It's time for some more juicy details about the new chapter in the series.

We're not quite ready for screenshots and interviews yet, but they will come in time as well.

Yup, it's that time again. I have my pen and paper and I'm writing up the plot for the next game in the Orbs of Magic series.

I have decided not to send Mel to the Arishta Isles in this book, but she will be going there in book 4. Instead, Mel is going to begin the exploration of a new continent in search of... do I even have to say it? *grins*

Te'ijal and Galahad won't be in this chapter as lead characters (Te'ijal runs off to hide since she's not so keen about being human), but one or both of them will be back as strong leads in book 4. Mel will be hearing from Te'ijal a lot in this book, but from afar.

There is a shocker at the end of this book, and it will change Mel's life forever and pull her toward a prophecy she has no intention to fulfill. I wonder who will win? Fate or Mel?

For those who use iTunes, go get the Aveyond 3 Soundtrack today! There are 33 tracks included from Lord of Twilight and Gates of Night. Thanks for your support!

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=326399560&s=143441

If you want a physical CD, please order one at www.walzmusic.com/own.htm

Hi everyone, I wanted to let you know that we have a new member of the staff at Amaranthia! I would like to introduce you all to Joe Lieberman (aka TheFool), our newest Amaranthian! Joe will be responsible for getting the games out everywhere, customizing our community, and keeping Amaranthian's up-to-date on what is happening in our little kingdom.



Although many of you don't know Joe yet, I have a neat story to tell you about him! Ahem, let's begin...

Once Upon a Time...



A loooong time ago--okay about five years ago, in a land far away, I made a game called Aveyond. After I made it, I had no idea how to sell it. I put the game on my site, and no one came. I lost hope and figured I would be a technical writer for the rest of my life (yawn).



Then Joe found me. At the time he had just started a sales/marketing business called VGSmart, and he was looking for guinea pigs to test on. For several weeks he hounded me to let him help me. At first, I wan't sure, but eventually, I coughed up $500 dollars and paid Joe to show me how to sell a game.



Immediately, Joe was sending out emails to folks all over the games industry and he introduced me to a new term: Casual Games. Joe gave me a bunch of game sales homework, and before I knew it, I was taking a crash-course in games business.



Joe introduced me to two game portals called ArcadeTown and Reflexive who took Aveyond. When Aveyond launched it did great!



Then, a small, but successful game portal, Big Fish Games (small no longer!), spotted Aveyond, and decided to promote the heck out of it. Before I knew it, Aveyond was everywhere!



Around this time, my game marketing crash-course with Joe was up, and we went our separate ways.



Speed ahead several years, and Amaranthia became a bustling community. Between the community and games, I started working more and more hours. Last year around September, I realized that working from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. was not okay. And, even with those crazy hours, I still wasn't getting everything done that I needed to get done. I disappeared from the community, and most of my industry contacts hadn't heard from me in months.



I realized that I needed to make some major changes to Amaranthia before I went crazy.



Shaz and Bryce came to my rescue. With Shaz taking over development and Bryce taking over technical support, I finally had enough time to step back and look at the company.



I got some good advice from a very cool industry exec, and most notably, I realized that I needed someone to manage business relationships. Joe immediately came to mind, but last I knew, he was employed by someone else. I said "what the heck" and I emailed him anyways. To my surprise, he was free! And he wanted to help! This someone was Joe.



So, five years later, Joe has come back!!! And this time, we've captured him indefinitely.



The End!

Aaron Walz, who's currently having the time of his life at Casual Connect in Seattle, has sent us some new videos of Lord of Twilight with voices.

Enjoy them all


Te'ijal makes an appearance

Walz Music & Amaranth Games are proud to announce the release of the Aveyond Lord of Twilight Voiceover Acting Upgrade Pack, which will be available very soon. The sound pack boasts 1400 sound files, 1.5 hours of voice acting and over 100 speaking characters.


