("Please reply in code form.")

  }

}

</script>