While in quarantine I’ll be spending more time than normal working on my game. It is something I’ve started back at the start of this year. I’ve written out a bit more of a detailed plain with goals and dates I’m going try to hit. While it is possible for me to hit a few of my planed dates in the short term it will be interesting to pull off.
This is broken down into quite a few different parts of my game I’ll be working on over the next few months and beyond. It includes zones, lighting, questing, character classes, and a bunch of other information.
Zones
One of the largest areas I’ll be spending the bulk of my time on is creating new zones. For now I’ve found them enjoyable to create. I’m sure at some point I’ll get sick of them since I plan to create 25 handcrafted zones.
Beyond that should have created enough rooms, passages, and other neat areas that I want to use what I already have and try to create a random level generate with it for the rest of the game. Otherwise I’ll be making zones till the end of time.
Zone 1: Jail (starting zone with tutorial)
[Done February 2020] Build out Main area (Walls/Ceiling/Floors) (Details in First Level.)
[Done February 2020] Implement lighting.
[Done February 2020] Compile build geometry/preview lighting/Path and Other.
[Done February 2020] Compile “high quality” lighting.
[Done March 2020] Resolve Map check errors.
[Done March 2020] Optimize lighting results pass 1.
[Done March 2020] Zone clean up.
[WIP ETA April 2020] Fix light bleed issue .
[WIP Unknown] Compile final lightings (lighting needs a major overall for entire system).
[WIP ETA End Of May] Build tutorial system.
[WIP ETA End Of May]Populate with creatures (need to build AI controller),
[WIP ETA End Of May] Zone loot .
[Done 4/12/20]Portal to Outdoor Zone
Zone 2: Outdoor zone
Build out a town area on a map that will serve as a central location for the player when they are not in the dungeon.
[Done February 2020] Research and start of development.
[Done February 2020] Select design method for zone. Details in Outdoor Level.
[Done February 2020] Compile, convert and implement topography data into UE4.
[Done February 2020] Select a town site.
[WIP ETA End Of June 2020) Build Town.
[Done February 2020] Paint landscape (water, grass layer 1, rock).
[Done February 2020] Foliage (trees, grass) (might redo not happy with it).
[WIP ETA End Of June 2020] Implement lighting.
[WIP ETA End Of June 2020] Compile build geometry/preview lighting/Path and other.
[No ETA ] Compile “high quality” lighting.
[Done March 2020] Resolve Map check errors.
[WIP ETA End Of June 2020] Optimize lighting results pass 1.
[WIP ETA Q1 2021] Questing NPCs.
[WIP ETA Q1 2021] Crafting Area Extension.
[Done 4/12/20] Portal to Upper Dungeon 1
Zone 3: Upper Dungeon 1
This zone was used to test out BSP method building of a zone. I did not like it. Going back to my own workflow.
[Done March 2020] Build out Main area (Walls/Ceiling/Floors.) Details in Using BSP Method.
[Done March 2020] Compile build geometry/preview lighting/Path and Others.
[No ETA] Compile “high quality” lighting.
[Done March 2020] Resolve Map check errors .
[Done March 2020] Optimize lighting results pass 1.
[Done March 2020] Zone clean up.
[WIP ETA April 2020] Fix light bleed issue .
[WIP Unknown] Compile final lightings (lighting needs a major overall for entire system.)
[WIP ETA End Of May]Populate with creatures (need to build AI controllers.)
[WIP ETA End Of May] Zone loot.
[Done 4/12/20] Portal to Soldier Quarters
Zone 4: Soldier Quarters
[ETA 4/10/20] Build out Main area (Walls/Ceiling/Floors.)
[ETA 4/10/20] Compile build geometry/preview lighting/Path and Others.
[No ETA] Compile “high quality” lighting.
[ETA 4/10/20] Resolve Map check errors.
[ETA 4/10/20] Optimize lighting results pass 1.
[ETA 4/10/20] Zone clean up.
[ETA April] Fix light bleed issue.
[WIP Unknown] Compile final lightings (lighting needs a major overall for entire system).
[WIP ETA End Of May]Populate with creatures (need to build AI controllers),
[ETA Unknown] Compile preview lighting (Swarm Agent error need to troubleshoot) .
[ETA Unknown] Compile final “high” quality lighting .
[ETA Unknown] Select boss model and create script fight/AI controls .
[ETA Unknown] Implement loot drops.
[Done March 2020] Resolve Map check errors .
[ETA Unknown] Optimize lighting results pass 1.
[Done March 2020] Zone clean up.
[ETA Unknown] Portal to next zone.
Zone 21: Unknown, ETA 2021
Zone 22: Unknown, ETA 2021
Zone 23: Unknown, ETA 2021
Zone 24: Unknown, ETA 2021
25 Final End Game Boss For Hand Sculpted Zones
[ETA Unknown] Build out main area (completed 3/28/20).
