MMO Updates Part II
by Prairie Games · 04/10/2007 (2:47 am) · 32 comments
It's been another crazy few months for Prairie Games... The good news is that Minions of Mirth continues to sell very well... and we're now at nearly 40,000 registered players. That's not too bad for an OpenGL game where maybe 20% of the people who try it get a black screen and crash due to old drivers :)
It's been nearly a month since our last update. Here are a few happenings, broken into some sections.
----- Minions of Mirth - Upcoming Patch
We have a massive patch for Minions of Mirth coming within the next couple weeks. It has a whole slew of new features, content, fixes, optimizations, and other stuff. We'll be sending out a mailing about the patch once it is live.
The patch has been mostly developed by the "Community Development Group" which I discussed in a previous blog. These guys totally rock and I am constantly amazed at how fast they add high quality features to the game. For example, they've completely revamped the PvP system and it now supports Guild vs Guild, Realm vs Realm, etc. all on the same server and player selectable.
They also added a spiffy item hyperlink system for easily getting information (not unlike a certain mainstream MMO from Blizzard). You can add links to items, spells, skills, factions, etc, very easily to chat. So, no more typing item stats in :)
The patch notes are many pages long and there is some really cool stuff in there. We can't wait to get this off the test server and onto the live servers! It's not long now! :)
----- Minions of Mirth - Modding Kit
Minions of Mirth shipped with modding support. Though, it was a quite limited... the work we've been doing at the MMOWorkshop (see below) has allowed us to really boost up the game's modding support and it is now a fully moddable MMORPG!
The modding kit is intended for people who want to work on MoM or total conversions adding quests, monsters, making new zones, etc. Modders can run all the servers that are actually used for the official game (master, character, world, zone, GM, etc) it also comes with an integrated patching system. We also have a binary client and distribution builder with a handy "Minions of Mirth: Premium Edition" checker built in:
The modding kit is ready and available to be played around with right now. Though, it is in alpha and we are looking for feedback and help with it. The modding kit should be quite popular and also help bring more people into the Torque technology family. If you'd like to help us evangelize, feel free to let us know... We'll have more information (and some huge thanks) as we move into beta and release on the modding kit :)
----- MMOWorkshop.com
We've also been working on the MMOWorkshop.com site. It is primarily an integration of Trac project management, Subversion, and phpBB2 for authentication and forums. It works really well and other than needing a web designers touch, it is very functional. We have a timeline, change sets, ticket system, source browsing with revision logs, a wiki, roadmap, etc. Go ahead and check it out!!!
We've also been busy with documentation, cleaning up the sources (still a fair amount to do), releasing preview versions of the MMO Technology, and getting feedback on it all. There's a FAQ available on the site for more information, although like anything in beta/preview it is subject to change. Please pardon the dust!
----- IMGDC
Josh Ritter (the person writing this blog) will be speaking at the IMGDC on "Scalability and its Affects on Business and Design". I believe this is going to be recorded and it is the VERY FIRST time I'll be speaking in public, it should be interesting to watch :) I'm really excited for the conference and it should be a lot of fun. There should definitely be some great ideas bouncing around... and I hope some demo material too.
----- A very long engagement
Lara and I have been engaged since the move to North Dakota, founding of Prairie Games, the production of Minions of Mirth, and the year since its release. It is definitely time to put an end to this freaking engagement once and for all! We're getting married next month!! Here's the cheesy "engagement photo" that was part of the wedding photo package.
Woot!
-Josh Ritter
President
Prairie Games, Inc
http://www.prairiegames.com
It's been nearly a month since our last update. Here are a few happenings, broken into some sections.
----- Minions of Mirth - Upcoming Patch
We have a massive patch for Minions of Mirth coming within the next couple weeks. It has a whole slew of new features, content, fixes, optimizations, and other stuff. We'll be sending out a mailing about the patch once it is live.
The patch has been mostly developed by the "Community Development Group" which I discussed in a previous blog. These guys totally rock and I am constantly amazed at how fast they add high quality features to the game. For example, they've completely revamped the PvP system and it now supports Guild vs Guild, Realm vs Realm, etc. all on the same server and player selectable.
They also added a spiffy item hyperlink system for easily getting information (not unlike a certain mainstream MMO from Blizzard). You can add links to items, spells, skills, factions, etc, very easily to chat. So, no more typing item stats in :)
The patch notes are many pages long and there is some really cool stuff in there. We can't wait to get this off the test server and onto the live servers! It's not long now! :)
----- Minions of Mirth - Modding Kit
Minions of Mirth shipped with modding support. Though, it was a quite limited... the work we've been doing at the MMOWorkshop (see below) has allowed us to really boost up the game's modding support and it is now a fully moddable MMORPG!
The modding kit is intended for people who want to work on MoM or total conversions adding quests, monsters, making new zones, etc. Modders can run all the servers that are actually used for the official game (master, character, world, zone, GM, etc) it also comes with an integrated patching system. We also have a binary client and distribution builder with a handy "Minions of Mirth: Premium Edition" checker built in:
The modding kit is ready and available to be played around with right now. Though, it is in alpha and we are looking for feedback and help with it. The modding kit should be quite popular and also help bring more people into the Torque technology family. If you'd like to help us evangelize, feel free to let us know... We'll have more information (and some huge thanks) as we move into beta and release on the modding kit :)
----- MMOWorkshop.com
We've also been working on the MMOWorkshop.com site. It is primarily an integration of Trac project management, Subversion, and phpBB2 for authentication and forums. It works really well and other than needing a web designers touch, it is very functional. We have a timeline, change sets, ticket system, source browsing with revision logs, a wiki, roadmap, etc. Go ahead and check it out!!!
