Melee: Battlegrounds. An exercise in excellence which needs your help!

Several years ago, I met a remarkable young man from Serbia. We struck a genuine friendship, and with whom I speak to on a daily basis. Despite the fact he has been involved in a super, ultra secret project with all sorts dire consequences if he even mentioned the name of his project. Which consequently ate massive amounts of his time. After seeing what he and his fellow team-mates have accomplished I understand why they have been living like hermits. It is project Melee: Battlegrounds which has brought us here today and to bring attention to the Kickstart Campaign they need to bring their project forward.

Here is the look they have worked so hard to perfect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxFaOat2_HU

Q: Who are you? And what project have you been working on for over two years.

A: Hi, I am Siniša Vučković, people and modding community knows me by the nickname Zimke.
I am working on a Medieval Combat Sandbox, a game where you can fight in massive multi-player battles as a single soldier, have duels, tournaments, have your on heraldry and customize the way you look, build fortifications and castles, own a house in a town and socialize in taverns(play board games, even have brawl fist fights there, just beware not to get arrested by guards). Some social system will be also present in that town and you can customize your house as well, it's pretty much medieval life simulator

Beautifully rendered combat scenarios, give this a real world feel. Designed by some of the most passionate and gifted
game designers currently working in the field. 

We made our own engine to make this possible, there just wasn't any other way if we want all of this to happen. The Company and Project are made up of gamers and modders who made all of the modifications on a game called "Mount & Blade: Warband." We are just regular guys that felt passionately about what could happen or better still how to take a game and make it come alive. We knew what we had helped build once before, we knew we could do better. We have created a truly amazing looking and reactive environment but, we need help getting the game to the level where we can manufacture it. That takes money. With money comes the space for us to gather and plan. With money comes the distance from everyday life, so we can concentrate on finishing this amazing game. And lastly with money comes the ability for us to continue to invest ourselves and our spirit into the game.

Q: Tell us of some of the difficulties you have experienced in developing this game.

This is not just an infantry game of sword bashing. Cavalry will charge, or archers and crossbowmen will attack.
This is very much a game that keeps pushing your personal learning curve.

A: The engine itself, took two years to develop, it was really hard during this time, we barely had funds, worked from homes from all around the world while having our regular daily jobs, relationships suffered, friends got alienated because all of the free time we devoted to this, I can't remember when was the last time I slept for more than 5 hours. The name of our company is Donkey Crew, it came from internal joke from within the cRPG mod community.

Q: What countries are home to the Donkey Crew?

A: We come from all over the planet. USA, Russia, Serbia, Austria, Italy, Spain, Poland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Singapore. So it is really hard making a game like this, we really need to get together in one place, rent an office and living quarters, you just come to a point when people need to be together in one room. Telecommuting can only carry you so far. Which is why it is critical we get funds to carry this project forward.
Q: What is exceptional and different about this game... Because there are a lot of games out there. Why should I part with my hard earned money to buy yours?

The level of detail is just amazing! -We knew we have only one chance of producing this game. We worked really hard at getting the details just right.-Zimke.

A: If you want to fight with a new and revolutionary system where you actually control the weapons entirely, and those weapons are actually treated like physical objects, we made it!
If you want to experience massive multi-player battles with far FAR more then 200 players, yes, we give you that as well! Imagine all those players at the same time, every one of them is unique real person, and you just have to figure out how to kill them! But beware of crossbowmen, archers, cavalry, this is not a foot combat only game!

Build a Castle or Assault one! You can do both in this game!

If you prefer to build, you can do that too! Gather resources, stone, wood, make fortifications, or houses which enable faster and closer re-spawn; make smiths for better weapons, build an entire castle and fill it in with all necessary objects!
If you prefer to destroy, we have it as well! Attack supply caravans that bring resources for builders, use siege engine to destroy fortifications and castle walls, and help your friend capture it!
If you prefer to socialize, we have made an entire town, where you can advance in society, own and equip a house, visit taverns and play board games or drink or brawl, might even end up thrown in prison. Be a beggar, peasant, a guard or a governor if people elect you.

