Blog for Leathel Grody at GarageGames.com

Foundations of Hope: The Mounts

Leathel Grody — 2008-09-23T03:05:28+00:00

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

The Foundations of Hope Mounts

Ah, the mounts of FoHO. I really did not plan to implement any mounts until the very end but I decided to implement a portion early for testing purposes. The amount of work that will take to finish them will be rather immense. The FoHO mounts are not the typical mounts, but will more be a skill to switch the mesh so that the players are able to do mounted combat. This will include mounted combat on land and in the air on their dragon mounts. Doing it this way and having eight Professions(races), male and female, will require me to create and animate sixteen land mounts and sixteen dragon mounts. Alot of work, but I think it will be well worth it to be able to do mounted combat.

So far now, I have implemented the mount portion only. I am telling the testers to pretend their character is sitting in the saddle :) But the initial testing of mounted character meshes is pretty sweet. They keep the proper armor textures as well as weapons and helms. Armor and weapons switch with inventory swapping as well. I currently have the land mounts given to testers once they reach level 30. They then receive the Dragon mount at level 60.

If I ever get real crazy, I might look at setting up a new Mount gui system so armor and weapons could be added to the mounts, but that is a nicety and not a necessity at this point. The character models will atleast swap textures and weapons which is the most important to release the game.

Just a reminder I have permission to use models similar to Daz models because my books are all illustrated with Daz products, and this allows me to to tie the game and books together so everything looks very similar.

The Saurian Mounts

The design is based on the Daz3d's Dragons of Burden. The actual model however was originally MoM's Mammoth model from the MMOWorkshop Critter pack.

Human Mounts
The humans will be using the 3d-diggers horses. Had to pretty much remodify them for the kit, but they are in and working and looking great.

Dragon Mounts
Both Humans and Saurians will receive dragon mounts. Possibly different colors per realm, but I haven't had time to create new textures so everybody gets a grey dragon for now.

I wanted to pick on some players that were teasing not being able to ride the mounts yet. One is a Troll character which are like 8 foot, 600lb beasts. I hadn't yet created the Saurian Beast to be the Troll's mount so did a couple screenshots to show what would happen if they tried to use the current smaller mount. I said it would be faster for the Trolls just to pick up and carry the mounts, thus pic 2.

Foundations of Hope pre-Alpha 2.42

Leathel Grody — 2008-09-15T03:58:23+00:00

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

FoHO pre-Alpha 2.42

Here I was trying to post once a month and well I missed that :) Things are still moving quite well. I have lots of updates coming up so figured I'd atleast get all that has been done in the game in a blog. I can't believe it, but it has been 4 months already since starting pre-Alpha and allowing people to play as I develop the game. I have the update process down pretty decently as well as the "Oh crud! Why isn't that working. Backout plan, Backout plan!"

I've implemented Dragons as the third realm. They start off as hatchlings and every 15 levels until 60 they get a new template which is a larger dragon with more skills. They have been a big hit and most people are playing them instead of the main two realms(Humans and Saurians).

Besides all the game additions below, on the development side I added the CS Commoner and Warrior models as NPCs. Makes it nice to have different looking NPCs. Had to modify them to get them to work with the Torque MMOKit, but they are in and looking good.

More pics of recent updates:

Finally just finished my 10th zone(The Mountains) with 55-70 level critters. I have multiple players that are now over level 50 so they have kept me busy keeping up with them.

Bayou Dungeon:

The Mountains:

The Tim Aste castle modified with different textures. Castle will be used as a Capture-The-Castle events.

The Mountain Castle:

Group Shot:

My 4 year old's character Ethan. He is one of my level 50+ users. He can buff, heals, track, trade, alliance. It blows me away. I have to let new people know he is only 4 and can't read because they try and chat with him because they would never guess his age.

Now here is all that has been patched since 2.0

Pre-Alpha 2.42 9-14-2008
-Increased Bayou Forge radius from 100 to 200 for blacksmithing purposes.
-Modified not near a Forge Blacksmithing message
-Fixed pets not being able to use new Animal Crafted weapons. No weapon model shows on pets at the moment. Maybe at a later date.

Pre-Alpha 2.41 9-13-2008
-Added Neutral Craftsman Dealer and Forge at Bayou Dungeon entrance.
-Added Animal Crafting. Items should work for both Dragons and Pets.
-Added Power Wield to level 25+ Animal Combatants.
-Added Cobalt Ore to all Mounts as UNCOMMON
-Added Cobalt Ore to Cougars and Arctic Cats as COMMON

Pre-Alpha 2.40 9-11-2008
-Fixed lower level bow and arrow sell back prices.

Pre-Alpha 2.39 9-11-2008
-Modified fighting to be in synch with attacks.
-Increased fight attack speed from every 5 seconds to 2.5 seconds. Because you are only seeing an combat animation during actual attacks now, it helps to not be so boring. Before it was playing filler(not actually attacking) attack animations between the 5 seconds gaps.

Pre-Alpha 2.38 9-10-2008
-Added horses to Great Wall
-Added wild Saurian Mount(no saddle) to Great Wall.
-Added wild Saurian Beast to Great wall.
-No, none of the mounts are actually mountable.
-Modified ranged weapon code. Arrow now flies with bow animation.

Pre-Alpha 2.37 8-29-2008
-Increased Spider Silk drops on Forest Spiders and Tarantulas.
-Fixed more Spell effects from being just white squares.
-Raised vendor armor costs.
-Added Light Armor Vendor Beor(Saurian) to The Troit.
-Added Medium Armor Vendor Walix(Saurian) to the Great Wall.
-Added Heavy Armor Vendor Jorj(Saurian) to Mackinac.
-Modified server to use less cpu.

