A little something for you all. Today is the 9 month anniversary of a special day, June 5th, when the first time the idea of a Plan Z was introduced on the Titan Forums, by Titan's own Soundwave. It also is the same day that a group of people met to discuss such an idea took place, consisting of all of five people on an IRC channel. I happened to be one of those people. Who knew then, where we would be today.
Today I am looking at the field, with three solid Plan Z projects underway.
The first, and largest of them of course being the Phoenix Project. Being developed in the grande bazaar method, it is wild, chaotic, and incredibly driven. With 106 currently active members as of this morning, the Phoenix Project has made solid headway over the past several months. Despite some setbacks over engine license, we continue to push ahead, working on our innovative next-generation MMORPG.
Next we find Heroes and Villains. While with Phoenix, you find a masse of people throwing ideas together, with H&V, we find the opposite, with a singular vision dominating. As a result, H&V has continued its own progress forward with few bumps along the way.
Lastly, we have the newcomer, Valiance. This group is no stranger to MMO development, and have been laboring to convert their already developed fantasy MMORPG "Legends of Etherell" system to the purposes of PlanZ. Due to this 3-years of existing development, Valiance was able to leapfrog ahead for a technical demonstration sooner than the other two projects.
Three very capable projects, each one focusing on a different model, a different approach to Plan Z. None of them however are wrong. There is merit to all approaches. This is good, for each of these projects, as well for our community as a whole. Worst case, it means a greater chance of success for at least one of these groups. Best case, it expands our community, offering new options, and opportunities, to the greater MMORPG world. There is no such thing as a perfect solution, but right now, with PlanZ, I think we are getting not one, not two, but a trifecta approach, completely unintentionally.
It is a moment to reflect on how things have come, and to consider where things are going. It is dark, our city lights are off, but within that darkness, three new metropolis are coming together. New worlds within which to explore, to do good, or enact schemes.
For we are heroes, and this is what we do.