[ETA Unknown] Compile preview lighting (Swarm Agent error need to troubleshoot.)
[ETA Unknown] Compile final “high” quality lighting .
[ETA Unknown] Select boss model and create script fight/AI controls.
[ETA Unknown] Implement loot drops.
[Done March 2020] Resolve Map check errors .
[ETA Unknown] Optimize lighting results.
[Done March 2020] Zone clean up.
# Zone 26: to infinity+
[ETA late 2021-2022] Build Random dungeon generator.
This I expect will take 2 to 3 months.
[Waiting to finish zones 1 to 25]Build 25-50 modular BSP rooms/passage ways/ areas based off Zones 1, 3-4, 6-9,11-14,16-19,21-24 .
[ETA 2021-2020] Research (1 month)
[ETA 2021-2020] Implementation (1 month).
[ETA 2021-2020] Testing (1 week).
[WIP ETA April 30] Doors, Switches, And Levers Working
[ETA 5/31/20] Rebuilding Lighting System
Lighting is a massive area I’m still unhappy with. I have a bunch of tutorial videos and things to read. Might take me a month to get though everything. Time needed 80 to 120 hours
[WIP ETA May 2020 and On Going to] Loot, Inventory, Things That Drive Me Crazy
End of May I’m hoping to start populating the number of zones I’ll have built up by than with item drops. They will be weapons, keys, and crafting items.
I have already started some of it. I’d find it boring to try and rush create information for over 200 items. So whenever I feel creative I work on building out data for assets I already have from the store. Lots of balancing will need to be done at some point.
[ETA May 2020 And beyond] AI Controller And Pathing In Zones
To be able to have monsters drop loot. I’ll need to have them working in game.
This will included further building out the AI mechanics. I have some very basics done if you could even call it that for some testing I was doing.
I’ll also have to do the mapping for each creature in each zone. That will take some time.
While I already have a couple asset packs of monsters. I don’t quite have the variety I want. While I would like to try and 3d model my own that is behind my skillset by miles atm.
There will still be a large amount of non-created zones by this time. So this will be going thing.
Four Classes
Game will start with two to four different classes.
The type they are will be more deepened on the kinds of art assets I’ll have. There are some class types I simply won’t have a weapon types for and it will be a while before I’m able to create something to be passable.
[Done 1/16/2020] Basic Health and Mana System/regeneration. Details.
[ETA 12/15/20] Advanced/redone Health and Mana system/regeneration
[ETA 12/15/20] Levels and fully working experience system.
Class 1: Sorcerer
[ETA June 30 2020] 5 to 10 skills
[ETA June 30 2020]Talent Tree
[ETA June 30 2020] Animation
Class 2: Paladin
[ETA June 30 2020] 5 to 10 skills
[ETA June 30 2020] Talent Tree
[ETA June 30 2020] Animation
Class 3: Undecided
[ETA June 30 2020] 5 to 10 skills
[ETA June 30 2020] Talent Tree
[ETA July 30 2020] Animation
Class 4: Unknown
[ETA July 30 2020] 5 to 10 skills
[ETA July 30 2020] Talent Tree
[ETA July 30 2020] Animation
Questing System
I have 3 files for “questing” but I would not even call it a questing system as of yet.
[ETA August 2020] Quests for zones 1, 3-15
[ETA 2021-22] Quests for zones 16 to 25.
Crafting System
There will be an element of crafting. Still a couple of ways I could go with it.
[ETA September 2020] Written lore, item name, ID, and other details for ingredients.
[ETA 2021] Working crafting system with at least 50 ingredients.
[ETA October 2020 into 2021] Basic Blender And Other Software Understanding
Art is a heavy limitation on my ability to create and this being a 3D game makes that challenge even harder. My digital art skills are even less of thing than my drawing by hand. I don’t expect to master or even be “decent.”
I do however need some basic understanding of something like Blender as I have another of asserts I need to modify. The game engine platform I am using has also added in a large array of meshes and other helpful assets. Which I could use on top of anything I’m able to create to help round out that element of things.
[ETA Unknown) Picking a name for the game and acquiring needed stuff. I suck at naming things so that not been done yet.
[ETA 2021]-2022 High quality compiling of light for 25 zones (80-120+ hours of compute time)
[ETA 2022] Folder, zone, file, asset and other cleanup (30+ manual hours)
[ETA 2022+] Networking/Server other stuff I have no idea about – No idea!
[No ETA] Integration to use Hive blockchain??? If I still have my sanity?
[No ETA] Internal Testing (1 to 2 months.)
[ETA 2023????] Closed beta testing (2 to 4 months.) Where did 3 years of my life go? Are we out of quarantine yet?
Final Thoughts
Endless amounts of things and milestones to set. The further I dive into trying to make my own game the more I learn even more needs to be done. It’s like pulling a string on a t-shirt and before you notice it you have unraveled most of it and have a giant mess before you.
