Jan 2, 2007

New Year = New Things to do!

We're planning on having the final version of the game ready by June 1st. Make sure you check out Version 0.2, which was just posted (links on the right side of this page).

The things we still need help with are:

3D modeling and texturing:
- specifically: individual buildings in the moon base, mining equipment, and two new space rover vehicles
- 3D modelling of a robot/droid to carry rocks/supplies when called
- building new images for the existing moonbases - so they look a little more realistic
- 3D texturing of space suits from astronauts of other companies (we have the FOGE one, need a few more)

Coding:
- Mission system (building in some C++ code so that AI bots can respond to commands and communicate)
- Base building system (so that when players bring resources to the base, buildings are created)
- Various "mini games" to accomplish goals (like wire a broken circuit, reprogram a robot, fix equipment, etc)

Writing/Design:
- Designing the Missions for players (we have a good list online, but need some more granularity - What exactly are the missions? How long are they?)
- Writing text for the scripts (What exactly are the words that NASA mission control says to the astronauts for each mission? What other messages are sent?)
- Writing dialoge that the AI bots will use (Do they say "Hi" when approached? What about bots from other "companies")

Audio/Video:
- Recording the audio/video for the missions communications from NASA (we have a film studio ready to help with this)
- Recording audio for the other astronauts (we need a few male and female voices)

3 comments:

Steven Heffel said...

Jay, the exploremarsnow.com website has some very extensive graphics of a first generation astronaut habitat on Mars. It is so highly detailed that you can look out of a porthole and see Martian terrain and take a guided virtual tour of the interior and exterior of the habitat. Perhaps, exploremarsnow.com would share some of their habitat graphics if FoGE asked them.

Steven Heffel said...

Concerning the construction of a lunar outpost, as I understand it, once things have progressed to the point that astronauts are able to "live off of the land" they would begin constructing buildings made out of lunar cement which is made from lunar regolith. Prefabricated modular buildings brought from Earth would only be utilized to begin the process of establishing a lunar colony. The buildings constructed out of lunar cement would resemble the adobe mud (brick?) structures made here on Earth in many third world countries.
And how about including some emergency shelters scattered about the moon for astronauts to take shelter inside of during a solar flare or meteorite shower? Random solar flare activity and/or meteorite showers which interrupts the extra vehicular activities (EVA) of the astronauts should be included in all scenarios involving astronauts working on the lunar surface outside of sheltered enclosures. During any solar flare or meteorite shower the astronauts would need to drop whatever they are doing and procede to the nearest emergency shelter.

Unknown said...

I really like that idea! I've built the second MoonBase to try to look more like hand-packed gray bricks. I'll make some "lunar cemenet mixers" and shelters for meteorites and solar flares.