August 2009 Update - 08/29/2009
We just released what I consider to be our first really solid BETA. We've more than doubled our frame rate, halved our texture usage, fixed the core network problems, and corrected a number of bugs that prevented people from completing quests and progressing without grinding. We also killed most of the crashes. The amount of changes that have been implemented over the past month are quite numerous. [MORE]
July 2009 Update - 07/31/2009
It's hard to believe August is right around the corner. So much has happened in July it's hard to cover it all. For those of you in private Beta you've seen the massive changes since the last major release nearly a month ago. We're now focusing on bug fixes and stability in parallel with features. Mounts and pets are now in, and other core features are quickly coming up. We are releasing another hotfix today that corrects the core combat issue; everyone in Beta will immediately see the... [MORE]
June 2009 Update - 06/29/2009
Its amazing how time blends together as the development of Alganon enters its 41st month. Client, Server, GOD (Customer Service) Tool, World Building System, Models, Animations, Sound FX, Music, World Development, Content, Data, Items, Classes, Actions, Scripts, Bug lists and of course much, much more, all worked on each day. [MORE]
May 2009 Update - 05/26/2009
Wow, where to start!
The amount of work that's being done right now is pretty intense;
finalization of new features and core systems, managing tester feedback,
etc. There is quite a bit going on.Many ask when we'll start Public
beta. At this point we're shooting for July. There are still many things
being built out with the game in the areas of balance and continued bug
fixes. All of this takes time. [MORE]
April 2009 Update - 04/28/2009
Mathew just reminded me it's time for a monthly update! My response was "What month is this?"As
you may imagine, things have been intense as we continue with the
development of Alganon. Over the past few weeks, we have been working
hard on data-sets, the server technology, client bugs and features, and
enhancing MyAlganon. Writing a MMOG from scratch is probably some of
the most difficult development a company can undertake. We are
fortunate to have some of the most skilled developers... [MORE]
March 2009 Update - 04/07/2009
March has been quite a month for us here at Quest Online. As we
prepare for the upcoming Private Beta of Alganon for April, our team is
working around the clock, solidifying our client and server systems,
integrating gameplay features, and testing the core data (related to
quests, studies, items, actions, etc.). On top of that, we have the
continued growth of MyAlganon and the upcoming integration of the
online Library system, which should launch in the next few days. This
will give... [MORE]
Is it February already? - 02/23/2009
What a month! We are moving from internal Alpha to Private Beta, and it's taking all of our resources to prepare for bringing outside people into the testing loop. We are making sure all the bug reporting systems are functional, the server is solid, and the client is refined. Plus our data/design team has to go in and verify all of the quests, rewards, and progression-related materials are properly balanced. Studies, Achievements, Families, and more are being finalized as well. [MORE]
New Years update - 01/20/2009
It's been three years now, and I am writing the
first official "large scale" developer blog as the creator of Alganon
and president of Quest Online. Where to start? I suppose the first place is to
explain why we have been so quiet. Early on in the development of the product
(when it was called Crusade) I made a decision not to push the game out to the
public with all the traditional hype. I wanted something solid, to have a real
foundation as a contender MMOG before we really went... [MORE]
October 2008 Update - 10/10/2008
As many have noticed, we have been laying low regarding the progress of Alganon. This isnt because there isnt much going on. On the contrary, our team has nearly doubled in size since my last blog posting and things are progressing at such a rate its hard to keep up with it all. Our server systems have been relocated to our chosen commercial launch hosting site, and our team is working all hours of the day to bring every aspect of the p [MORE]
Plans for 2008 - 02/29/2008
What? It's already March
2008? Where did 2007 go? Last thing I remember was some crazy cool game
idea coming to fruition, killing goblins in a test world, finalizing
concepts, and being excited. Now we've got this monster of a world
editor system that allows multiple developers to work on the world
concurrently, new and exciting server architecture, a custom built
client and LUA system that handles both integrated and 3rd party UIs,
post processing shader systems, tons of world... [MORE]
End of 2006 Update - 12/20/2006
The New Year is definitely
going to bring some major changes (and news) for QOL and CRUSADE. We
were hoping to share some of this news before the end of the year, but
have been so busy with the design and technology of the game that we've
hardly had time to breathe.
We've had a functional multiplayer Alpha for months now;
skills & studies, combat, quests, resource harvesting and even
basic tradeskills are all in and functional. The core "feel" of the
game is coming along great,... [MORE]
Competing with WoW? - 08/30/2006
I've had many people ask me "why is CRUSADE special?" and "how will CRUSADE compete with WoW?". The
first thing to point out is that CRUSADE, or any other MMOG for that
matter, doesn't need to "compete" with WoW, which I might add is an
amazing game. There is so much market potential in the on-line gaming
sector, the fact is that WoW holds less than 5% of the worldwide
on-line gaming market. This means there are many more players to "convert" to subscription-based games, and within that... [MORE]
July is over already? - 07/29/2006
What? July is almost over?
But it was just the 7th! What happened to the time? I must admit, I am
very pleased with the progress of CRUSADE; our team is doing a
wonderful job. Our core technology is coming together nicely, and our
custom world editor is the easiest I've ever used - we can build
large-scale worlds now, and populate them with ease. The next few
months should be very exciting as we reveal the next set of races, as
well as other interesting information. A big thanks to...
Screenshots sent to IGN RPG Vault! - 07/07/2006
What a week indeed. We have
released our first set of screenshots to IGN RPG Vault along with a
very large interview that should be posted at the beginning of next
week; as soon as it is, I will be sure to post the link. Over the next
few weeks we will begin to release additional screenshots on a more
regular basis. The fun is just beginning!
Screenshots are almost ready! Really! - 06/25/2006
Our team has been working
around the clock on the alpha build to prepare for an upcoming
large-scale interview where we will release the first set of
Screenshots for CRUSADE. We were hoping to do this at the beginning of
June, but I wanted some additional core visual features implemented
before the screenshots were released. [MORE]
Silence before the storm... - 05/26/2006
Sorry things have been so
quiet lately. Our entire team has been working hard to prepare for our
upcoming release of the first CRUSADE screenshots. Right now it looks
like one of the major gaming sites will get the "first look", but we'll
be sure to post a reference as soon as it is made available. Per the
voter's requests, we are also planning to release more information on
the character progression system. Well, back to work. Oh wait, somebody
said it was the "weekend"? That word...
Skills, Studies and Stances, oh my! - 05/13/2006
There's nothing better than
seeing the progress of not only the tools and technology, but the game
play systems. We managed to finalize the core hybrid skill system this
week based on the original design, and as a gamer, I am very excited by
the results. We wanted to directly address the level-based limitations
that players are currently running into, while embracing the
flexibility of a skill-based action/reaction system - but the trick is
to "wrap" it well enough to where it's not...
What a week! - 04/29/2006
What a week indeed! In
addition to continued client and world builder development, our team
has been working to finalize the website for Monday's launch. We're
very happy with the results. In addition, the first set of music for
Crusade will be complete on Sunday, and we are planning on adding some
sort of streaming system to the main website that will allow the
players to listen to what we've created.While we already have a functional client, we are going to wait a bit
longer before...