Beautifully rendered objects with their historical references can be seen.

If you are modder, this is a dream game, entire engine and tools we use will be handed out to modders, and they can personally collaborate with us, literally anything is possible in our engine, you can make fire spitting dragon which will be controlled by you, or you can make robots with laser, you name it, it is possible.

Q: What era do you start and does the game allow you to just jump in and begin fighting or do you have to build yourself and your armour level by level?

Even civilian clothing in the game is modeled after historically documented examples.

A: We actually want to implement very wide range of cultures. For the initial release we will work on 13th century, then we will add 14th and after that 15th. At the moment in our trailer you see Teutonic knights attacking Novgorod, that event is when the Battle on the Ice happened.( Which is why you see snow drifting through the battle scenes.) As for cultures, you will see Western, Eastern, Northern and Southern European, Balkan, Mongol, Byzantine, Turkic, and lastly Persian..

Q: Tell us about your research...

A kettle helm straight from the pages of the Maciejowski Bible.

A: I use archaeological finds and manuscripts, for this to make possible a lot of historians archaeologists and enthusiast from all around the world helped out. I myself as an reenactor have been researching the medieval history archaeological finds for many years. Not only how they looks, but also how they behave, real life reconstructions offer a lot of answers once you test them out. Hollywood implanted a lot of prejudice about middle ages, this game will help straight few things out. I would also like to take this time to express my deepest gratitude to those professionals who gave of their expertise. Each was a master of their particular field of research and they gave of themselves and their time in helping this project achieve the look it has.

Q: So let me get this straight, your arms and armour are historically correct and the simulations actually fight like they are wielding real arms and equipment?

Weapons as seen in the Maciejowski Bible and the Morgan Bible.

A: Yes, all that you see in our game is documented, and the real life experiences of handling recreations from those or similar items are gathered and being transferred to the game, we want to make it as much realistic and fun at the same time.

Game play on a massive scale!

Thank you Zimke for taking the time to explain to myself and my readers the game you and your fellows have sacrificed and dedicated so much of your lives to create!

Here is the link to the Donkey Crews aka Melee: Battlegrounds Kickstart Campaign:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1601737664/melee-battlegrounds-spiritual-successor-to-the-crp

On personal note, I think the art is so beautifully rendered, I would like to share a few more pictures that have been graciously granted exclusive first looks by Zimke and his fellows at the Donkey Crew.-Thank you very much!

A Conversation with Debra Brown, Author and Editor.

    "Dearest David, we cannot simply continue to exist on a diet of Arms, and Armour."-A reader sent me this note about a month ago.

     Which has prompted me to change or rather expand the horizons of my blog. I decided right then and there to search out interesting  persons and or personalities to profile on my blog. One of the first persons I met is a lady named Debbie Brown. She is an American author, and like me she has a blog. But unlike me it is not just a single person's view point but an entire community of historical fiction writers and historians!

     Last week I had an opportunity to interview Debbie Brown, and we spoke at some length about her writing and her latest literary efforts. I hope you will enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Thank you very much Debbie for your time. As we both know time is truly the one commodity once given away never returns.-DS Baker.

Q: What started your love of things historical?

A: When I was a child, I had the My Bookhouse Books. They were an amazing 7 volume set of books that a woman put together. The stories were written by famous authors and poets like Shakespeare, Chaucer, Keats, etc. not to mention Hans Christian Andersen. Later editions went up to 12 volumes, the last being a collection of biographies of all the writers.
I loved those books and read them endlessly. They had fabulous art, too, and all of it put together taught me about old England and other places which I came to love.
I became acquainted with older fashion, customs, etc., but didn't really have time to pursue knowledge of history till I was much older.

Q: So where did those books lead you in your love of history as an adult?

