I see a lot of people on this board with great ideas, all getting revved up to build their Big Game on Coldstone. I am no different, but I'd like to throw in my 2 cents here.
There is a lot more to an RPG than good graphics and an interesting story line. The creation of RPG's is, in my mind, very much an art, on par with writing and movie making. There are many skills you need to know if you are going to make a good one yourself, including writing and art. But there are also skills which can only be learned through experience. Subtle things like proper dialogue, item balance and the creation of a believable world.
You could learn these things in Coldstone, of course. But Coldstone, like any powerful program, will take much time and effort to create something worthwhile. I feel there is an easier way.
Blades of Exile, or BoE, is what I've chosen to help me in this department before I tackle my dream game in Coldstone. BoE itself isn't the most notable program out there, but it's community is terrific. Lot's of people to play your game and very knowledgeable people willing to help you improve your skills. On top of that there are contests and reviews to test your skills. It is also quite easy to build a scenario in BoE. You could have one that would reflect your style and story completed within a month. An excellent testing grounds for ideas.
Even people that posses good skills would do well to give BoE a whirl so they can avoid common pitfalls. As a beta tester of Pillars of Garrendall I saw several problems that are having to be fixed during beta testing (and some that may never be fixed) that could have been avoided with some previous experience. (Though I am not saying that Pillars of Garrendall is a bad game, I still find it great fun :))
No, this is not an advertisement for BoE, I am simply trying to tell others about what helped me. 
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You're never too old to be a Super Mario fan.
But you forgot to provide a link "for further information"! 