Pre-Alpha 2.36 8-20-2008
-Lowered Animal Attacker and Stalker health and defense.
-Increased Disciple and Mentalist Defense and Health by double
-Increased Medic and Alchemist Defense and Health by triple
-Increased Disciple and Mentalist mana limit slightly
-Increased Medic and Alchemist Offense

Pre-Alpha 2.35 8-19-2008
-Raised The Mountains flying height.
-Changed Snakes to Reptiles instead of Animals.
-Made Animals and Reptiles not use special skills for the time being. Should help to solo during beta.

Pre-Alpha 2.34 8-18-2008
-Increased Bayou Dungeon critter drops from RARE to COMMON
-Increased the amount of critters in the Bayou Dungeon.

Pre-Alpha 2.33 8-17-2008
-Lowered crit hits of Animal Stalker class(actually did this in 2.32)
-Fixed Dragon's Slashing Claws from being passive.
-Modified animals to use more skills than just Fists. So might be slightly harder.
-Cougar's in Desert are now out during both day and night.
-Fixed Cougar's low money loot.
-Added Mountains zone. Go left at Great Wall junction.
-Mountain Critters: Arctic Cat(Level 55), Grizzly Bears(60),Human General(65), Troll General(65), Mountain Ruffian(70)
-Removed Castle from Chicago. Moved to Mountain Zone for Capture-the-Castle at a later date.

Pre-Alpha 2.32 8-11-2008
-Added Desert zone. After entering Bayous take the path that leads to the right.
-Desert critters: Tarantula(Level 40),Desert Bat(45 only nights),Rattle Snake(50),Cougar(55),Deser Ruffian(60). Ruffians are humans against all realms.

Pre-Alpha 2.31 8-09-2008
-Added Human soldiers to the Great Wall area.
-Implemented Saurian and Human faction. Human and Saurian vendors are part of the faction. If a human kills other humans(NPCs) or if a Saurian kills other Saurians(NPCs), the vendors and NPCs of your own realm will attack you.

Pre-Alpha 2.30 8-08-2008
-Fixed Crystalline and above Crafted weapon prices being so low.
-Fixed Blacksmith costs. Should now be less when near a forge.

Pre-Alpha 2.29 8-08-2008
-Added Wolf Weave to Arctic Wolf Leaders as COMMON
-Added Ebony Shaft to Black Bears as VERY RARE
-Added Ebony Shaft to Kodiaks and RARE
-Added Ebony Shaft to Polar Bear Cubs as UNCOMMON
-Added Ebony Shaft to Polar Bears as COMMON
-Added Snakewood Shafts to Green Snakes as VERY RARE
-Added Snakewood Shafts to Brent and Ethan Monsters as COMMON
-Added Snakewood Shafts to Vipers as UNCOMMON
-Restructured the Archery Craft skill to require crafting of both bows and arrows. Only way to fill in all gaps between 1-910 skill level.

Pre-Alpha 2.28 8-05-2008
-Increased Mackinac's flying height.
-Removed flowers from Great Wall to test if source issue on some clients.
-Zoom back in.

Pre-Alpha 2.27 8-04-2008
-Replaced source with old. Zoom is gone.

Pre-Alpha 2.26 8-03-2008
-Modified Rangers sleep of animals to be +5 levels higher than a Beast Master. Was 10.
-Changed some medic Istri spells to Faith spells. Now available through Dr. Quinn.
-Disciples can now get some Medic Health buffs.
-Added Spider Silk to Forest Spiders. Trying this again.
-Fixed Power Wield. Outlaw Blade Masters and Saurian Trolls that know Power Wield should now be able to wield two 2-Handed weapons.
-Implemented zoom back in to fix first person bug.
-Fixed a few of the spells that had the white squares(missing textures) when casting. Will fix all the rest later.

Pre-Alpha 2.25 8-01-2008
-Increased level of animal that can be charmed by Beast Master charms. Example: Charm Inferior used to only do up to level 10 but now can charm up to level 15 animals.
-Added Charm Beast spells for Reptiles, Arachnids, and Grey Dragons. Available at Grizzly Adams.
-Modified Rangers charm of animals to be +5 levels higher than a Beast Master. Was the same as Beast Masters.

Pre-Alpha 2.24 7-31-2008
-Added Ebony Staves to Troll Chieftain and Saurian Mounts.
-Fixed Black Bears and Black Bear Cubs from giving random loot.
-Added Wolf Weave as loot to Black Wolves and Arctic Wolves for fletching.
-Added Snakewood Stave as loot to Vipers.

Pre-Alpha 2.23 7-29-2008
-Added random loot back in except animals. If anything weird pops up. Let me know.
-Modified Fletching arrows to include a skill 10.
-Made Human casters use Spirituality for increasing mana.
-Made Saurian Casters use Mind for increasing mana.
-Wisdom stat is currently not being used by any race. Possibly Dragons later.
-Modified Beast Masters to use stats the same as Guardians. They are more Combat orientated now. Might be best to recreate a Beast Master if you have one.
-Increased Beast Master pet levels
-Disciples and Mentalists can start disenchanting items looted with extra abilities.

Needed for Enchanting. Put item in craft window and type \disenchant.
-Enchanting skill enabled for Mentalist and Disciples. Need to create a tutorial though. Complicated at first.
-Disciples and Mentalists now have Chemistry skill to be able to make Fortified potions for Enchanting.

