This is our third newsletter. We have lots of new people -- welcome!

We missed an October edition; we have been so busy with preparations for the Christmas season. We want to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving (in the U.S. -- those outside, have a great Thursday)!

WINNER OF RANDOM DRAWING
Since we missed a month, we are drawing two names for a free game! The winners for this month and last month are:
davidlcj@singnet.com.sg
&
ajt7662@cs.com
Congratulations! You have won a Saints of Virtue game! If you want to enter our contest next month, just refer us to one of your friends and you'll be entered in the drawing. (Note: If you have already purchased the game from the website and win, you will be credited the purchase price.)

SECRETS REVEALED!
"What did it take to make Saints of Virtue?"
Well, it takes a lot of hard work!!! That was the #1 ingredient. Add lots of creativity and imagination. Then mix in a few dashes of crazy and wild ideas and stir! In making the game, we really relied on God to give us creativity and inspiration to make something different and godly yet fun.

It took us about 12 months of development time to create Saints of Virtue. The first several months were spent on design and figuring out how things would work. Issues like what does the interface look like, how does the sword weapon work, and how do you get objects and power-ups? Then, we had to decide the different levels and what they would be about. We actually had several extra levels and regions planned out that we hoped to add, but the game became big enough with its four current.

Once we had most of the design overview and interface figured out, we started on the first level -- The Amphitheater of Apathy. We came up with a bunch of ideas for each region, and then planned the layout and look. As each region came together, we would then add more ideas. For example, in the Mall of Distractions, we had it looking like a mall, but we wanted to emphasize the "emptiness" of pursuing after material things. So, we thought...ok, what could we do to show that? We then made it so that if the player tried to get any of the items in the window, the item turns to dust. Months later, when we were in playtesting, some people liked getting rid of everything. We thought...hmmm...that's good...let's reward them and so we put a few hidden power-ups on certain items. So, if you've played through the Mall and didn't shoot or touch the mannequins and items in the window...you can...and sometimes you can get power-ups!

We could go on about many of the design decisions that we had...but we'll stop for now. Stay tuned for more. Next month, we'll let you know about some of the levels and regions that we wanted to add, but didn't have the time for!

THE CHRISTMAS TREASURE

Twas the month before Christmas and all through the land
Worldliness indulged in his well-crafted plans.

The children were dreaming of ALL they would get
Of toys and of candy and of clothes you can bet.

The mothers were longing for bright shiny things
like silver and gold and huge diamond rings.

New Cars, computers and that awesome new tool,
those kinds of things made the fathers all drool.

All across the land people gave hardly a thought
of the ultimate end to the treasures they sought.

Worldliness worked hard to keep them from knowing
the emptiness that comes from the seed he'd been sowing.

With great success, the mask helped us believe
that happiness comes through the things we receive,

But the truth is not hidden, it's there in plain site.
It's not in the things, but in WHOM we delight.

God tells us not to store up treasure on earth,
For dust and decay will be it's ultimate worth.

Your heart can be found where your treasures lie
What a waste of time if in things that you buy.

So store up for yourselves great treasures above
and bathe all your things in the perspective of love.

For God's greatest treasure, His most valued ONE
became a treasure for us, Christ Jesus His SON.

Let's defeat Worldliness this Christmas season and make Jesus Christ our true treasure!!

-by Mike Ulrich

LATEST UPDATES ON OUR WEBSITE
1. Our Hall of Fame keeps building with over 30 members now!! You can check it out at http://www.saintsofvirtue.com/hallfame.html. If your still working on getting to the end, keep going! We want to see your name in there soon!

2. We updated our hints section to make some of the hints more clear and helpful.

3. We have upgraded our home page so it looks cleaner and is more to the point. We also offer reviews of the game so people can see what people say about the game. We thank you for all your great and positive comments!!! If you want to add your thoughts, just write us at developers@saintsofvirtue.com

4. We were featured on the 700 Club on Friday (11/19). Also we are in New Man's magazine (Nov/Dec issue). If you saw the 700 Club feature, please write us (at developers@saintsofvirtue.com) and tell us what you thought!

WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT
Here’s some cool websites that we recommend surfing to:

#1 FaithStart -- http://www.faithstart.com
This is a guide to the best websites from a Christian perspective. This site is really different in that it is really easy to use -- just one click and you go there. It has both Christian content and secular including movies, music, travel, school, and more. It also offers some great links on growing in your faith, Biblical help on issues, and equipping your faith. Plus it has a huge list of Christian magazines and organizations.

#2 Studentz.com http://www.studentz.com/index2.htm
This is labelled as resources for students sharing the gospel. You need a Flash player to view this, but it is VERY COOL! You will be impressed!

#3 ChristianTeens http://www.christianteens.net/main.shtml
Super cool place -- has great music reviews, articles, etc. plus it covers questions, devotionals, youth groups, and so much more.

#4 The FischTank http://www.fischtank.com
This is the website of writer John Fischer. John specializes in writing about Christian music and culture. He has a column in CCM magazine. You can find thought-provoking discussions here.

#5 PeggiesPlace http://www.peggiesplace.com
If you haven't heard of Peggie's Place, then you have to check it out. It's very popular and has a ton of links. She especially has some great links for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

DON’T HAVE THE GAME, YET?
We offer the game on our website for $29.99 with free shipping. Goto http://www.saintsofvirtue.com/buy.html
(Here's an insider hint...if you're thinking of buying the game now...if you can wait a week or two, we are going to be having a special Christmas sale)

You can also purchase the game at many Christian bookstores. If your local Christian bookstore doesn’t have it, then please ask them to order it! It's ISBN# is 1-889055-10-7.

We hope you enjoyed this newsletter. Glad you can be a part of it!

In Christ,

The Shine Studios Team --- Bud, Mike, and Dave

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