MV3D Development Blog

July 3, 2013

MV3D 0.80 Released!

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , — SirGolan @ 12:24 pm

We are pleased to announce the release of MV3D 0.80! The highlights of this version are a revamped toolchain which should enable a better workflow for building new content. Some of the improvements include tabbed tools instead of docked windows, a property grid for editing, and support for 3rd party asset types. Also in this version is the first example gameplay system– the stats system. To support it is a new component system that loads objects from an xml template and attaches components such as the new stats system. Finally, many improvements to the low level server code were made including initial support for asynchronous database connections, and a new JSON based protocol which can be used instead of PB to support clients written in languages other than Python.

Contributors to this release include:

  • Mike Handverger
  • Judd Cohen
  • johne5
  • Mythros

MV3D is an open source multiplayer game and virtual world framework written in Python. It encompasses a scalable server with dynamic load balancing, a robust set of content creation tools, and an extensible 3D client application. MV3D provides the foundation to build anything from 3D chat rooms to full MMORPGs with the goal of letting you concentrate on creating a unique virtual world instead of the infrastructure to support it.

The next release will be 0.85 and will focus on tools, usability, and example gameplay.

For more information on MV3D and this or future releases, please visit the website. The full release notes for version 0.80 are available online. For further inquiries, feel free to stop by our IRC channel on irc.freenode.net #MV3D.

Retrospective

What went well?

  • py2exe client and tool releases include support for both Panda3D and Ogre3D.
  • Datastore load test showed excellent performance. 
  • Multiple projects are now using MV3D in various forms.
  • Relaxed release process. Otherwise it would have been another 3 months! Time will tell if this is a “well” or “less well” though.
  • Improved support for traditional static world MMOs.

What went less well? 

  • 18 Months is way too long in between releases.
  • MV3D is still not very user friendly.
  • Not many flashy features were added.

April 14, 2012

MV3D 0.75 Release

Filed under: releases — Tags: , , , , , , — SirGolan @ 3:15 pm

We are very happy to announce the release of version 0.75 of MV3D! This was mainly a bug-fixing release with more than 65 bugs squashed. Also, in this release, MV3D gained support for Linux with the Ogre3D renderer along with Mac OS X with the Panda3D renderer. This means that MV3D’s client, server, and tools are available on Windows, Linux, and OS X! With bug-fixes across the whole platform, this is also the most stable release of MV3D to date.

MV3D is an open source multiplayer game and virtual world framework written in Python. It encompasses a scalable server with dynamic load balancing, a robust set of content creation tools, and an extensible 3D client application. MV3D provides the foundation to build anything from 3D chat rooms to full MMORPGs with the goal of letting you concentrate on creating a unique virtual world instead of the infrastructure to support it.

For more information on MV3D and this or future releases, please visit the website. The full release notes for version 0.75 are available online. For further inquiries, feel free to stop by our IRC channel on irc.freenode.net #MV3D.

Screenshots:


Retrospective:

What went well:

  • Lots of bugfixing means a very stable release!
  • New setuptools installer (needs testing), and Panda installers instead of p3ds make MV3D easier to get started with.
  • The dev env installer is much improved.
  • Linux/Ogre and OS X/Panda support is awesome!
  • Released 2 months ahead of schedule!
  • What went less well:

  • We really need more help with testing and development. 
  • No new features went in this release (though that was the plan all around, it still makes me sad).
  • Deprecated the In Game Editor as it was mostly broken and only supported Ogre.
  • Need more physical machines to test multiple platform support. Testing on virtual machines is painfully slow.
  • The next release is 0.80 which is set to include features aimed improving MV3D’s usability as a platform for traditional MMORPGs such as instances along with increasing tool usability and functionality. As mentioned in the less well section, we need more help. Even just help testing out new features would be very much appreciated. MV3D is also a great way to learn about client / server game architecture!

    January 22, 2012

    MV3D 0.70 Released Today!

    Filed under: releases — Tags: , , , , — SirGolan @ 4:08 pm

    We are pleased to announce the release version 0.70 of MV3D! This release includes a massive amount of new features and over 70 bug-fixes. The main focus was on usability and involved a large amount of work on tools. In 0.70, Panda3D support was brought up to par with animation, terrain texture splatting, and sky-domes. One of the things we are most excited about is the Windows development environment installer. This is an easy installer that will quickly set up any Windows system to develop MV3D. If you’ve been watching the project and want to get involved, there’s no better time!

    MV3D is an open source multiplayer game and virtual world framework written in Python. It encompasses a scalable server with dynamic load balancing, a robust set of content creation tools, and an extensible 3D client application. MV3D provides the foundation to build anything from 3D chat rooms to full MMORPGs with the goal of letting you concentrate on creating a unique virtual world instead of the infrastructure to support it.

    For more information on MV3D and this or future releases, please visit the website. The full release notes for version 0.70 are available online. For further inquiries, feel free to stop by our IRC channel on irc.freenode.net #MV3D.

    Screenshots:

    Gates At SunsetComposer
    Retrospective:

    What went well:

  • Guide is even more awesome with added widgets.
  • Major bugs from the release checklist were fixed (~60 total)
  • XML datastore can be used for quick and dirty exporting of any game data.
  • The new Composer tool framework is fun to work with and it’s easy to add plugins.
  • Client usability is much improved including hiding character choices that aren’t compatible with the current renderer.
  • What went less well:

  • Many bugs were found in the release checklist delaying the release.
  • Need another SQLite performance pass.
  • The release was way too long. I’d prefer a release every 2 - 3 months.
  • Release 0.75 will be focused on bugfixing and adding full support for Linux + Ogre and OS X + Panda. We are currently looking for help porting and testing on these platforms. Let us know if you are interested!

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