Pre-Alpha 2.22 7-26-2008
-Added Archery Craft to Rangers and Scouts.
-Added Fletcher Don in The Troit by Blacksmith Joe. Learn to craft better arrows and bows.
-Added Fletcher Donar(Saurian) at the Great Wall by the Blacksmith. Learn to craft better arrows and bows.
-Lowered Feathered arrow range to 30.
-Removed Flaming Arrow from dealer. Will be a craftable item instead.
-Lowered range of bows bought by dealer. Craftable ones have more damage and better range.
-Fixed Giant Alligators not have chemicals.

Pre-Alpha 2.21 7-24-2008
-Modified spell casting message per Realm.
-Increased weapon price that use Blacksmith materials(Crystal, Platinum, etc.)
-Added Chemistry Craft for Medics and Alchemist
-Chemical A and B can be found on Alligators and Giant Alligators.
-Chemical C can be found on Troll Bruisers and Troll Warycryers.
-Chemical D can be found on Reisheen Mentalists and Reisheen Bruisers.
-Chemical C can also be found on Human Archers.
-Chemical D can also be found on Human Sentry.

Pre-Alpha 2.20 7-22-2008
-Blacksmithing added. Blacksmith near a forge or the cost is 5X higher.
-Added skull and broken skull to Lion cubs and Mounain Lions loot. Used for Blacksmithing.
-Added Crystal to Rusty Spiders. Used for Blacksmithing.
-Added Platinum Ore to Rusty Beetles. Used for Blacksmithing.
-Raised Rusty Beetles to Level 30.
-Added Obsidian to Rusty Elementals. Used for Blacksmithing.
-Raised Rusty Elementals to Level 35.
-Added Diamond to Rusty Gargoyle. Used for Blacksmithing.
-Raised Rusty Gargoyle to Level 40.
-Blacksmith Zki(Saurian) moved his forge from The Troit to The Great Wall.

Pre-Alpha 2.19 7-18-2008
-Server side updates.

Pre-Alpha 2.18 7-12-2008
-Modified all dragons leveling to be slower. Found why they were leveling so fast. So it might take a few kills before your bar starts moving and catches up to where it is supposed to be at.
-Lowered cost of Master Smithing Hammer for testing purposes.
-Lowered cost of silver crafting items.
-Made PvE default instead of RvR.
-Increased Dragon's fire damage.

Pre-Alpha 2.17 7-12-2008
-Added Dragonteen Ezra to The Troit.
-Added Dragon Adult Eztra to The Troit.
-Modified requirements that off all dragon templates, except Hatchling, that you must be a dragon of a specific level in order to get them. Example: A level 30

Human cannot get a Dragon Cub template. They have to have a level 30 Dragonling.
-Made current Dungeon mechs aggro against Dragons.
-Added new light sources to Light Vendor
-Moved the Black Forest bind stone to first Guard Tower as you enter Black Forest from The Great Wall.
-Added Saurian Mount to Great Wall. Non-Mountable.

Pre-Alpha 2.16 7-08-2008
-Added Bayou Dungeons. Entrance is in Bayous straight south of Bayou entrance.
-Added some robot critters in the Bayou Dungeons.
-Added torches for a light source. They go in your Light slot under Items.
-Added Light vendor Tork outside Bayou Dungeon entrance. Vendor is neutral to all Realms.

Pre-Alpha 2.15 6-26-2008
-Fixed Human Guards spawning all over Mackinac.
-Game Management/Back End updates
-Modified Character Selection gui.

Pre-Alpha 2.14 6-25-2008
-Dragons can now take over Chicago and Mackinac.
-Fixed Ethan monster and Brent monster not attacking Dragons.
-Mackinac is now a Capture the Flag area. Two objects high on bridge need to be beaten. Good luck!
-Moved and added many spawns on the Mackinac Bridge.
-Chicago and Mackinac can be considered Realm vs Realm zone to protect who controls them.
-Added Artic Wolves(level 35) to human controlled side of Mackinac.
-Added Polar Bears and cubs(level 35) to the Saurain controlled side of Mackinac.
-Implemented temp rail car transport from Bayou to Mackinac for Saurians. Look at sign by Bind stone.
-Implemented temp rail car transport from Mackinac to Bayou for Saurians. Look at sign by campfire and Troll vendors.
-Added level 25-35 critters to the Black Forest.
-Added Dragon Cub skills and information.
-Added Dragon Cub Ezra to The Troit for the Dragon Cub Ezra template.

Pre-Alpha 2.13 6-26-2008
-Fixed Human Guards spawning all over Mackinac.
-Game Management/Back End updates
-Modified Character Selection gui.

Pre-Alpha 2.13 6-25-2008
-Dragons can now take over Chicago and Mackinac.
-Fixed Ethan monster and Brent monster not attacking Dragons.
-Mackinac is now a Capture the Flag area. Two objects high on bridge need to be beaten. Good luck!
-Moved and added many spawns on the Mackinac Bridge.
-Chicago and Mackinac can be considered Realm vs Realm zone to protect who controls them.
-Added Artic Wolves(level 35) to human controlled side of Mackinac.
-Added Polar Bears and cubs(level 35) to the Saurain controlled side of Mackinac.
-Implemented temp rail car transport from Bayou to Mackinac for Saurians. Look at sign by Bind stone.
-Implemented temp rail car transport from Mackinac to Bayou for Saurians. Look at sign by campfire and Troll vendors.
-Added level 25-35 critters to the Black Forest.
-Added Dragon Cub skills and information.
-Added Dragon Cub Ezra to The Troit for the Dragon Cub Ezra template.

