Technology Roadmap

[asommers]

This is always a touchy subject, but some of you were wondering about where Pocket Legends is headed. From our perspective, the sky is the limit. We feel we've created the core of a really fun game and we are 100% committed to Pocket Legends and to the community.

Gary has posted about how we handle change (link). We have a huge whiteboard list of short term goals, long term goals, and an extensive Sharepoint list detailing tasks, todos, and bugs so we know what we're working on on a day to day basis. Data changes we make will continually add new content, fix bugs, and exploits. Server code changes can fix bugs and exploits at a moment's notice. However, client code changes must thoughtfully be planned out. Our experience has been it takes roughly 2 weeks for the Apple submission process. We want to make sure we get the most code bang for buck, since we may not be able to update the client for a while.

While this is always subject to change at a moment's notice, here's a high-level roadmap of what we're focused on:

Short Term Goals

• Build community
• Stabilize service
• Customer Service Tools
• Understand Apple approval process for application updates and in-app purchases

Code Features (each of these will most likely require a client update to introduce)

• More player customization
• Bank
• Mailboxes
• Quests
• Secure Trade
• Pets
• PvP
• Guilds
• World Map
• Player Housing
• Auction House
• Achievements and Leaderboards
• Randomized Dungeons

Eventually, I'd like to get a page on the website where major and minor features we're working are listed in more detail with status. But, for now, we inform the community of major changes with In Development updates, and the rest of the changes are told to the community after they have already happened (in patches).

We have a firm technology platform to be able to scale, react to the community, and expand the game well into the future.

-ALS

[Chronical]

Pets?! I love you guys.

[darrensmith016]

what sort of time scale we looking at the recive these updates?

but im loving this game, ever thought about releasing a pc/mac client? (this game could be massive)

I'd buy a MAC just for this game

[Nova]

Everything you mentioned is key in an MMO so if that all happens this game will be perfect people wont be logging onto WoW or any of those games anytime soon haha!

[setec]

What is this "WoW" you speak of?

[darrensmith016]

no idea, sounds like a old game.. cant really remember

[Dizko]

I'm very excited to see these features in game

[EddyBumba]

Woah, far far more than I was expecting.
I'm hoping no one is expecting all the client updates in one releas lol. Each are massive within themselves.

I'll say it again, never seen such love from a dev team

[Pixxie]

Seriously fellas? HOME RUN. I was so incredibly pleased to download this game and I've already sent $10 your way in terms of patches and respecs. I simply cannot wait to see this game grow and develop into something even greater, even deeper, even more appealing.

I cannot express enough how much I think this will change the landscape of iPhone gaming.

I'm not sure you had any idea how big this game would be.. but you have successfully created something unique, special, and for the moment, quite personal.

Thank you!

[Lomion]

Hello,

Please excuse my bad english. I'll try and expose my point of view on the game, especially after reading this post.
All of these features are great and really exceed, in my opinion, what one can expect from a pocket MMO. As far as I'm concerned I have been disappointed at first by the lack of a trade system and of guilds. It seems like a basic trade system will be available soon, and the guilds are in the roadmap. The update rate is great, so I must bow before you guys and clap my hands in applause. Keep on the good work.
But... I can't help but think that your business model is a bit faulty, because I am afraid that you lost many potential players by not releasing these features since day 0. The first look at the game makes an impression of a lack of depth: no private chat, no guilds, no trade... Of course those like me who reached level 25 and keep faithful will enjoy each new feature, but many will not wait till the next update and, since the game is free, will uninstall after a few hours.
Anyway, we are a legion of very motivated people, wainting eagerly for each update. Consolidating the community (as you wrote in your roadmap) is essential because once the highest level is achieved, the things that will motivate players are, I think:
- meet friends on a regular basis (private chat, guilds)
- rise levels (please continue to increase the max level)
- drop random items (the classical color system is perfect), especially very (very) rare items, maybe on some bosses
I hope you will find some of my ideas useful and I just can't wait to log in tonight and maybe discover that something new happened in the realms of Pocket Legends.

[_ck]

I have no idea what pets means, but everything else sounds delicious.

[Dizko]

I have no idea what pets means, but everything else sounds delicious.

Well judging by past experience, a pet system is when you own a pet (duh) and that pet shares your experience and levels up independently of yourself. It also has it's own skills which aid you in your fighting.

As for the comment before yours:

I disagree, I think PocketLegends was released at the right time. It needs work, but I'm so happy that I am a part of it before it gets big - and it will.
The fact that these features are not in yet will mean that the 'newbs' will come, stay for a day or two, get bored and leave. They don't understand the potential and therefore I have no interest in seeing them stay.

Looking forward to the future of Pocket Legends.

[Banned]

I was just going to make a thread suggesting pets. Thanks for all the hard work guys.

[darrensmith016]

Seriously fellas? HOME RUN. I was so incredibly pleased to download this game and I've already sent $10 your way in terms of patches and respecs. I simply cannot wait to see this game grow and develop into something even greater, even deeper, even more appealing.

I cannot express enough how much I think this will change the landscape of iPhone gaming.

I'm not sure you had any idea how big this game would be.. but you have successfully created something unique, special, and for the moment, quite personal.

Thank you!

dito! i fully agree with that!

[SMELTN]

So, I was expecting this game to be a nice little free app, that I could kinda go back and play every now and again, but WOW you guys have me hooked, and those are some HUGE goals to achieve!! I mean if done right, we could be talking about Spacetime Studios being the Blizzard of the idevices.

Can't wait, and if I can help in any way, please let me know

[nerdherd]

Wow, you guys have avery ambitious list. I like this kind of thinking! The only problem with this list is that as these things get implemented I'm going to get more and more addicted to this game and my wife will get even more upset at me for playing it late into the night

[Lomion]

Oh, I know what you mean. Suddenly my battery drops to 10%, I switch the iPhone off and realize it is 4AM (!).
I agree with the comment above, stating that PL could become the WoW of the Apple portable devices (event if some other MMOs already exist). There might be a lot of money to earn, because while there is no monthly fee, I would not mind paying $2 from time to time in order to get regular content.

[Jamie]

Awesome list there, Just wondering though what does "World map" mean? Is that just some sort of map to replace the current transparent type map we can call up or is it a whole overhaul meaning the game will be changed so we walk around an actual open world then select quests/play dungeons from there instead of having the current Towne

If it is sort of just a better map we can call up to replace the current one how would that work exactly since you just select dungeons and there is no actual "World" as such to roam around.

[darrensmith016]

i was thinking about this earlier, if they turn the "towne" into a hub so players can access certain maps by going to a different areas of the "towne"

[d4bn3y]

This is all fabulous news.

I have been waiting for a while now for a development not only release a true MMO for mobile devices, but are actually interested in the players input. I think listening to the people paying for your content is a sure way to keep money in your pockets and your clients happy.

I greatly look forward to hours of your well crafted product, keep up the good work.
-Just1n-