Author's Note
When I began to write this, almost two months ago, finishing it was almost in a distant fog. The idea of novelizing the original downloadable Redwall game seemed to me a daunting task, and getting the entire thing out seemed like it was going to be impossible. Still though, I set fingers to keys and began to work. And two months later I've finally finished it.
It is, without a doubt, the finest work of my short and undistinguished career. I really enjoyed writing it, though there were problems.
At times I felt as though the story took itself too seriously, almost as though I was over-writing it. Anyone who has played the game may get this feeling as well, although upon second reading I don't at all feel this way.
Another problem I had with it at points was the simple fact that it was based upon Vermin Invaders. Anyone who has played the game will know that its brilliance is in its simplicity. This story, while fairly simple, I worry fails to communicate the addictiveness of the game. You don't play the game for plot. You play the game because, simply, it's wonderful to hit that shift key and blast those vermin outta there!
But I think it came out rather well. It adds a dimension to the game that didn't exist before. Now, when I go back and play the game, I always think about the story that I added and I realize that it puts a lot more depth into the game. When I want to blast vermin, the game is still always there for me, but it's also there for me when I want to play a Redwall game with a little bit of plot, something that hadn't really come out until the wonderful "STC" came out with Vermin Invaders 2, a much more advanced version still using the same simple gaming system.
Speaking of VI2, I know there are those of you who will be eager for it to be released. To those of you who are looking forward to my VI2 novelization, I have a few things to say to you.
First, I'm flattered that you would actually want me to write a novelization of VI2, because it means you enjoyed this one. Thank you for reading me and I hope you read my other stuff in the future.
Second, there will be a Vermin Invaders 2 novelization. It will be out as quickly as possible. Those of you who are fans of the series know that VI2 took STC over a year to make. I can promise you that it will be less than a year before VI2 the novel is released.
However, it may be a while. There's obviously school, and other work (I'm working on a serial right now, as you may or may not know, so that makes my writing career even more interesting), and then there's the simple fact that VI2 is going to be both a lot more fun to novelize and a lot harder.
It is, as fans of the series know, a lot longer than the original VI. It also has much more of a story that I have to stay faithful to. It actually has some characters in it that I need to use.
VI fans will notice that Scarbow was included in this novelization. I did that because I thought fans of the series would love it, and I also did it for myself. I love seeing the link between books in a series, and I thought it was really neat that I was able to include Scarbow.
But getting back to VI2, I do promise you that it will be out sometime, hopefully sooner rather than later. But there's other projects, and my serial, and school...and then there's gotta be some time for friends, family, sleeping, and eating in there.
I'm going to a little something to tide you VI fans over. A short story (maybe one or two or three at the most chapters), based on one of the bonus games in VI2, will be released within the next few months, just as a little appetizer for things to come.
To wrap things up, basically what I'm trying to say is that I really appreciate those of you that stayed all the way with me, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. Thank you especially to the fans of STCP games, specifically the VI series, for reading this. I hope you thought it captured the spirit of the game while expanding on it, and I hope that it expands the fun of playing the game. Feel free to e-mail me at JonOgden@aol.com with any questions.
Keep blasting vermin!
~J.S.O.
When I began to write this, almost two months ago, finishing it was almost in a distant fog. The idea of novelizing the original downloadable Redwall game seemed to me a daunting task, and getting the entire thing out seemed like it was going to be impossible. Still though, I set fingers to keys and began to work. And two months later I've finally finished it.
It is, without a doubt, the finest work of my short and undistinguished career. I really enjoyed writing it, though there were problems.
At times I felt as though the story took itself too seriously, almost as though I was over-writing it. Anyone who has played the game may get this feeling as well, although upon second reading I don't at all feel this way.
Another problem I had with it at points was the simple fact that it was based upon Vermin Invaders. Anyone who has played the game will know that its brilliance is in its simplicity. This story, while fairly simple, I worry fails to communicate the addictiveness of the game. You don't play the game for plot. You play the game because, simply, it's wonderful to hit that shift key and blast those vermin outta there!
But I think it came out rather well. It adds a dimension to the game that didn't exist before. Now, when I go back and play the game, I always think about the story that I added and I realize that it puts a lot more depth into the game. When I want to blast vermin, the game is still always there for me, but it's also there for me when I want to play a Redwall game with a little bit of plot, something that hadn't really come out until the wonderful "STC" came out with Vermin Invaders 2, a much more advanced version still using the same simple gaming system.
Speaking of VI2, I know there are those of you who will be eager for it to be released. To those of you who are looking forward to my VI2 novelization, I have a few things to say to you.
First, I'm flattered that you would actually want me to write a novelization of VI2, because it means you enjoyed this one. Thank you for reading me and I hope you read my other stuff in the future.
Second, there will be a Vermin Invaders 2 novelization. It will be out as quickly as possible. Those of you who are fans of the series know that VI2 took STC over a year to make. I can promise you that it will be less than a year before VI2 the novel is released.
However, it may be a while. There's obviously school, and other work (I'm working on a serial right now, as you may or may not know, so that makes my writing career even more interesting), and then there's the simple fact that VI2 is going to be both a lot more fun to novelize and a lot harder.
It is, as fans of the series know, a lot longer than the original VI. It also has much more of a story that I have to stay faithful to. It actually has some characters in it that I need to use.
VI fans will notice that Scarbow was included in this novelization. I did that because I thought fans of the series would love it, and I also did it for myself. I love seeing the link between books in a series, and I thought it was really neat that I was able to include Scarbow.
But getting back to VI2, I do promise you that it will be out sometime, hopefully sooner rather than later. But there's other projects, and my serial, and school...and then there's gotta be some time for friends, family, sleeping, and eating in there.
I'm going to a little something to tide you VI fans over. A short story (maybe one or two or three at the most chapters), based on one of the bonus games in VI2, will be released within the next few months, just as a little appetizer for things to come.
To wrap things up, basically what I'm trying to say is that I really appreciate those of you that stayed all the way with me, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. Thank you especially to the fans of STCP games, specifically the VI series, for reading this. I hope you thought it captured the spirit of the game while expanding on it, and I hope that it expands the fun of playing the game. Feel free to e-mail me at JonOgden@aol.com with any questions.
Keep blasting vermin!
~J.S.O.