Pre-Alpha 2.12 6-22-2008
-Fixed some Humans skills going to Dragons that I missed.
-Minor changes in Dragon templates referring to Monsters instead of Dragons.
-Added Dragon Fire skill to Dragonteen and above
-Added Dragonling template to Dragonling Ezra
-Changed Ezra to Hatchling Ezra. This will allow people to see difference between models.
-Added Dragon Banker north of The Troit.
-Add Dragon Food Vendor(for selling items as well) north of The Troit.

Pre-Alpha 2.11 6-18-2008
-Removed Animals(Pets) and Dragons ability to use standard weapons and armor. Animals and Dragons will have their own armor and weapons someday.
-Added Animal and Dragon weapon and armor skills(no items though).
-Added the beginning code for Animal Weapon and Armor crafting.
-Modified Animals to be aggressive toward Dragons
-Added more wolves to The Troit.
-Added more bears to The Troit.
-Added more lions to The Troit.
-Added more trolls to The Troit.
-Added Ezra as the Hatchling template giver. Level 10 character required.

Pre-Alpha 2.11 6-17-2008
-Modified almost all skills to fix double damage issue.

Pre-Alpha 2.10 6-16-2008
-Changed Chicago Human NPC classes
-Lowered Flying Tiger kick to 300 until find why it is doing double damage.
-Lowered Merciless Strike on critters until find why it is doing double damage.
-Made RvR default when zoning.
-Started preparation for Dragons.
-Lowered Troll Chieftain to be 1 Level 30 instead of 30/30/30.
-Fixed the water flooding at The Great Wall human tents.

Pre-Alpha 2.9 6-16-2008
-Changed Haunted House windows.
-Cut out a bunch of Chicago buildings.

Pre-Alpha 2.8 6-13-2008
-Lowered Troll and Reisheen spawns to Level 20.
-Added city-is-conquered message to go to whole World instead of just Zone.
-Added Black Forest zone(no critters). Go west at Great Wall path junction.
-Added Chicago with four test capture city spawns. Follow path to west through Black Forest.
-Chicago can be Realm vs Realm zone.

Pre-Alpha 2.7 6-12-2008
-Fixed Troll punch message.
-Increased Saurian Vendor levels across The Troit tunnel.

Pre-Alpha 2.6 6-10-2008
-Guild Master Valdur is currently in The Troit.
-Guild Master Viilmir(Saurian) is on the other side of The Troit tunnels.
-Fix Saurian Scouts getting stuck on walls at The Great Wall.
-Added Troll Bruisers to The Great Wall area.
-Added a Troll Chieftain to the Great Wall area.
-Bow Vendor Tovus(Great Wall) is now a Scout and skill trainer.
-Weapon Vendor Kol(Great Wall) is now a Berzerker and skill trainer.
-Alchemist Vol(Great wall) is now an Alchemist trainer, skill trainer, and spell trainer.
-Mentalist Ryok(The Troit) is a Mentalist trainer and scroll dealer.
-Blacksmith Zki(Saurian) can teach and sell Weapon Crafting. Other side of Troit tunnels.
-Food Vendor Qor(Saurian) is located on other side of tunnels.
-Shadow Knight Dokar(Mackinac) is a Shadow Knight and skill trainer.
-Bruiser Svez(Mackinac) is a Bruiser and skill trainer.
-Defender Jorf(Mackinac) is a Defender and skill trainer.
-Warcryer Mylar(Mackinac) is a Warcryer and skill trainer.
-Death Stalker Skoy(Mackinac) is a Death Stalker and skill trainer.
-Innkeeper Shavla has setup a Saurian inn in Mackinac.
-Banker Izikor(Saurian) has setup temporarily at the Saurian Mackinac Inn.
-All skills are atleast 5 GP to train.
-Added Starting Gear scrolls(Medic, Disciple, Bard, Beast Master) to vendors.
-Changed the Alligator sounds.
-Added Medic and Guardian Movement scrolls to Dr. Quinn's Vendor list.

Pre-Alpha 2.5 6-5-2008
-Made Plain Helms no lonber Soulbound so they can be sold.
-Fixed Heavy Armor helms not showing
-Added Kick skill to Rogue, Death Stalker, Medic, and Alchemist-If already have a character, you will need to add to the macro yourself.
-Added temporary PsiDrakor model(not final but atleast something different).
-Added Death Stalker skills
-Added Berzerker skills
-Added Defender skills
-Added Warcryer skills
-Added Bruiser skills
-Added Alchemist skills
-Added Shadow Knight skills
-Added Saurian General skills(Saurian Speed, Saurian Berzerk, Scales of Stone)
-Added Troll specific skill - Troll Punch
-Added Reisheen, PsiDrakor, and Flying Saurian specific Tail Whip skill
-added Alchemist spells
-added Warcryer spells
-Modified some Bard spell names

Pre-Alpha 2.4 6-3-2008
-Fixed Comma not doing 3rd and 1st person views.
-Fixed some foliage in The Bayous
-Added Ethan Monster to wander The Bayous
-Fixed Martial Arts medallion saying Troll
-Dropped the Mackinack critters to Level 22 instead of 25.
-Added Master Yao in The Troit as Martial Artist trainer
-Master Yao can teach Martial Artists Feign Death skill
-Master Yao can teach Martial Artists Blightbane Strike skill
-Master Yao can teach Martial Artists Shadow Fists skill
-Master Yao can teach Martial Artists Super Jump skill
-Medic Heal skills now have buttons and no longer Passive skills
-Jordan Lifestealer is in The Troit as a Rogue Trainer
-Jordan Lifestealer can teach Rogues the Feign Death skill
-Jordan Lifestealer can teach Rogues the Bloodletting skill
-Jordan Lifestealer can teach Rogues the Grievous Wounds skill
-Jordan Lifestealer can teach Rogues the Evade skill
-Jordan Lifestealer can teach Rogues the Rook skill
-Jordan Lifestealer can teach Rogues the Camouflage skill

Pre-Alpha 2.3 5-29-2008
-Changed Grizzly Adams model.
-The Troit Innkeeper is now Innkeeper Robert.
-Blacksmith Joe has setup a shop in The Troit.
-Blacksmith Joe can teach you how to craft weapons.
-Blacksmith Joe sells weapon crafting items.

