StendhalObjectives

This documents wants to be a guide to understand what are stendhal's objetives and motivation, so we can try to achieve it in a easier way by doing only the simplest possible thing to make it work.

Goal

Our goal is to create a multiplayer game with several zones in which players can move, chat and fight. Fighting is to gain experience points that can then be spent on new equipment which will be available at shops on one of the zones where the city is located.

The main point on developing stendhal is to stress-test the engine so that we can identify black points and areas that need to be improved.

Please keep in mind that we want it simple, we want it fast and we want it now. Big complex features need to wait for the next iteration of the project.

Roadmap

Current version in development is: 0.01

Release 0.00

1. Code first server logic
2. Implement a client that render the background
3. Add a GUI to client
4. Split pixel units of arianne units
5. Add static Game objects to client
6. Add static objects on server map.
7. Create accesibility map for server and client ( 0 free, 1 blocked )
8. Code collision detection system knowing that:
   1. Tiles can be of any
   2. Sprite can be of any size
   3. Bounding boxes is enough
9. Add collision detection to server
10. Add dynamic game objects to client
11. Implement rendering system where sprite center is not 0,0 but any other defined by user.
12. Allow player to send actions
13. Refactor code for sending actions to server
14. Code actions on server
    1. Move
    2. Chat
    3. Change zone
15. Test change zone action
16. Code actions in client
17. Add animations to sprites
18. Expand GUI to support these actions
19. Add proper animations for actions
20. Screen follows character smoothly
21. Create build.xml file for allowing Stendhal to be compiled
22. Create automatic method of building released

Release 0.01

1. Complete missing points of 0.00
   1. Add a GUI to client
2. Code actions on server
   1. Attack
   2. Chat
   3. Heal
3. Add proper animation for actions
4. Allow player move slower: add acceleration
5. Make zone change more intuitive.
6. Write proper maps based on design proposal

Release 0.02

1. Add basic AI framework
2. Add NPC to server
3. Allow interaction with NPC
4. Create tasks for players
5. Allow completion of tasks

Release 0.10

1. Make bigger zones
2. Implement algorithm to enter houses or things
   1. Houses
   2. Trees
   3. etc
3. Expand GUI to support these features.
4. Add shops and deeper NPC interaction.