Dark Horizons (MOBA)

[Packet]

I've been dabbling in 3d modeling for years. Not long enough to make it a career but long enough to make some groovy shapes, sometimes. I appreciate the offer Shin Noir!

[Braed]

This Server looks like it will be soooo badass. Cannot wait for it to be released, keep doin' what you're doin' packet!

[Packet]

I'm shooting for September alpha release but we'll see.

[Braed]

Originally Posted by Packet

I'm shooting for September alpha release but we'll see.

Sounds great, can't wait

[kronik]

Awesome work, I'll definitely be trying it out.

By the way, richardo = richie truxillo if I'm not mistaken?

[Aonelyn]

Sweet work Retardo Richardo Ricardo!

[Maze_EQ]

He's the giver of platinum-platinum-platinum-num-num-num

[Packet]

I'm-a rat killer.

[timk]

I was just wondering the other day if anyone had done this and then I see this. Very cool idea. I will definitely try it out when you're up.

[knowom]

Originally Posted by timk

I was just wondering the other day if anyone had done this and then I see this. Very cool idea. I will definitely try it out when you're up.

The idea itself of a EQ MOBA I'd been discussing on the forums for about a year now. We didn't have Zone Importer until just recently though which was basically vital in order to create proper moba zone maps types. While you could retro fit old zones it wouldn't be too symmetrically balanced quite as accurately. I'm amazed at the enthusiasms for this honestly.

I think there is defiantly a case of seeing is believing involved with a ambitious project like this. It's defiantly inspired me to get back into using blender and trying my hand more at level design between this project and Zaela's zone importer tool.

[Packet]

I'll share my zone with the community once I'm done. It has a lot of polishing that must be done. People can do with it as they please but I will be hiding some branding (just my name) in the geometry. All I ask is that it not be removed.

Also, I'm going to add an invisible plane above the map which I intend on making click-through (if at all possible). This could (hypothetically ofcourse) provide some concept for an isometric view.

[knowom]

Yeah that would be a clever way of enforcing a isometric view if it works depending on the height of the invisible plane. In theory it would change the isometric viewing angle I assume.

[Braed]

Any update on this?

[Packet]

I started school this semester so development has slowed down a bit. I am still working on it though and I'll release some information soon regarding the targeted deadline for beta.

We're probably going to start off beta with less "custom heroes" and simply eq classes just to get this on the roll. Then, as we move on - custom "heroes/champions" will begin to release. The following caveats are what I face in development which are not done:

Mini-Map (Achievable through the Underfoot Client Only)
- THis will be done using the in-game underfoot browser which will include fog of war, player location, pinging, etc. More information will be released soon regarding this.
Bushes
- Bushes are almost in. There just needs to be some codework and the model needs to be imported.
Smarter AI (Mob Aggro is very "EQ-ish" and needs more work)
- To elaborate, ranged minions per each lane do keep at a distance and chunk fire balls as a primary attack however; the aggro pattern isn't so great. They still tend to stand on each other and don't respond like they should in a moba. This can be accomplished but it's taking more time than anticipated.
Winning Sequence
- There is no code written to handle team wins, etc.
Building the match queue
- No code has been written to handle match queues.
Item Shop/Currency
- The item shop has yet to be populated in each base.
Death
- Handling player death in a match without forcing them to zone has yet to be written.
Player Ranking / Hero/Champ Purchasing
- A match win and loss results in some form of reward which will be currency used to purchase new champs/heroes. This has yet to be written in.
Bots
- Given the playerbase of eqemu as a whole, there isn't enough to support consistent 5v5 & 3v3 matches at a constant rate. Actually, there's quite a few players but I don't expect the kind of traffic P99 receives on this server. Plus, who wants to sit in a queue for 2+ hours? We need bots to fill the gap when no one is online. This is in progress. We'll release before bots are in but this is a 'must have' to offset lack of players at non-peak times. There will also need to be some bot ai to take on their own lane depending on the role you choose in the queue. Some champs/heroes do better solo at the top lane whereas some 'support' champions do best at bottom with a ranged carry.

Once these items have been addressed, we'll be ready for beta. Speaking of which, if anyone is interested in helping with this project - I am looking for capable developers. Postings listed below. I can do all of the work but this would release so much faster with some help.

Coder
- Help with source & perl or lua scripting and often times database changes/additions.

Database/Content Developer
- Help with content such as items, spells, etc.

Champion Specialist
- Help with development and implementation of champions which include database & some script work (mostly database using front-ends).

[Packet]

It's been months since my last post but I just wanted people to know that this project is still in development. I need some coding assistance and content development help as well if anyone is interested.