Pre-Alpha 2.2 5-24-2008
-Disciple Peter can train people as Disciples.
-Disciple Peter can train people as Guardians.
-Disciple Peter can teach Combat Casting.
-Disciple Peter can teach Spell Crital.
-Disciple Peter can teach Sacred Stone skill.
-Disciple Peter can teach Guardians the Lay on Hands skill.
-Grizzly Adams can train people as Beast Masters.
-Bow Vendor Tom can train people as Rangers.
-Bow Vendor Tom can teach Precise Shot to Rangers.
-Bow Vendor Tom can teach Camouflage to Rangers.
-Bow Vendor TOm can teach Call of Wild to Rangers.
-Weapon Vendor Bill can train people as Blade Masters.
-Weapon Vendor Bill can teach Power Strike to Blade Masters.
-Weapon Vendor Bill can teach Whirling Fury to Blade Masters.
-Weapon Vendor Bill can teach Tactics Offense to combatant classes.
-Weapon Vendor Bill can teach in Dual Wield to combatant classes.
-Light Armor Vendor Bob can train people as Armor Masters.
-Light Armor Vendor Bob can teach Tactics Defense to combatant classes.
-Doctor Quinn can train people to be Medics.
-Doctor QUinn can teach medics Medium Heal and Alliance Medium Heal.
-Doctor Quinn can teach medics Major Heal and Alliance Major Heal.
-Bard Chapman can train people as Bards.
-Bard Chapman can teach Bards the Sorrow Song.

Pre-Alpha 2.1 5-23-2008
-Some background chat code modifications.
-Dr. Quinn(Medic spells) is helping out at the Great Wall human Camp.
-Grizzly Adams(Beast master Spells) is visiting The Troit from the mountains.
-Bard Chapman(Bard Spells) is playing at the The Troit Inn.
-Disciple Peter has more scrolls for sale.
-Fixed not being able to delete characters problem.

Foundations of Hope pre-Alpha 2.0

Leathel Grody — 2008-05-23T14:39:25+00:00

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

FoHO pre-Alpha 2.0

I haven't been posting any screenshots or updates, mainly because I have been too busy. A month ago I opened up what I call my pre-Alpha to a very small group. It is nothing like the end game, but it is something for some of the kids to run around and check things out while I add code or zones. They have kept me busy finding things for me to fix unfortunately. It has been good though. There have been many things that worked in Single Player, but didn't work or crashed the Online Game. So better to find them now before I go to a real Alpha or Beta.

Besides that I spent a week trying to get the code all caught up. I spent a few days trying to add all the code changes that Prairie Games has been adding to MoM and finally opted to try out Talentraspel's patches. Everything I wanted to add(isFacing, immediate relogging, death animations) was already being added to the kit. Trying to keep up with all the code changes was keeping me from doing the art assets. When you are a one-man team, time is limited. Using Talentraspel's new patch system got me caught up on the code side quickly and I have been able to move on to getting more zones put out. It also is a whole cheaper than bring somebody on my staff to do such activities.

Currently I have only implemented five of the 20+ zones so a ton more work to do. Even with those five zones, I am only throwing out critter spawns all over. I haven't had time to create quests or work anything into the story plot of the game. But still the testers have been having fun. My 4 year old son and 11 year old daughter have been two of my biggest testers. They have been really enjoying "Daddy's Game".

Although I could have had some type of demo ready for the MyDream Contest, it would have not been anything similar to the final game so I opted not to supply one. I have atleast another 6 months before I am probably close maybe an actual Alpha version. That doesn't even count a whole bunch of stuff I need to do to tie my website system into the games database.

So here is my patch list of what all has happened the last month.

Foundations of Hope Online Pre-Alpha Patch List

Pre-Alpha 2.0 5-20-2008
-Major updates!
-Major amounts of background coding updates(server and client side).
-Removed moving stops casting(for now anyways).
-Added death animations.
-Two files download in patcher.
-Character is saved on log out.
-Immediate login can now be done(used to wait 2 minutes).
-Deleting character now requires you to type in their name.
-New Public Name accounts will e-mail password instead of giving it instantly.
-Quit option closes program totally.
-Flying mobs now have glide animation.
-When Feign death and flying, character will fall to ground.
-Readded random spawn names to critters(for now).
-Added Encyclopedia

Pre-Alpha 1.13 5-17-2008
-Lowered Disciple Paul in Detroit SW zone to Level 30

Pre-Alpha 1.12 5-14-2008
-Implemented that you must be facing target for melee combat.
-Implemented that you must be facing target for ranged combat.
-Implemented that you must be facing targe for spells.
-Can backstab up to 10 levels higher above own.
-To backstab you must be behind target.