We've also been busy with documentation, cleaning up the sources (still a fair amount to do), releasing preview versions of the MMO Technology, and getting feedback on it all. There's a FAQ available on the site for more information, although like anything in beta/preview it is subject to change. Please pardon the dust!
----- IMGDC
Josh Ritter (the person writing this blog) will be speaking at the IMGDC on "Scalability and its Affects on Business and Design". I believe this is going to be recorded and it is the VERY FIRST time I'll be speaking in public, it should be interesting to watch :) I'm really excited for the conference and it should be a lot of fun. There should definitely be some great ideas bouncing around... and I hope some demo material too.
----- A very long engagement
Lara and I have been engaged since the move to North Dakota, founding of Prairie Games, the production of Minions of Mirth, and the year since its release. It is definitely time to put an end to this freaking engagement once and for all! We're getting married next month!! Here's the cheesy "engagement photo" that was part of the wedding photo package.
Woot!
-Josh Ritter
President
Prairie Games, Inc
http://www.prairiegames.com
#3
04/10/2007 (4:57 am)
Congrats Josh! Exciting times all around. :) 
#4
04/10/2007 (5:44 am)
Awesome news!! Congrats to both you and Lara on the upcoming marriage. :) 
#5
04/10/2007 (5:55 am)
Congratulations on everything Josh!
#6
04/10/2007 (6:33 am)
Congrats Josh, looking forward to hearing you at the iMGDC! 
#7
04/10/2007 (6:45 am)
Congrats to you both :)) 
#9
04/10/2007 (7:07 am)
Congratulations on the upcoming wedding!
#10
That did not originate from Wow. lol.
Anyway, you know i have been looking at your tech as far as an indi mmo kit, and i think i have to say, with all the investment required because of your architecture (server ETC..) i'm not sure this solution/technologies is really usable by Independent developers.... Well, the kind that lean more on the side of the hobbyist side as far as funding. The only ones that would really be able to leverage this tech are going to be well funded groups.
Any plans to create a solution that requires LESS hardware just to get running?
04/10/2007 (7:30 am)
"(not unlike a certain mainstream MMO from Blizzard)."That did not originate from Wow. lol.
Anyway, you know i have been looking at your tech as far as an indi mmo kit, and i think i have to say, with all the investment required because of your architecture (server ETC..) i'm not sure this solution/technologies is really usable by Independent developers.... Well, the kind that lean more on the side of the hobbyist side as far as funding. The only ones that would really be able to leverage this tech are going to be well funded groups.
Any plans to create a solution that requires LESS hardware just to get running?
#11
04/10/2007 (7:36 am)
How you get the time to do all this still amazes me... Well Done! 
#13
Actually, you can have everything running on the same computer (server or usual PC).
And yeah, grats Josh & Co. :)
04/10/2007 (7:38 am)
@ Allyn, the word "server" doesn't always means physical server machine. It could be software instance.Actually, you can have everything running on the same computer (server or usual PC).
And yeah, grats Josh & Co. :)
#14
Congratulations on everything Josh! And most importantly to you and Lara!
04/10/2007 (8:25 am)
WOW, great update!Congratulations on everything Josh! And most importantly to you and Lara!
#15
04/10/2007 (8:54 am)
Sweet! And congratulations! 
#16
04/10/2007 (8:58 am)
Congrats on everything... and you are a very wise man to have your wedding next month. My wife's sister just got married in North Dakota this past FEBRUARY... how crazy is that... it was snowing and -40 below zero. That was just wrong.
#17
04/10/2007 (9:08 am)
@bank i understand that, but unless it directly says that in the documents (haven't read that yet) ill assume, as all the graphics/diagrams show, they are physical machines, and some shared ones. 
#18
I'm thinking if you two can stick together through the development and release of a MMORPG, the next 50+ years should be cake.
Congratulations!
04/10/2007 (10:14 am)
*sniff* I wasn't invited to the wedding :[I'm thinking if you two can stick together through the development and release of a MMORPG, the next 50+ years should be cake.
Congratulations!
#19
I live in Minnesota just across the river from Nodak.
04/10/2007 (10:22 am)
Hey - does prairie games have an office?I live in Minnesota just across the river from Nodak.
#20
@Dave Young: You are going to be at IMGDC? Awesome, can't wait to meet ya!
@Allyn: The technology scales from single player -> player hosted worlds -> a complete server hierarchy on one computer -> a complete server hierarchy with multiple world and zone servers on distributed across many computers. I'm not sure how we can create something that requires less than one computer? :)
@Benjamin: Um, getting married in ND in Februrary?!?!?! That is like the darkest and most brutal months here... no thanks! ;)
@Eric: We don't currently have an office, though hopefully this will change within the next year or so... it has really become more than 2 people can manage!!!
-Josh Ritter
Prairie Games, Inc
04/10/2007 (10:28 am)
@Everyone: THANKS! It is a bit much to deal with right now and I am definitely feeling a bit overloaded. Though, I think we just might be rounding the corner and that's always good!:) @Dave Young: You are going to be at IMGDC? Awesome, can't wait to meet ya!
@Allyn: The technology scales from single player -> player hosted worlds -> a complete server hierarchy on one computer -> a complete server hierarchy with multiple world and zone servers on distributed across many computers. I'm not sure how we can create something that requires less than one computer? :)
@Benjamin: Um, getting married in ND in Februrary?!?!?! That is like the darkest and most brutal months here... no thanks! ;)
@Eric: We don't currently have an office, though hopefully this will change within the next year or so... it has really become more than 2 people can manage!!!
-Josh Ritter
Prairie Games, Inc
Torque Owner Neo Binedell