Project Quantum Game Dev Diary — June 20th, 2022 — Jason Tennent
I hope you’ve kept yourselves well as we move into the summer months (or winter months for those in the southern hemisphere).
Design:
- Gearing up for POC2
- Due Diligence and Pitch Decks
- Weapon Recoil Pattern Systems
The first pass of the proof-of-concept (POC) gamemode is finished and now we start to think about what we want to build atop the systems and modes we now have.
Now we’re working towards a pseudo-game-loop for the POC, and (much later) on a Vertical Slice. For POC2, we’ll be exploring crafting mechanics (or at least weapon and MODEX part generation), additional MODEX abilities, and item saving/permanence after games.
Additionally, I’ve been exploring different methods of projectile weapon recoil patterns with the programming team. We’re still working out the pros and cons of each approach.
We’ve also been helping the Business side of Quantum Works with editing pitch decks and aiding in the collection of info for the due diligence processes we are going through with potential venture capitals. Not to mention materials for the upcoming Monaco conference with the Ritossa family.
Programming:
- Stabilisation and Bug Fixing
- Initial Blockchain and UE Linking Discussions
- Independent Server Setup
Now that the very first pass of the POC gamemode has been completed, we moved into a bug fixing and stabilisation period for the past couple of weeks. Even in agile development structures, time is measured in weeks not days.
As you can see, there is a number of bugs and issues but this is par for the course with game development. Our new dedicated QA tester has been an immense help in freeing up time for myself and Magnus. Until we squash the most impactful of these issues, it would be irresponsible to continue piling on other systems and functions.
While working with Dragon’s Lake, they require a VPN in order to access their servers and internal systems. We have set up some independent servers for us to play on that don't require this.
This alleviates some issues team members were having with being anchored into the Dragon’s Lake servers and gives us a little more freedom without having to work through Dragon’s Lake’s IT department. Now we can upload builds for us to play on to this server.
We have also started the process of linking our own solidity development team with the game dev programmers. These talks are very preliminary and in a way remind me of school dances when the boys stand at one end and the girls at the other as the two fields begin to grapple with each other. Worlds colliding indeed.
Art:
- Placeholder Melee Weapon Models
- Extraction Animations
Our 3D modeller has continued his torrent of making up new weapons for us, this time with a focus on melee weapons.
We’ve gone through a little re-design of what different melee weapons can do, there are a couple of clues in the pictures above about the functionality of the re-designs, perhaps you can find them.
On the animation side of things, we’ve also been exploring extraction animations. But these are likely to change quite soon as there are some discrepancies between what is happening here and what the player will actually be doing.
We’re re-designing the drop-pod to better fit game mechanical needs, but it's cool to see nonetheless. The transition from 3rd person perspective to 1st person is an interesting factor, it’ll need tweaking to get it right but it certainly has some promise behind it.
Thank you for reading,
Jason Tennent, Design Director
If you’d like to join our game’s community well before its release date, I’d like to welcome you to our Discord here