Pre-Alpha 1.11 5-13-2008
-Fixed going through wall problem!!!
-Implemented that you cannot cast and move at the same time in Single Player.
-Implemented backward and swim backward speed 1/2 speed.
-Lowered speed when moving sideways
-Implemented /walk on and /walk off

Pre-Alpha 1.10 5-12-2008
-Added ability to restrict items by gender.
-Added Female Special Forces and Paladin armor
-Removed random loot. Hopefully you won't get weapons from animals.

Pre-Alpha 1.9 5-6-2008
-Made Realm versus Realm default.
-Made RvR happen if you zone.
-Made PvE only an option if you die and are bound in the same zone.

Pre-Alpha 1.8 5-5-2008
-added /respawn incase you get stuck

Pre-Alpha 1.7 5-5-2008
-Added Mackinac back in. +20 Critters on bridge(North of Great Wall)
-Added Human Heavy Armor Vendor in Mackinac
-Added The Troit Spiritual Warfare Realm(see Disciple Peter in The Troit).

Pre-Alpha 1.6 4-30-2008
-Added Bindstone markers
-Changed Troll Chieftan to Level 30. Removed from The Troit
-Added Scouts to Great Wall zone
-Added Saurian Vendors to Great Wall zone
-Added Human Light Armor Vendor to The Troit
-Added Human Medium Armor Vendor to The Great Wall

Pre-Alpha 1.5 4-28-2008
-Removed zoom mouse function. Was crashing zones.

Pre-Alpha 1.4 4-26-2008
-Made Guard Trevor and Mellion level 30
-Added The Great Wall and The Bayou zones(follow path South West of The Troit)
-Nothing in The Great Wall zone just head south
-The Bayou has critters level 10+ and above.

Pre-Alpha 1.3 4-23-2008
-Made Wolves Level 3

Pre-Alpha 1.2 4-22-2008
-E-mail(new accounts and lost password) setup
-Added Bow Vendor
-Removed Food and Drink from Wolves and Bears
-Added Chef Ramsey to buy food and drink(at the inn)
-Added Innkeeper Dora(at the inn)
-Added Banker Eliza(at the inn)
-Added Disciple Peter(Disciple Spells)

Pre-Alpha 1.1 4-19-2008
- Online Working
- Replaced Mysticism with Spirituality
- Removed a specific sword from Weapons Vendor
-------------------------
Here are some screenshots that have not been posted here. Ah, what we would do without content packs.

This is the beginning of the Mackinac Bridge. The model is actually the 3D-Diggers's Brooklyn Bridge, but it is a good place holder. Hopefully the Bridge will be a capture the flag location if that ever gets worked out.

Mackinac Bridge(kind of)

Grand Canyon

The Bayous

The Troit's Spiritual Warfare Realm

Foundations of Hope: Some AFX

Leathel Grody — 2008-01-31T14:12:51+00:00

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

Well I was hoping my AFX blog would have some cool new spells and special effects, but well, it doesn't. I will go back and modify and create my own effects at a later time, but most of my time was going through the current AFX scripts and splitting it up into elements that would not kill the frame rates of a MMORPG and that would work with the PG MMOKIT. The kit does not use AFX like base TGE does and the effects need to be split into a casting, projectile, and target(end) phase. This required alot of timing changes. Not huge work, just time consuming to start game, modify, start game, modify, until I was finally happy with the timing of events. All in all, I had an absolute blast(pun included) with it. The special effects are probably my favorite part so far of the game development.

Add in the Explosion Pack and even more fun.

I developed many different combos, but FRAPS would kill my machine and cause some very jerky movies. So these are the ones I could get some good movies of.

These are all higher level type spells. The frame rates would drop 10-15 during the casting and explosion, so really wouldn't want everybody doing these all the time.

Example 1:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTqm4SPbjYc

Example 2:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHWHbOQW1ek

Example 3:
Not much with Example 3. In my book series the lizard species is able to create the illusion that they are actually humans. I wanted to show my players how this has been incorporated into the game. It is going to make some fun PvP :)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz6bQVlsSl4

Foundations of Hope - A Year in Review[Image Warning]

Leathel Grody — 2007-12-30T17:04:46+00:00

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

Background:
The Foundations of Hope Online is the online game based on my Christian Young Adult Fantasy book series and is being marketed as a Christian Fantasy MMORPG.

Goal:
To create a Christian acceptable game that can be played and accepted by both mainstream and Christian players.

Foundations of Hope Online a year in review. To look back at what has transpired over the past year helps to look at what has been achieved in the overall picture of things. I am usually focused on tasks day-to-day or week-to-week. In the beginning of this year I was still using RealmCrafter, but decided to switch over to use PG's MMOKit instead. I had never touched Torque before. So all my RC Models had to be scrapped and I had to learn the adventure in modeling for Torque. Using fragMOTION, UU3D, and Milkshape is quite an adventure without any tutorials, but I finally figured jumps and hurdles and the process works great.

Then I had to move on and learn about Torque's terrain and .dif formats. I finally began to understand the Torque editor. It always cool for things to finally click and what once was a puzzle of choices becomes an understanding. I have come to the conclusion that for now I will have to rely on .dif content packs. I just have not had time to sit down and work with Constructor enough. Hopefully I will be able to replace buildings later, but for now that is not an option to make the DreamGames Contest deadline.

Next I moved into trying to understand the massive amount of python involved in the MMOKit. I probably have touched on only 25% of what is there. I just take it in bits as per what I am working on. Server, Spells, NPCs, etc... Each little bit teaches me to add to the big picture.

