MoM dot Net

Hey if you haven't been by in a while, skip over to MoMDotNet. Justin's been hard at it and got A LOT done recently. I've contributed a bit.

Some.

We're still trying to figure out the best way to get models from Blender to the app, but we're diligent and the results are surprising. Yes, we're using MAGENTA as the transparent key, so

No it wont be pink in the game.

This would be one of about 1000 models I need to make. And technically this one isn't done - I still need to create proper textures and map them (that what you see are blender base materials, which are great for rendering but no good for games). Further I may be going overboard as far as model complexity is concerned. It's possible I could get away with a simpler mesh with a nice texture.

Mysteries of the Universe Revealed

There's this guy, his name's Justin. He's working on a redeux of Master of Magic, which I may have mentioned in passing is one of my all time favorite games, ever. For those of you not familiar with the original, check it out at Wiki. The original game had some short comings, many of which were probably platform driven constraints (read DOS based PCs really didn't have the juice back in the day), but overall the game had all of the fantasy empire you ever wanted, and probably a bit more.

Back to Justin. Justin has been hammering away on re-creating MoM in a nice Win32 environment. His primary goal seems to be a faithful recreation first, but in a desing which should then be easily expandable. Based on the screenies available, he's doing pretty good so far. But it's a hobby project, so the waiting is par for the course. And a couple of weeks ago he posted a note that he was taking a break, just after he started working on the combat module.

I have to admit, I've identified the combat mechanics, especially the simulated opponent, as one of the truly daunting tasks to design and code. There's a lot of think box stuff in there. Honestly, if he can get it working, I think he will have passed one of the higher hurdles. I have faith. Also about this time, he put a general request on his page for art submissions. You see, Justin, unfortunately, can't draw.

Now, this is not to say that I can draw. There's plenty of evidence kicking around here to indicate that in fact it may be against the law for me to refer to some of my electronic scribbles as pictures. On the other hand, he seemed suitably impressed.

So I'm doing the art. La. I've started with the "High Men", and I've made them over in a pseudo-Napoleonic style. I've started making notes on other races. The down side is we (and now it's become we) will eventually want to have 3d models for in the game. And I've really just started with blender. Nothing if not challenged.

Oh, and if anybody has any recommendations on horse drawing tutorials, I'm all ears.

Most importantly if you would like to contribute, let Justin know. I defer to his choices, as it's his project.