Foundations of Hope - The Timeline

Game Name: Foundations of Hope Online
Technology: TGE + Torque MMO Kit
Genre: Christian Fantasy MMORPG
Company: Lethal Games Corporation
Game Website: Foundations of Hope Online

My first blog without screenshots. Ugh. Hopefully it is still worthy :)

I have been meaning to post my scheduled timeline and since I have no screenshots, it is the best time to do so. The timeline is based on completing the game within one year for the MyDreamGame contest. It is very nice to have a schedule to see when I must reach certain milestones. It keeps me on focus. Although the timeline for Milestone 1 has passed, I do have most of the characters created. I work on the last few here and there as I work on Milestone 2.

Milestone 2 is totally new terrain(pun included) for me. I have never touched the Torque Mission editor, so creating terrains and modifying them was intimidating at first. Then there is the whole brushed-based modelling that is a totally different creature than what I am used to. I am trying to learn the different programs and the process of how to do the modelling. I keep coming back to Constructor, so it will probably be the program I end up using.

But on the other hand, I do own a few content packs, so I most likely will fill a considerable amount of the world with those. I do want to learn to model with Constructor, but there are tempting times to just use content packs fully.

Then there is the Torque terrains. I have come along way in the last few weeks, but there is so much more to learn :-)

Anyways, as part of Milestone 2 it was in my plan to learn all this new stuff. You cannot really give much screenshots on that. Thankfully next month should not be a problem to have some screenshots of not only players, but of a populated world. I look forward to that.


--------------------------
Contest Start Date: 4/1/2007
Length of contest: 12 months
Contest End Date: Midnight EST on April 31st, 2008.

Milestone 1: Create all playable characters and have atleast three texture outfits each.
July is my Saurian month, and August will be my dragon modeling month. In between modelling I also want to:
#1) Learn how to script new playable races and classes.
#2) Learn to script new critters.
#3) Start modifying the client GUI to look more "Foundations of Hope-ish".

So hopefully at the end of August I will hit Milestone 1.

Milestone 2: Learn and start creating zones and dif formats for Torque and the Torque MMO Kit. The goal will to model enough buildings, furniture, etc... for 10+ zones in 4 months. That should put me around the end of November for Milestone 2.

Other goals:
#1) Continue to modify the client gui
#2) Start modifying the spell system and special effects.

Milestone 3: Start creating NPCs, quests, items, and learn more of the python scripting which MoM uses for its backend. I am allotting 3 months so that will be the end of February.

Other goals:
#1) Finish any incomplete side goals from previous milestones.

Milestone 4: Only March and April left to finalize everything. I will need to encrypt my models and not yet sure if I will need to C++ source yet or not. I am not a programmer so it shall be interesting. The final months will pretty much be to edit/test and finish any loose ends that I might have missed in the previous milestones. I am sure I will be off on dates for my goals so extra time will definitely be needed.

The final game is planned to be launched July 2008. I will add a few more characters and zones that the MyDream contest version will not have.