Currently, I have been working on the special effects. MoM uses small portions of AFX and I have been learning how to implement more. I have had to break apart each AFX script into bits to work properly for an MMO and to work with the MMOKit. I have it working and have an understanding of the process so I am pretty pleased. I wished I could say I have made major changes so the effects do not look so AFXish, but I am not there yet. As a non-coder I am just happy to have everything working. I will probably spend the next couple weeks still working on the special effects. I am having a blast with the stuff. I have not figured out how I will "Christianize" them and not look dorky. Most effects will be left the same, others will need to be modified. My January post will show videos of what I have accomplished with AFX.

So besides the game I wrote and released Book Two of the Foundations of Hope Trilogy this year. I wished I could say it did tremendously well and I was on the New York Times Bestseller list, but well, that is far from the case. So besides being a one man team for the Foundations of Hope Online, I am an author, publisher, work a full time job, father of four(6 months, 2 years, 4 years, 11 years). I also do all my own website design for my multiple websites and a couple others. So pretty much all my game development has to be worked around diaper changing and after the kids go to bed. I try to sneak in 15 minutes here and there if the kids are off somewhere else. My wife has been patient. My nights of TV watching must entail me working on the game as we watch our shows. When she asked what I will do after the game was done, I said "Work on another game". Her response, "I don't think so." I do have another game planned after FoHO. FoHO better pay for itself and the time lost or else I doubt that game will come to life.

Will I make the DreamGames deadline? It will be close to have a demo ready. I still have to model some more characters, I have only two partial zones created, no quests, no npc's. Should be an interesting next couple months.

So for a year in review, I will post some screens of the year. I just implemented a new Media area at the FoHO website if interested in more.

www.foundationsofhope.com/screenshots.php

Spiritual Warfare Critters:

Dragons:

Humans:

Saurians:

GUI Examples

Unfinished Scenes:

Testing Combat:

AFX Testing:

Foundations of Hope: Some GUIs

Leathel Grody — 2007-11-25T20:00:50+00:00

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

Well the last couple months have been pretty productive. Still working on the Milestone 2 section of learning zone, terrain and .dif creation. October I got a few zones created and learned alot. What once was a mysterious interface, I am understanding rather well. I still need to modify a bunch so will post zone pics once I get everything completed.

In November I decided to setup and learn the server portion of the PG MMO Kit so I might have a few people start walking around these new zones of mine. Going through the process only increased my appreciation of how much Prairie Games released to the community. But at last I was successful and had a working server, patching, and chat system up and going. This led me down a new path that I should modify the guis if I want anybody logging in. So the last two weeks I have been learning and modifying the non-ingame screens to look more FoundationofHopish instead of MoMish. Having a couple years of graphics from the book series helped out. It came to me to use the website template in game so it tied the website and game together. I also like the template because of the book which tied the game being from a book series. The only problem is that this was a purchased web template and I have not yet figured out what the creator created themselves and what was swiped. The original template did have a few images from Blizzard and were removed, but if you see any others that are from there or somewhere else, let me know. If I get time I will most likely remove all the images with my own just to be safe, but one step at a time.

Next I have to figure out how to modify the ingame guis. PG did a good job, so it will be challenging to somehow make it better or atleast different looking. Then back to creating those zones this all started from.

But for now, here are the current pregame screens:

Foundations of Hope - The Timeline

Leathel Grody — 2007-09-30T13:05:52+00:00

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.

Foundations of Hope: The Dragons!

Leathel Grody — 2007-08-23T02:24:14+00:00

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

The dragons are here! It has been a fun adventure getting the dragons modelled and learning how to get them flying in the game. Finishing the dragons brings me closer to the first milestone. I just have to finish a few characters I ran out of time in the months past and Milestone 1 will be achieved. I can't wait! Next month I will start working toward Milestone 2 which is to create the buildings and zones. I have not touched learning how to create a .dif so it shall be quite a new adventure. But then again, 5 months ago I did not know how to model a character for Torque either.

The dragons in the Foundations of Hope books and game play a major role in the storyline. Book Two: Into the Darkness begins to explain just how much the dragons are involved in the storyline. Book Two opens up the storyline up that there are actually three realms fighting against each other. Humans, Saurians(lizard creatures), and the dragons. Using the Torque MMO Kit works out nicely since it is already setup for three realms. So this will provided three PvP realms in the PvP zones.

I have not totally decided exactly how it will happen but once a human or Saurian player reaches a certain level, finishes a specific quest, etc. they will be able to start playing as a dragon. I have the option to use the MoM's monster template systems, but not totally sure yet if that is the direction I want to go.

When a player begins as a dragon they will start out as a newborn hatchling. They will have the option of choosing between different colors.The dragons will have quests and be a playable character just like any other class, the quests will just need to be modified to fit a dragon. As the the hatchling levels it will grow into the next and larger mesh, the Dragonling. This will continue on until a player reaches as a Dragon Adult.

The mesh changing is as follows:

Level 0-5: Hatchling
Level 6-10: Dragonling
Level 11-15: Larger Dragonling
Level 16-20: Teenager Dragon
Level 21+: Adult Dragon

Flying has been implemented as a skill. A baby hatchling will have limited flight and as the dragon grows in flying skill the duration of flight will increase and the skill reuse time will decrease.

Won't the dragons overpower the humans and Saurians since they have the ability to fly? In the series, dragons have actually split apart. There are some that are helping the humans and Saurians, and there are those that have stayed independent(playable characters) that are out to destroy both humans and Saurians. The dragons that have chosen to join forces with either humans or Saurians will be represented as mountable dragons. So as a human or Saurian levels they will also receive a quest or pet(unsure yet) that will give them a dragon mount. This will allow the humans and Saurians to fly and battle against the independent dragons.

