Updates?.
Long and short of it, updates take time, time that could be spent working on the game.
However I sympathize with you, We are progressing every day, new code goes in almost on a daily basis (it is an odd day that no code is added).
Each dept is working, some faster then others but all are progressing. To give updates is sometimes difficult because while one thing went forward occasionally it caused problems and we have to adjust and undo the problems.
We might be able to give more updates if we had a couple of people dedicated to that, but at the same time they may serve to move the game forward in another way.
I don?t want to seem like a smart ass, but progress reports take about 2-3 hours to compile, and it requires each dept head to send in their update?so they have to spend 30 minutes doing that.
The Dev Group has meetings once a week and we all discuss what we have done and what needs doing, but in general we can fill in the holes because we know what is going on in our own depts., and we know what is going on in the areas of interest to us?If each dept head had to write out everything done and not done on the list each day or week it is a bad use of time for us at the moment.
The other big reason is we are Lazy Slouches who don?t want to track everyone down and say did you get this done? How bout you did you get this done?
Eventually, when we get closer to a playable demo we will likely start updating more, as well as making patches to whatever bugs are in the playable demo?
And yes I know the time I spent on this post could have been an update, and at the very least I could update you on my dept :-)
Rules Dept.
Preliminary Melee Combat rules done.
Most other Skill rules will use combat as a base.
Progression (how the player improves his character) is the current project?has been for the last 30 days (reason is everyone involved has very different opinions on how it should be)
Rules Leaders opinion on probable resolution to Progression Project, in a couple of days?some unnoticed features in the Combat system allow for a very good progression system, but we might want to expand on that a bit, using a previously discarded progression system.
Next projects to focus on:
Magic.
Required information:
What is possible engine wise?
Would some of the features the Rules Dept would like be feasible to implement?
What does the Settings Team feel Magic should be like?
How does Magic tie in with other skills and with combat?
What should the High end Magic person be like?
What should the low end magic person be like?
Every magic person in between?
How many Spells should Do X?
How many spells should allow the caster to use them while in melee combat?
This list goes on and on, and for every answer?I usually have another question.
Other on going issues.
Review all Skills and special abilities.
Are any unbalancing?
Should any be added?
Should any documentation on skills be revised?
Should any be split into two?
Review Races and monsters
Should any documentation be revised?
Who should revise it?
Does this fit in the scope of what the Setting team has in mind?
Does the engine team feel this is feasible?
Issues Not yet dealt with:
None,
Though after every change, review and change of everything else is necessary.
So while many things are dealt with I can guarantee everything (and I mean everything) done in this department to date will not last to Beta, it will all be changed and revised, thrown out and made new, and even recycled since the new idea, would require too many sweeping changes.
Ok that is my update for the month of May and June, remember Rules is the slowest group in the bunch, and the one most at the mercy of the other departments.
If you compare this to the programmers?.they would require a few hundred pages to explain all the changes made in the same amount of time, and as with all departments any progress made may require a few revisits to some things done in the past.
The one thing I can Say about Rules though is, once it is done?it will require very little maintenance.
But, Every Dept. will never be done, even after full release New things will need to be added?Rules will require the least, but during Beta?all the Rules will have to be fine tuned, as such all rules are to have a built in tuning system?to tune them and balance them where possible, cause Players never seem to play a game as intended.
I hope this gives you a moral boost and was worth the time I put in writing it.
Please do not ask me questions about other Depts. and I will not explain how anything works at this point?because if figuring out progression has taught me anything, it is that everything will change before it is done, so whatever my answers are will be a lie and I want to do my best not to mislead.
I will answer questions as to goal and possible direction, but anything I post here, will probably be changed?it is the curse of this board.
-Paxx