This is the optional tutorial that plays at the start of the game.




This scene features Mel attending the royal ball to find a spy... but instead runs into her new friend, Edward... and finds out his big secret...

Hi folks, Aveyond: Gates of Night will be out next week if all goes well. This is chapter 2 in the Orbs of Magic series. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the next interview. It was so much fun to do!


Interview with Ulf





What is your name?
Ulf the Fifty-Sixth.

Where are you from?
The Orc Empire.

You are the smallest Orc I've ever seen. How does it feel to be so tiny?
I used to see it as a burden. When I was younger, I couldn't compete against my brothers for food and nearly starved to death. Luckily, I learned I had a brain.

Most Orcs never leave the Orc Empire. What encouraged you to go?
Besides being framed for murder by my brother and escaping from prison? Hmm... well, I feel that the world has given Orcs a bad name. I have always dreamed of traveling around the world and teaching people about the kind and gentle ways of the Orcs.

I've never thought of Orcs as kind and gentle...
We'll maybe I exaggerated a bit. Still, an Orc will always tell the truth.

Oh really?
Oh yes. Orcs don't like politics. If an Orc is going to eat you, he will tell you. In fact, most Orcs will describe in detail how they will eat you so that you understand the full process before they begin.

Wow, that is... disturbing.
It depends upon how you look at it.

Do you have a name for your er... cause?
The name of the cause is Orcs have Feelings Too. Orcs may appear to have tough exteriors, but they don't like being laughed at.

Have you cleared this "Orcs have Feelings" project with your emperor?
No way. The Emperor would never agree to such a thing. I'd be thrown into prison... again.

Interesting... very interesting. Well Ulf, It has been a pleasure chatting with you. I hope we learn more about your homeland in the next chapter of the game.

Thank you. Oh here, can you hand a few of these out for me?

Ulf gives Amaranth a large bag of "Orcs have Feelings Too" picket signs.

I would appreciate if you would hand these out to all of your friends.

Uh, okay. I'm sure there are a few Amaranthians who will rally around your cause... as strange as it may seem. Take care, Ulf.

A parting treat for you:

All of our testers have had some time to enjoy playing Aveyond 3 now, and just prior to the split into chapters, I asked them for some thoughts on the game.

Here are a few choice comments to help whet your appetite

Interview with Stella




What is your name?
Stella.

Where are you from?
I don't know exactly...

That's odd. You don't know where you live?
Unfortunately no. I don't remember anything before my fall.

Oh, okay. So, can you tell us a little about yourself?
No, not really.

Hmm, do you have a favorite color?
Sorry, no.

A favorite food?
Hmm... Edward gave me a Star Peach yesterday. It was much better than the Haunch that Mel tried to make me eat last week.

Do you have any aspirations in life? Edward tells us that you are a healer...
Yes, it appears I can heal things. I'm constantly cleaning up after Lydia. Don't tell her this, but I think she is obsessed with blowing things up.

Okay, I won't tell her that you think she has a... problem. So, how do you feel about Edward? I hear that he is a real ladies man.
Edward? He's sweet. Stella blushes.

Uh oh, we're running out of time. Let's close up with one last question. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
That's a good question. I'd like to have my own peach orchard and bunny farm. Bunnies are so cute.

Well, er, strange aspirations, but cute. Stella, it was a pleasure chatting with you.
Thank you, it was fun. Bye now.

Aveyond 3 is currently in beta testing.

For almost a week now, our mods and a number of guild members have been putting the game through its paces, getting stuck in all kinds of weird and wonderful places, and venturing into spots where no man (or thief) should ever set foot.

In a few days a second group of beta testers will join in, so by the time the game reaches you, it should be relatively smooth and bug-free.

Beta testing will continue for a few more weeks, and we're still on track for a May release.

And to those of you who I know are thinking "May is tomorrow!" - remember - May lasts for a whole 31 days

Here are some more screenies...