This thread is a repost of an excerpt from this news update. This section was re-posted for organizational purposes and more focused discussion going forward.

Even though updates to the prototype have been few and far between, I am still very much committed to bringing my vision of a browser-based Mega Man RPG to fruition. A new version of the prototype has been in development for the last two years and it has been working under the new title "Mega Man RPG World". The change from "prototype" to "world" represents many things, not the least of which being the expanded scope of the new project.

This new world will be a reboot of original game engine and even though it will share many of the assets, story elements, and mechanics of the prototype, it will be maintained and updated as completely separate entity from today onward. The prototype everyone is currently playing will not be taken offline and will occasionally receive small updates or patches, but once the new game is complete and online then prototype sign-ups will be closed and the game will transition into read-only legacy mode. Legacy users will be able to import some progress into the new game and may be eligible for other bonuses, but for all intents and purposes they will start fresh like everyone else.

Due to the nature of the prototype's development, my involvement was crucial in implementing almost any kind of growth or change to the game's mechanics or content. I did not design the system with a proper back-end nor a way for others on the team to make updates, and as a result the frequency of new stuff to do and see was been very low. This is, in my opinion, one of the largest failings of the prototype and I am finally fixing it in the new version of the game. I am programming a complete admin panel for myself and the other members of the team so that we may easily add, edit, and/or remove content with ease and at any time. Most of this panel is already complete and has been used by MegaBossMan and myself to add and update robot sprites in the new game. It's really quite amazing to behold and play around with.

The second biggest flaw with the prototype (that isn't any one specific mechanic or damage calculation) is the lack of user-generated content. As evidenced by the mix-and-match nature of prototype missions, it's clear that I'm a big fan of emergent complexity, and yet very little of what is in the prototype can be controlled or influenced by the user. Lots of smaller details are shuffled up to create each individual unique mission and giving player the ability to influence those details was something that I had always wanted but never got around to. Player battles were close but - as many have suggested in the past - a full-featured Mission Creator is the real dream. Mission structures in the new game are being programmed specifically with user-generated settings in mind, and allowing each player to be able to create their own "chapter" of customized event missions would be my ultimate goal. This and the above are just two examples of many, many changes coming to the new game and I'm so excited to be able to "start fresh" on this new project.

The new Mega Man RPG World is not done and I do not currently have an estimate of the release date, but the massive list of hopes and dreams for this new version of the project should keep me busy for a long time. For now, the Mega Man RPG Prototype will continue to live on as a preview for what's on the horizon and a reminder of how far we've already come.

Thank you all so much for playing and for continuing to frequent the forums and spread the word about the prototype. The overwhelming support from this community over the last 4+ years has been truly amazing and has given me the motivation to continue the dream. THANK YOU!


Adrian Edit: This thread is super outdated and no-longer represents an accurate version of what's going on behind the scenes. Plans have changed - drastically - so I'm locking this thread entirely.