A Minecraft-style travel adventure game. One year of development, 3,500 lines
of code, from 7th grade to 8th grade.
Overview
War of the Ages is my favorite, most labor-intensive, most ambitious, and highest-quality
project since I began teaching myself game design. I handled everything—game design,
art, music, testing, and promotion—all on my own.
As a child, I was obsessed with fantasy adventure stories like The Lord of the Rings and
Robinson Crusoe, and I've always loved Minecraft. So I channeled that passion into
creating this Minecraft-style travel adventure game. Challenge yourself and become a
better version of yourself—that's the original vision behind Age of War, and it's the
belief I want to share with every player.
Background
The development spanned one year, from 7th grade to 8th grade. The codebase consists of
approximately 3,500 lines of C++ code, totaling approximately 160,000 characters.
Tools used include the EGE graphics library for game visualization, RPG Maker for map
image creation, and WavePad Sound for BGM creation. Every aspect of the game was crafted
by a single developer during middle school.
GameView
This is an adventure game. Players embark on a hero's quest, traversing oceans, deserts,
blood-red valleys, dark caverns, and vast grasslands—each map presents an unknown trial.
Push boxes to solve puzzles, defend towers against powerful foes, use your wits to break
through encirclements, and employ strategy to secure victory. Overcome challenges,
unlock new gear, grow stronger along the way, and press forward. The world awaits your
conquest, the era is yours to shape.
Gameplay Areas
The game world is rich with diverse environments and interactive systems:
🏪
Shop & Dialogue
Trade with merchants and prepare for your journey. Manage resources and gear up
before venturing into dangerous territories.
🔮
Magic Rune Puzzles
Activate rune tiles and magic orbs to unlock paths. Solve environmental puzzles
to progress through the world.
🧗
Climbing & Parkour
Climb ladders and cross dangerous terrain to unlock paths. Navigate treacherous
landscapes with precision jumping.
⚔
Armory & Items
Manage weapons, supplies and exploration gear. Collect and upgrade equipment to
face increasingly powerful enemies.
🗺
Multi-level Maps
Travel through stacked zones and find hidden routes. Explore interconnected world
maps with secrets waiting to be discovered.
Development Journey
This project represents a full year of self-directed learning and creation during middle
school. Every system, every pixel, every note of music was created by a single developer
driven by passion for game design.
Solo Developer1 Year3,500 Lines160K Characters
Reflection
War of the Ages was the first big game I made by myself. Nobody taught me how to make it.
I had no class, no teacher, and no plan — just a game I really wanted to exist, and
about a year to figure it out.
At the beginning I thought I had to learn everything first. Learn C++, learn how to make
art, learn how to write music, and only then start building. But I never got to that
point — there was always one more thing I didn't know. So I gave up on waiting and just
started making the game, fixing problems as they came.
That changed how I learned. Every time something broke, I had to find out why. Every time
I wanted a new system, I had to search for how other people did it, try it, fail, and
try again. I didn't learn from lessons in order. I learned from whatever the game needed
next. Looking back, I think that is how I actually learned most of what I know — not by
studying first, but by needing it and then figuring it out.
Now when I want to make something I don't know how to make, I don't wait until I'm ready.
I start, get stuck, and learn the part I'm stuck on. War of the Ages is where I first
learned to do that.