A: When I worked on jewelry for some years, I would watch period movies and series. I learned more about past customs from that, and would look things up on the internet if I was confused. Most of my history education is very informal. However, it is a driving force for me as it is for many. I also get library books now that I am not making jewelry. There is plenty to learn.

Q: How long ago did you start actually writing your first story, that you felt like was good enough for someone else to read?

A: Three years ago. It was published a year after I started. That was "The Companion of Lady Holmeshire."

Q: How many times did you edit it, and how many times did your support group of friends or family comb through it?

A: I went over it a dozen times before I sent it to the publisher. Each time, I thought it was the last, but then I would want to give it a last read-through ... repeatedly. Then my family and another author read it and I had more corrections to make. I did not realize that was the normal process at the time - it was done as a hobby.
A year after it was published, I revised it again, having learned more about writing.

Q: Where did the publication of your story take you after that? What sort of connections did you find all of a sudden blossoming in your writing life?

A: I began to blog, as they say one must have a web presence, and an author helped me to learn much about promotion. I also read in online writer's guidance publications, and applied some of what I learned. As time went on, I decided to team up with a group of authors that formed a blog which posted Daily British history, as I thought many people would be like me-hungry for that information. It became a popular blog, English Historical Fiction Authors. We also have a Facebook group by that name.

I also started a Goodreads group named Historical Info for Historical Fiction Readers to provide back up information to the stories we all read. Not being a historian myself, I invited authors to write about the eras their stories are set in. I met many new reader and author friends there.

Q: It sounds like you enrolled yourself into a steep gradient of learning not only how to write, but to edit as well. So tell us about the Anthology that came about as a direct result of your friends and associates

A: After we celebrated the first anniversary of our blog, one of the authors suggested we put selected posts together into a book. It was a wonderful idea, and I jumped right into it. One in our group has a very professional publishing business, and she agreed to publish the book. It was a year's work to get it ready for our second anniversary, and it was released on that day, Sept. 23, 2013.
The title is Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors. It is a big, wonderful, and beautiful book.

Q: How does it feel to be the Editor of an Anthology, and more importantly did you think it was going to be as much work as it has turned out to be?

A: It was a surprise to become the editor of an anthology. I am thrilled with the results, though it meant putting the brakes on my own writing project. I am creative at heart, but to see this book in print and to celebrate with the fifty-five contributors has made it well worth while.

Q: What sort of true-tales might we find within its pages?

A: Castles, Customs, and Kings is set out in chronological order for the most part, starting with the Roman occupation. I know your readers are interested in medieval history, and probably some of the Tudor era. These sections take up a good part of the book. Topics that are covered include interesting bits like Harold Godwinson, William Before He was the Conqueror, the Knights Templar, Simon de Montfort, The Religious Hysteria Caused by the Black Death, the "Notorious" Alice Perrers, early Theater, medieval bestiaries, the Tudor Court of Wards, the last Nun, the death of Henry VIII, and many more.The book continues and covers up through World War II.

Q: How have your marketed the book and how has the reception been?

A: I created a blog tour, and my co-editor and I are writing posts for various blogs. We started with a post on our own blog, which included a giveaway and the first spot on a blog hop which included twenty-three blogs. Now we are visiting the various blogs on the tour. Twitter is also a major means of informing the reading public about the book. Because of sales on my first book, Amazon is helping out by notifying my earlier readers. I can't complain about that! Also in the first week we were #4 in the section History > European > England for some days, and #1 in Historical Essays for some. That was exciting!

Thank you Debbie Brown for this interview and more importantly for helping to keep history alive and vibrant! I have included below the various American and UK Amazon Links to Debbie Brown and M.M. Bennetts anthology
US Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Castles-Customs-Kings-English-Historical/dp/0983671966/|
UK Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Castles-Customs-Kings-English-Historical/dp/0983671966/
Also on Kobo:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/castles-customs-and-kings/8Z74tNQVG0ubh-TttCWW0g

-DS Baker