Citizens Of Antiford 
The Reveal
'Wild Araz'
By Joel Arnett
Hi everybody. Today you all saw this video I hope. The let's play to the Game announcement can be found on youtube and on this very site! I have been working on a project that will illustrate Antiford in a way that has yet to be done. This project, currently called 'Wild Araz' but dubbed 'Zoo Game' is completed enough to be shown.
Premise
You are a poor Zoo Employee. You live in the basement of the zoo itself. One day, the Zoo gets a new Director. Faunna Lattrice looks around and has had enough. No animals, no customers, and an increasing debt. The Gearford Zoo is going to close if something doesn't change. She gets your help and decides to change things.
You begin your journey to the outside world. Start off by collecting meager local wild life like Rats and Chickens, but soon you will be hunting down the Istoki's most famous animals. Desert Scorpions, Skuttlekovy, Chanka, Sand Worms, holy cow, is that a Goblin?
However, gathering animals isn't all Antiford has to offer. Along the way you'll uncover a criminal organization, help catch bounties, hand deliver mail, and more! First it is Gearford, but then you'll have Astam, Argenstrath, White Haven, and more!
Meet important Antiford figures, like heads of mills, Mayor White, Lucas Buford of Buford Automatons and more! Have shady dealings with pirates and junk shop owners. Maybe even meet the whispered about Order of the Badger!
But all this cannot happen without your help! Let's see what a nobody from Gearford can accomplish in this wild, wild world of Araz!
The Goal
My goal for the game, as I keep saying, is to illustrate the world of Antiford in a way previously unable. I want people to be able to experience the bustling districts of Gearford. I want you to be able to ride the train to Astam Station and bump into Mr. Buford himself. I want people to see the Goblin Caves and experience the vastness of the Istoki Desert. I want people to be able to drink with Nolan and experience an over-the-top Leo Swift adventure. It might not be a good game, it might not be perfect, it might not have the best story, but it will illustrate the world.
I have said before I want it to be accurate, but not necessarily Canon. This means I want to be able to see Leo Swift and Rillain and Phinneus, and fight alongside them without their creators worrying about "Well... Leo wouldn't really go into a Goblin gave shooting up Goblins with some random guy just to grind for experience... that's dumb".
The Characters
There are a few in-world characters that will be created for the Game. The first and most important of which is Antiford's only Zoo, the Gearford Zoo and their new Director Faunna Lattrice. Otherwise, don't look towards my game for Cannon.
Do, however, look towards the game for Cameos of all sorts! In the above let's play, we see many characters from the website. The Order of the Badger, Captain Leo Swift, Anabelle, and Rillain. I love the idea of adding people to the game who are from our very own community. Why create a character when ones exist? I also want to have as many of the community available to "unlock" for companionship as possible. PLEASE UNDERSTAND, however, that not all characters are fighters or make sense to be companion characters. I do hope you do not take offense if your character doesn't appear right off or doesn't get an in-game roll that you were given. I hope this won't fracture our community.
The Story
A lowly Zoo employee living in the basement of the Zoo must embark on a grand adventure to regain attractions and animals for the Gearford Zoo to attract customers to save them from their debt.
Along the way, the employee will accidentally uncover a criminal organization ransacking towns and terrorizing Citizens of Antiford. You will also find out a mysterious Fortress Industries has an unhealthy interest in the wild life of Orr. If you so wish, you'll also find a flustered Lucas Buford who's bogged down by work, a bounty hunter tracking down a Astam bandit gang, or a farmer who just wants to be locust free.
The Creator(s)
Ok, everyone. here it is. This game was created, designed, and written by me, myself, and I. That's right, Arnett and Nicholas are the two accounts that are in full control of this game. I'm the director, the art lead, the programming lead, and the writing lead. So, that mainly means that if you have any complaints or if you are upset with how your character, event, or location was portrayed, used, or not used then the only person to be mad at is myself. I am very sorry. I have an image of what the game needs to be in my head and I am working hard on achieving that goal.
That being said, I do want to acknowledge some help I have been getting thus far. Abigail Beatrix has been amazingly helpful in the art department. She has been getting me assets, tiles sets, characters, battlers, animal sprites, icons, etc etc etc for use in the final game. I appreciate that immensely! It's because of her art that Antiford is going to be better represented in the game.
Our own Erik Vonkresser is also in need of a bow here. During the November Game Jam, he took up the mantle and got me an amazing amount of amazing battlers. Because of him, I will now be able to have a variety of enemies, thugs, and bosses in which to fight.
And I cannot forget our founders, The Order of the Badger. Because of the effort of Lucas, Phinneus, and Abigail Beatrix, the game has been tested, put through the ringer, and supported by them. They keep be accurate, they have pushed the game bigger and bigger. Although the game in it's current form may need to be dialed back a little, it is much bigger then I first set out to do and it is a much better game for it.
The Art/Screenshots
Please visit the sister post: Wild Araz Screenshots, for the Screenshots I could not fit into this post.