The dragon meshes have been split into the six different sections using the MoM material system. They are head, body, neck, legs, feet, tail. This will allow me to create armor that is equipable for each of these sections. There are four different dragon meshes that will be used: hatchling, dragonling, adult, adult mounted. The nice part is that each of these meshes derive from the mountable dragon mesh. So the dragon body meshes(mounted, adult, dragonling, hatchling) can all use the same body texture. The hatchling and dragonling meshes are just using a different head texture.

I only focused on one texture to give a good comparison of each of the different levels. Plus it was quicker to not have to do another texture set. The dragon is based on the Daz3d Millenium2 dragon. It is used to illustrate many of the chapters of the series so it ties the books with the game. If you have not read any of the other posts, I do have Daz3d's permission to do so. The mounted adult dragon has the most polys at 2500 polys.

These images will give an example of the different sizes as a player grows in levels and changes meshes.

Hatchling:

Dragonling:

Larger Dragonling:

Dragon Teen:

Dragon Adult:

Other screenshots:

Adult Mountable Dragon:

Adult Dragon Idle:

Adult Dragon Flying:

Dragon Hatchling:

Here are my first tries at doing videos. The music and zone is from the base Torque MMO Kit. As stated, next month I start to learn to do zones and .difs.

Adult Dragon Video

Dragon Hatchling Video

Foundations of Hope - The Saurians Part I

Leathel Grody — 2007-07-24T03:04:58+00:00

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

I was hoping to have more of the Saurians completed, but the referral system and life have kept me too busy. In the series, the Saurians are a race of lizard creatures that have always lived within the Earth. The sunstorms that have destroyed the humans' technology are now destroying the Saurians' technological advanced underground cities. Within the the Foundations of Hope game, players will be able to choose between playing the humans, Saurians, or dragons. The game will be half PvE and Realm vs Realm.

There are more Saurian classes with female versions of each that will come in a later post once completed.

Male Saurian Soldier:

Male Saurian Troll:
The Saurian Troll will stand about 8ft tall. I cannot wait to play one of these guys. I have included a couple different texture looks. The arms and stomach can be bare or armored, I just liked the bare look for the screenshots.

The dragons are coming next month!

Foundations of Hope - The Referral System

Leathel Grody — 2007-07-17T02:15:48+00:00

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

I decided to take a break from modelling and finally tried implementing a referral system that I have been really wanting to do. What I thought would take a couple days, has taken a couple weeks. We also had a new baby boy three weeks ago, so a bunch of time has been there as well.

But finally the referral system is completed and I am pretty pleased with the results. The long journey was very educational in that it took me into php territories that I had never been to. Definitely alot of knowledge I will be able to use later.

The Foundations of Hope website is built on top of an osCommerce base. The forums are phpBB but it is tied into osCommerce so that there is only one login. So what I ended up having to do was splice together an osCommerce referral system and phpBB referral system so they both worked in conjuction with each other. Wow. What a task. There were even a couple times I ended up doing a "I did it " dance after spending a couple days stuck on certain parts. Thankfully my office is in the basement and nobody was able to witness this horendous sight.

So what I ended up having is a Referral Center in the forums that a user can use to send out referral e-mails and see stats of who they have referred and who is the top referrer at the site. When a friend creates a new account and enters the referrer's e-mail address, both phpBB and osCommerce will pull that information. Although I am still undecided on the payment system of the game, my current idea is to have a monthly charge for those players that want to play over 20 hours per month. Although it sounds odd, I want to reward those players that do not lose focus on real life. 20 hours will give them time to play, but not feel like they 'have' to play because they are paying a monthly fee.

So even though there might be a monthly charge for those players that want to play more than 20 hours, it is low enough that I am trying to offer ways for players to not have to pay. Players will receive 10% worth of reward points in the store from sales of people they have referred. I am rounding everything up, so a minimum is 1 point for any sale over $0.00. I am also going to offer referral points for other curricular activities. The whole point of the referral system is to help market the books and game. So I plan on creating book/game brochures and giving referral points to players that take the brochure to libraries. I plan to have contests, and other fun activities on ways to also recieve store points that can be used toward purchasing the unlimited online game play or even toward books, or anything else I might have in the store. So why even have a monthly charge? To have the users help market the game. People are more likely to do a little marketing if they will get something in real world cash value out of it. As most here know, as an indie, you have to be creative in marketing methods.

For the forums, what I have setup is that when a user signs up, the person that referred them will receive forum cash. I have a forum store(not yet visible) that I will bring out later so that users can purchase clothes and accessories for their avatars.

And hopefully, once I get further into the MoM technology, I will be able to make it that a user will receive in game cash for referring friends. The goal is to hit the users at multiple levels(real world, in game, forums) so no matter what their primary interest, they have a reason for referring people to the website.

The store part of the website has always been hidden, but now I have opened it up and also have it linked to PayPal. That was a small, but nice task to finally get achieved as well. I have been wanting away to sell personal signed books for those interested. Now I can. I also have the full version of the eBook now available for download in the store for free for people to test out the store. Again more marketing. Read the eBook, and hopefully people will have an understanding and want to play the game.

This unfortunately cut two weeks into my modelling time. I have to finish up two more Saurian(Lizard Creature) models by the end of July to stay on my projected modelling goal dates, then next month get ready for the dragons! Somewhere in there, my next website addition will be to implement a Help Desk ticketing system for the game. Whoosh, no time to sleep.