After WhuddleWorld and Before Now...

 

After WhuddleWorld changed hands and Katie and I were no longer involved with the business, we stayed in close touch with each other.  (Katie lived in Canada and I lived in the Midwest - so it was mostly phone and Internet - and yes, even snail mail sometimes).  Social Media was just coming into its own, so we were pretty primitive still LOL!

 

In early 2008, we made a decision to try our hand at something new and different from WhuddleWorld - so we formed MelonSoda.  We had LOTS of ideas for apps and app-like games before there really were "apps" as we think of them now and one BIG project we called "Miriynys".  Katie really gets about 95% of the credit for MelonSoda - she came up with the name (I still think its sooo cool!), she designed the company logos and did all the graphics and design work for our web site.  She also did almost all of the concept art for our "Miriynys" project as well.

Speaking of art and our fledgling business - we also reached out to seek new "partners".  Cait was one of the artists Katie had originally hired to work with her on original WhuddleWorld and she was one of the first people we reached out to when we formed MelonSoda. Sasha was a programmer/tech person I had met online through forums of common interest related to gaming and she had started working on her own game when we invited her to join the team.  Both these women were just phenomenal at their respective areas of expertise and I wish MelonSoda hadn't sputtered out so quickly.  Once again, I think we had a very cute and potentially popular phenomenon in Miriynys.  I still think it would be well liked even today actually.  Though I am a little biased I suppose... ::grin::

Of course the short life of MelonSoda games is, in many ways, another part of the WhuddleWorld saga, but I'll spare that backstory.  Either way, I think it's fun to remember and share some of our ideas and more of Katie's amazing graphic and design work*, even if it isn't specifically WhuddleWorld related.  If you look at the images throughout this post and think, "I wonder what that game might have been like?!" - you will have made _MY_ year!  Here's a few more...

This is a one of the GUI design comps

This is a location map comp

This is a character profile comp

 

These next few are just some random GUI elements and other early planning images.

 

Inventory and collections are a MUST!

No game should be without a gashapon machine!

*I would display some of Cait's work as well, but Katie sort of gave me blanket permission to post the WW and MelonSoda "stuff' but I don't have Cait's specific permission to share her work and I _do_, very much, respect artist's rights to their respective works - digital or otherwise.