I've been developing games as a hobby for (*checks watch*) a solid decade now. I started by playing around with the Games Garden engine by Three Rings after falling in love with their pirate-themed MMO Puzzle Pirates. Soon after that, I was making games in Java - I can't even remember if there was a framework or it was all just graphics primitives. I did some work on the Robocode engine for an AI professor and even started a small "game development club" at the University of Dayton. The club led to Dwarven Depths, my first commercial game.

After Dwarven Depths, I started a very ambitious game called Collision Bend. After working on that for years (and years), I needed to take a breather. Last October, I joined a Ludum Dare game jam and created a prototype for Caravana. I had a lot of fun, especially because "platformer" is a very established genre. Unlike Collision Bend, I could look at other games and take my cues from then.

I decided to turn the prototype into a full game. I honestly thought I'd finish up a short game by November, but of course the scope expanded and deadlines were delayed. I had other things going on at the time as well... like planning my wedding in November. What can I say? I'm optimistic. I've been having a lot of fun developing this game, so I don't regret that it's taken a lot longer. 

I'm happy that I've got it to a point where it's ready for the public. I consider this an early-access demo - the plot and storyline won't go much further than the demo currently reaches, but the demo can be continued after the plot runs out. I'm going to continue fine tuning the systems, especially the combat. At the risk of the ever-present scope creep, I'm at a point where I can see what the combat mechanics are and I know what direction I want to take them in.

Proud to get this released! My lovely wife and I are about to start a travel nursing assignment in Boston, and I'm hopeful (optimistic even) that I can get the final version of this game out by the end of our New England stint.