Cory Helson

Feel free to take a look around, find out more about me, and my interests, projects, and hobbies.

You may also be interested in seeing games reviewed through the eyes of a game designer. I'm putting together a new section of reviews of games that I've played, offering in-depth reflection on parts of the games that most players don't really take into consideration. The underlying foundation of games... what they boil down to. How FUN are they, and WHY? What makes one game better than another? How can games with poor graphics still edge out the competition in enjoyment? (even games without graphics, like MUDs)

Updates

12-05-2003

Nothing worth mentioning.

2-20-2002

Just a few changes... nobody really looks here anyway. Muds have lost their fun for me. Too much laziness on the part of coders and builders alike, generally due to the fact that it's all voluntary work, with few if any rewards. I'm focusing on commerical projects now. Making money making games has been my dream since I was 11, and all my plans and efforts seem to be working out.

9-6-1999

I've added my first full review. Final Fantasy 1. As I do more reviews, I may go back and revise those I have done. This is an experimental review page design, likely to change.

9-5-1999

Added content to the new sections. A links page, updated reviews page, (still no full reviews), my MUDs pages, and my Aboutme page. Soon I'll be changing my drawing pages, since they take tons of download time... and the graphics are taking a huge chunk of my Geocities space. ;-)

9-4-1999

I finally updated my homepage. It really needed it, although not many people see it anyway :-)
You won't be seeing many "professional" touches to my pages. I prefer simple, easy to navigate pages. No flashy stuff that distracts you, no irritating plug-ins required. No frames. Just simple text links, and few pictures. Mainly information.

[About Me]
This section is all about me. A little bit about my history of game design. My likes, dislikes, favorite games, music, foods, etc.

The team is officially on haiatus, but a few of us (including myself) are still working on commercial projects.

I worked as Producer and lead game designer with Indigogames. We were a small group of talented people all working together to make games that we wanted to play. Most of the team is either in college or working full time, so progress on our games is going slower than a devoted development group.

As Producer, I took care of the writing of the stories of our RPGs, as well as the character design, world development, monster design, and plenty of concept sketching. I worked on the battle system, shop system, menu systems, conversation with townspeople, etc. Also, as writer, I have to set the mood of each scene and work with our composer to get music that fits. Basically, my job is to "Design" the game. Thus, my IRC nick is IndigoDesignerCory -- or IDC, or IndigoCory)

My main project was Dawn of the Twilight Star (DOTTS), as well as the prequels and sequels that take place in that world.
The Crimson Talon (TCT), and The Talon Wars are related games.

[Muds]
One of my favorite pastimes was MUDding. I liked to play muds, I liked to build muds, I liked to run quests on muds. Most of all, I liked to create worlds that brought joy and brightened the days of others.
If I could make people happy with my work, or challenge them to the best of their abilities, I was happy.

[Drawing]
I like to draw. I'm not an artist that draws masterpieces. I like to call myself a Concept Artist. I sketch out ideas quickly, then I polish them up later, to further capture their meaning in my mind. Most of the story ideas in my games start out as meaningless doodles or character sketches. I also like to fool around a little with 3D modelling and rendering.

[Reviews]
My slowly growing section of game reviews, from a game designer's point of view. I break games down to their core elements... what do players really DO in the game, and is it really FUN? What makes a game fun? Where do games fall short of their potential for greatness?