State of the Game #5

Hey there again everybody! I pray that all is well with you—I’m doing really well! And speaking of prayer… that will be covered a bit more in this State of the Game. Um… why don’t we start with that… it’s later… um… right?!

(Note: Some links, downloads, and interactive content mentioned in this post are no longer available. Several items were intentionally taken down after their original release, and portions of this post are preserved here for historical context.)

Prayer

This comes from my actual desktop—yes, my real desk, not the PC one I’m talking about here—from a daily devotional.

The bottom line is simple: Pray.

If you’re tired, sick, or emotionally overwhelmed — PRAY

If you’re on cloud nine and life seems perfect — PRAY

If you lack direction — PRAY

If you doubt that prayer makes any difference — PRAY

If the circumstances of your life are out of control — PRAY

If the circumstances of your life seem well within your control — PRAY EVEN HARDER

But whatever you do — PRAY.

I’m also reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

I know that many who read this may not be Christians. Some may be agnostic, or place their faith in what the world has to offer. That said, Faith Based Games is rooted in my Christian beliefs. And for those I know and love who do have a real relationship with the Lord—you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Yes, as Christians, we are called to pray. And to pray a lot.

You might be wondering why I’m talking about prayer at all. It’s because sometimes—whether you believe in God or not—things simply don’t go according to plan. You reach moments where you want to throw in the towel and say, “That’s it. I’m done.”

Those moments happen to me more often than I’d like to admit.

And when you’re involved in ministry—especially something like creating a faith-based game—you start asking hard questions during those times:

• Am I really in God’s will with this project?

• Or is this just doubt being stirred up to make me quit?

  
  

Last month (April 2021), I hit one of those moments while working on a small project.

Something broke so badly that it couldn’t be saved. Hours upon hours of work were gone.

It was incredibly frustrating. Frustrating enough to bring me to tears.

That’s when I have to do one thing immediately :Stop. And pray. ASAP.

And I also lean on fellow believers to pray with me.

So yes—here I am again, writing this month’s State of the Game, still moving forward despite the setbacks. If you have a moment, please pray for this project (The Right Path), and do it ASAP.

Aurora Borealis

Just be aware that there ARE spoilers in this “game”/video!!

I created a short interactive scene featuring Helkena and Conny under the Aurora Borealis. They’re at Badger Lake, watching the lights overhead. Yes, I know the Aurora Borealis doesn’t normally appear that far south—but this is a man-made version. It is my story after all… I could add glowing flying squirrels if I wanted. (Relax—they’re not in the game… probably.)

You could “play” this short development build. It was about 15 minutes long, had no voice-over, and included some minor visual glitches. Saving was disabled, and the build was never intended as a final release.

The downloadable version (now taken down) was nearly 3.5GB and required additional software. Due to compatibility and packaging issues, the download was eventually removed.

The build was only available for a limited time, after which access required contacting me directly.

This scene was created in Unreal Engine 4 using the Visual Novel Framework by Jenny Gibbons at Woodsy Studios. Thanks, Jenny!

(This section is preserved to document development history; the interactive build and download are no longer available.)

Photos

Like always, I had more photos of Helkena—being, well… Helkena.

You can view those photos HERE.

That’s it for this month’s State of the Game.

Thank you for reading, thank you for praying, and thank you for sticking with me through both the victories and the struggles.

Be blessed,

Sam 

🙂