After months of writing documentation, discussing story lines, fleshing out quest, going over game mechanics and programming, you are ready to search for artists who will help bring your epic game into the real world through concept art and design. For a writer, and frankly the entire team, this is the time that most people look forward to (until the first Beta testing begins).

To be blunt, this is also the time that you want to pull out your hair and scream all sorts of foul words in various languages to the heavens…

As the title implies, taking a great story and turning it into a game that works is probably going to be the first point where your team starts to butt heads.

Up until this part of development, everyone that is on board with the project has been throwing around ideas, elements that they want included and generally getting to know one another. But as you begin to take those ideas and implement them into the actually game design document, at least half the team won’t like the direction that the game is going, while the other half, probably won’t care…

To a writer, nothing is more important than the story. Whether it is movies, TV or games, the story can be the make or break for me, no matter how high the production values are. So, when it comes to the development of Conquest of Heroes (CoH), I am always determined that each player lives through an epic adventure that will go beyond just a game.

Conquest of Heroes’ story was primarily inspired by two things…

Every company, big or small, has a beginning. Very often the origin involves one person who has an intimate interest and a dream. For Burning Man Studios (BMS), that man is 26-year-old English-born Steven Hammans.

Like millions of gamers worldwide, Steven’s dreams weren’t that uncommon or spectacular, but started because of a passion for…

“Burning Dreams into Reality” is Burning Man Studios’ motto and, frankly, there couldn’t have been a better one. Burning, kicking, screaming and clawing is what a independent studio has to do if they have any hope of getting noticed, pickup or funded in any way.

So, what makes a company a company then? Is it millions of dollars for production? A large team of workers? Or having a physical building which to call your own? These are all things that we think of, or hope to achieve one day. The truth is, that most independent gaming companies don’t have these luxuries. The question really is, do these things define you as a company?

Well, they certainly help, but they do not define a company…

In this 10-week series we offer an exclusive, insider’s look into the world of independent game development, focusing on indie game developer Burning Man Studios.

The series is written from inside the fire pit by Burning Man’s lead designer and writer (and Gamertell staff writer), Chris Buckner, who offers plenty of trade secrets, insights, suggestions, observations and exclusive interviews.

Consider Burning Ambition your personal advice column for breaking into the wonderful world of independent videogames. Good luck and don’t get burnt.

Click through for your formal introduction to Burning Ambition…