Greetings Travellers,

If you haven't already, please check out what the team is up to at Dan's blog, located just below. As for myself, I'm staring at human heads. 

MakeHuman is a fantastic, open-source program where I've been developing characters. The interface is at first complex, but once you watch tutorials and explore the interface you can create humanoids outside your wildest imagination. 

I wanted a stern-faced Merc, so after some slight tweaking I got this guy:

I would show you a profile of this specimen with his stern chin, but what's the fun in that? I promise you'll be able to choose options in the demo (including stern chin), but for now there's work to do.

In addition to the terrain, this man and his suit are the second and third tangible thing I've created related to Traveller.

Once the networking, animations, user interface, and everything else comes together, the demo will be one truly unique project.  With your support, feedback, and understanding, we will bring Traveller to the masses. 

I have heard somewhere that "Loose sleeves cause weak knees. Always have support."

If you can improve upon this design (which I'm sure you most rightfully can), feel free to download MakeHuman and Blender. There are tons of online resources to learn these programs; all you need is time and imagination. 

As for MakeHuman:

Once we get this skin and suit into Unity and apply some animations, networking, voice chat, and character customization (paired with a GameMaster's Interface), we'll be one step closer to where we need to be. 

We're all super excited for the alpha. In the meantime, we'll be focusing on the game mechanics which will make Traveller MMORPG truly one of a kind. 

When I know, you know. 

Until next time, stay safe Travellers. 

Travellers,

Thank you for continuing to support us through our development process. We are continuing to add followers and want to thank all the assorted Traveller pages on Facebook for sharing our updates and getting more fans on board. This is just a small update to let everyone know where we are at, but also where we are heading.

Our IT guy, Mark, has been spending the last few weeks on networking. He has been testing multiple characters in the same scene and ensuring that they are going to work independently in our demo. He has also been working with a voice server to get the lines of communication open during gameplay. His longer-term goals are to create a chat area and lobby as well as access to library data at the touch of a button. We are currently operating on our own server and will have this available once it comes time for a demo. Mark has been great with keeping morale up and is truly excited to get others involved in our project.

Our Creative Director, Mike, has moved away from terrains and is starting to work on character design. A writer by trade, Mike has impressed us all with his ability to learn new software and really get in deep to minute details. As we mentioned a few months ago, he was working with Blender to color ships and place them into the universe that we are looking to portray. Now, he has added MakeHuman to his repertoire, and is currently working on some variations of the humanoid races. He has also been designing space clothing to ensure a realistic approach to the everyday wear a Traveller can expect to have. This is just the beginning for his creative process and as we move along you will see many of his designs prominently featured.

I myself have been working with animations in Unity. It has been a difficult process for someone who little to no experience within a game world, but things are moving along. I know that we are in the deep end as far as video game design goes, but that does not deter me. I have been able to determine the basics and am starting to work off these as building blocks in the character animation process. You need to learn how to swim somehow, so jumping into the deep end is just as good of place as any to start. I have learned throughout these last 18 months that yes, we are in the deep end, but you can step back and look at priorities once you are there. This has been essential in maintaining morale but also keep long-term goals in mind. This is a large project, but it is not impossible.

Our Founder, Paul, continues to look a few steps ahead in the project. His main focus has now become the User Interface. If anyone out there knows Unity, you will understand that this area is just as important as the main content creation. It seems like everything falls under the UI when dealing with maps, menus, and all the small details. He has also been designing the Game Master interface, which is going to make Traveller MMORPG unique. This is going to take some time, but this is what we hope is the feature that sets this game apart from the MMORPGs that are out there today. Each conversation I have with Paul reassures me that this is a game LaGrange Game Studios is going to be proud to present.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more information. We will be making updates to our main pages on the website as well and will be adding photos of our concept art and some in-game shots as they come along. It pleases me to see that there are new people being added to Traveller groups on Facebook daily, along with some new groups, and hope that we can have that kind of traffic one day. One thing that I have learned about the Traveller community is that they are loyal, and I hope LGS and Traveller MMORPG can earn your loyalty as well.

Greetings Travellers,

Hope you all are faring well. With our lines of communication back up, the team wants to be more vocal about our development. However, please keep in mind the focus of my entries will be what I'm primarily up to, but I'll include updates as they come. 

Animations, networking, and preliminary formulation of a Game Master's interface is keeping the rest of the team busy. I'm especially excited for the interface, so once there's more information, you all will be the first to know. 

Taking a step back from terrain development, I've been tasked on modeling basic characters with basic gear. Since "fashion designer" has never been on my resume and my experience in MakeHuman and Blender can only be described as "beginner to intermediate", I'm having a go. Once I have a more completed project I'll be sure to post pictures. 

The main setback is, between working a desk job and potentially moving out of my apartment, my time is limited. The perk about this project is the escape into the Traveller universe. Never would I have imagined I'd be developing an MMORPG alongside other passionate people, the outrageously original and fantastically immersive Traveller fueling the vision. 

If you have an artistic flare and some spare time, I urge you to check out various online tutorials in programs you may have otherwise not been interested in. Whether it be Unity, Blender, MakeHuman or anything that deals with video-game design, I find great accomplishment in creation, whatever that creation involves.

Since Traveller MMORPG will be community based and built from the ground up, we're open to any user-created content. 

As always, we're grateful for your support and if you have any feedback, suggestions, or just want to say hello, don't hesitate to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on our Facebook page. 

Until next time, Travellers.