Timeline of MazeWorld (no ontology)
From Mazeworld
The distant past
The name "MazeWorld" is retained for one of the author's concept games, after reshaping and rethinking a game idea which took multiple forms over the course of nearly three years. As early as 2008, the author expressed the wish to create a realm to be used as the context of a game, but only very rough ideas based on this concept alone were created. Between 2008 and 2010, several tries were made, ranging from RPG forum, 2D platformer, RPG Maker-made roleplaying game, and even first-person shooter concepts were explored, but ultimately abandoned due to lack of interest, time, or resources, sometimes all three at once. Ultimately, after discovering classic roguelikes such as NetHack, and its variant SLASH'EM, the author was sufficiently inspired to create a table-top style roleplaying game with roguelike elements. It wouldn't be a video game proper, but a roleplaying game, it would definitely be.
The closer past
Between 2010 and February 2011, the project took on the name of "Project Downpour", named after one of the previous game concepts attempted and ultimately abandoned, before it took its current name of MazeWorld. A rough sketch of the game was then created and tested out privately with the author's friends; it proved, in their words, to be enjoyable and addictive and that they would always come back for more. The concept was simple: A random number generator would be used to generate room numbers, those room numbers each pointing out to an event; this event could be a new weapon, a monster, food, meds, clothing, armor, traps, and so on. The Mazes were truly born. Working from the original concept, the seemingly simple idea was greatly expanded upon to the shape it takes nowadays.
February 10th, 2011
Mazeworld left the conceptual stage of privately held games on MSN and was ported on to IRC, introducing the use of scripts and bots which are still used today. The author felt that IRC was a better platform for the game to evolve as it allowed the use of those bots, which are more flexible than MSN Plus! scripts; plus, the use of an IRC channel was the way for the Mazes to gather more people than simply two (the GM/Author and the player). Even though the roots of the game as a single player experience can still be felt today, it was a change in the direction of public, spectated games in which a player would take on his/her challenges while onlookers and spectators could watch and (occasionally and sparingly) comment.
July 17th 2011
During the week in which the author turned 18, MazeWorld's version upgraded to 1.5, bringing many new encounters and features, but also introducing officially the MazeWiki, on the wikidot platform. As a minor anecdote, the term Mazer was coined during the 1.5 era. This word is an affectionate nickname to denote a Mazeworld player.
January 1st, 2012
What first started as a simple update to 1.62 became a list of new features that piled up, constantly pushing the release date until the symbolic New Year's Eve, as it turned into version 1.7. The wiki opened the Other topics section and brought many new features which changed and enriched the gameplay, starting a trend to improve existing features on top of adding new ones, such as new features tied to roomstyles (crackable vaults in vault rooms, for example), the inclusion of fortune-telling elements, of restaurants and themed chefs to enrich the food system of the game, of the now ubiquitous Maze Citizen encounter type, to populate the Mazes and add to the atmosphere. In short, it is at the time of 1.7's release that Mazeworld, both as a game and as a realm, began growing sufficiently in the author's eyes to the point the realm now has a distinct feel, a sort of unique 'personality'.
February 2012
Even then, the way the game was at the time with v1.7 felt incomplete, and the author felt it needed even more to suit to what was felt as needed. Thus, on 02/02/2012, Version 2.0 was announced, with a gigantic list of new items and features, mainly lots of new weapons, the introduction of a new weapon accessory type (UGLs), a lot of new clothing and armor, tons of new encounters (introduction of mercenaries, new youkai, new creatures), and important changes in encounter-worn equipment.
February 10th, 2012
Mazeworld's first anniversary, and the release of version 2.0.
Between February and June of 2012
Afterwards, subsequent "revisions" of 2.0, which were quick and short updates adding or fixing a lot of things, were introduced over time. A total of 8 revisions were made, which spanned over several months.
June 13th, 2012
Two days after the release of revision 7, which coincidentally, could have been big enough to be an update on its own, the wikidot platform is abandoned and this very website, Mazeworld.net, is chosen to be the new home of the MazeWiki.
Summer 2012
Revision 8 is introduced in June 20th, introducing even more weapons to the Mazes. But the biggest announcement had to be made yet; Mazeworld 2.1, which would introduce and re-work so many features of the game it would reshape Mazeworld entirely. Several months of work to develop the new features of 2.1 then started, only finishing in August 9th when the author announced he would implement Beta testing, the aptly named 2.1 Beta during which players were invited to do mock sessions specifically to test out the new elements of the game. Ultimately, the testing was completed and deemed a huge success.
September 6th, 2012
Even though no delicious and moist cake was available to celebrate this, MazeWorld 2.1 is officially released on this date, with all the features announced and tested in Beta now implemented into the main game for all players to enjoy, thus marking the beginning of the new and improved MazeWorld era.
