So what's next?

So Project Overlord is on the back burner. I had the design doc just about complete, and then decided to just skip the whole web platform for now, and start working on a real game.

I have some ideas in my head, but I need to play around for a bit with the toolset I just purchased (Torque 3D for anyone wondering). Not sure what my first foray will be - I want to jump right in and start working on a MMO, but my gut tells me I need to do something small first to get acclimated to the toolset and to brush up on my C++.

Just a quick update for now, will post more once I have spent some time with my new toytoolset.

Off on a tangent

I am still working on the design doc for Project Overlord. It's my first time attempting to fully spec out a game design idea, instead of just little notes here and there. I have to admit, even for such a small project, it's a lot harder than you would think. Mainly because of the scope of the game - I have to keep rejecting features I want to add. Anyhow...

I haven't been doing much MMOing lately. I tinkered with Vanguard a little more after almost giving up on EQ2. Vanguard is closer to what I want to play in an MMO. If only it were a little more polished, and had more players! That being said, I have seen quite a few people running around the newbie island while I have been playing.

So what is taking up my time the last few days? Well, when I have time, I have been playing the beta for Heroes of Newerth. HoN is a game that spawned from a map-mod for Warcraft 3 call Defense of the Ancients. So it's kind of like "Team Fortress" for the RTS world. The game has a super steep learning curve, but holy cow is it fun - even though I get my ass kicked quite a bit.

If you enjoy RTS games at all, and don't mind learning a new game while getting beat down, you might want to look around for a beta invite :)

Project Overlord (working title)

So I was talking with my boss today, who is the original developer of Chivalry. It's a small web-based game that is somewhat like RISK. Development on it has pretty much tapered off, but we talked about maybe bringing it back from the dead (again).

It got my mind working, and I started tonight putting a design document together for my own web-based game. Right now, the working title is "Project Overlord". I am planning on it being a 2D, web-based game using XHTML and Javascript for presentation. Nothing overly fancy. But I want it to be engaging and damn fun to play. Something people can waste some time at work keeping up on, but not requiring them to sit in front of the computer like zombies in order to make meaningful progress.

It will be quite a while before actual development begins. I have the basic document completed but I need to go back through and flesh out several areas. I am planning to make this a free-to-play game, with a subscription component that doesn't really affect gameplay. It will probably be ad-driven for revenue, with the subs removing the ads.

The general idea is somewhat akin to an old BBS door game called 'Exitilus'. I'm sure not many of you remember this game as it is a bit over a decade old. Anyhow, the general premise is to become the "top ruler" in the game. You will do this by working your way up from a commoner to eventually a king. There will be politics, combat and city management all rolled into one. In addition, your "player" will level up outside of each game instance to give you certain bonuses and abilities to be used inside the game.

It's going to be fun trying to balance this game - but I have high hopes for it. It's a concept I have been wanting to tackle for years. I don't have the time to develop a client/server game, so the browser and a database will have to do :)

I will keep the blog updated as I make my through this adventure.