So I was overly optimistic when projecting how quickly I would be able to rewrite things to get back to where I was. I'm actually on the second rewrite right now, as the method I used for introducing my portal-equivalents was overly dramatic and would've been difficult to implement any follow-up portal-equivalents showing up.
I'm honestly not even all that happy with this second re-write, and had just gotten to the part of the MC entering his first portal. I actually don't think this re-write is unsalvageable. I'm hoping that it only requires going back and tweaking things a bit for it to flow a bit better and for parts of the story to not feel as rushed, particularly time spent inside the portal.
I've got an idea floating around in my head at the moment that might help things, and we'll see how I'm able to flesh it out. Currently everything gets rushed along a bit because I have the portals "counting down" each day, with each successful run pushing the countdown back a bit, so there's a bit of a rush to get in, have a successful run, and get out. I think I'll tweak that be implementing a "recall" type of feature, where you can technically leave at any time but things get progressively harder the longer you stay in, with progressively better rewards as well, and the portal's individual countdown "timer" is paused while someone is inside. That would incentivize having groups right there ready to go as soon as a group exits. Maybe do something like the countdown progressing by 1 every 24-hours the portal isn't in use, the countdown being paused while the portal is in use, and the countdown either progressing or being pushed back by 1 after a run based on whether the group succeeded or failed in its run.
Would like to have the re-write pushed out in the next few weeks, so I can at least get back to the point I was at on the original, and so that I can get feedback on the current world from people that aren't myself lol.
After receiving feedback from several people, I've come to the conclusion that it is probably best to start my own world rather than essentially pirate Shaddoth's. I've got a basic idea in my head of what I want it to be, with some rather fundamental differences. For one, the system would be a bit more open, with any individual being able to enter instead of just those who were "chosen". Secondly, limited weapon choices when you first enter instead of just getting a random floating weapon, essentially putting everyone starting out on a similarly level playing field (one thing I found a bit odd about Shaddoth's world is that some started with runic weapons while some did not, giving some Hunters a fairly large advantage right out of the gate).
I also intend to make the public reaction to the system a bit different as well, with the dungeon crawlers being something like celebrities.
Believe it or not, I actually hit upon a potential solution to a problem I was having while writing this blog post, so I should be able to jump into the re-write pretty quickly. With any luck I'll be able to have something for y'all soon.
I'm not new to writing. At 35 now I would certainly hope I wasn't lol. However, I'm definitely new to having other people read my writing. Over the years I've started and stopped many stories. When I don't plan things out I write myself into corners. When I do plan things out, it's a lot like work and I've already got a job lol.
When I read Axeman, the GameLit realm that Shaddoth created resonated with me, as someone whose been playing video games since childhood. So I came to the decision to write a couple of short stories in the universe, following the formation of a couple different dungeon crawling teams. I doubt any of them will ultimately go very far, but thought I'd give it a shot. What I've posted already is basically what I've got so far, as I struggle to decide where I want things to go next now that this first team has completed their first dungeon crawl. Hopefully I'll get it figured out and be able to knock out a few more chapters.
Also, the concern has been raised by at least one reader that Shad never opened the universe to others. I reached out to him in early May but didn't hear back. If Shad has any concerns though, I'll happily pull the story...or maybe re-write it as a new universe. I might end up doing that anyways, as I had a few ideas I wanted to explore that didn't really fit Shad's universe.