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Greetings!
This is your chance for a "Sneak Peek" at what we're doing right now in the development of the game. Some aspects of game development are less tangible, and some aspects of the game development must neccesarily be kept secret (for the moment anyway).
Our music composers have been creating some fantastic pieces. I would like to share one of them here with you.
Click here to listen to a demo clip of Whispering Sands Music by our composer, Maestro.
Click here to listen to a first draft of a belly dance style song for the Street Market by our composer DorianSapphire. It is 4:31 minutes.
And now for your viewing pleasure...
Beardedman by Concept artist: Kyle Cooper
copyright (c) 2006 by Kyle Cooper and Heaven's Blessings Tiny Zoo
This screenshot is from the Januray 29th, 2006 Mockup.
Also, here is a glimpse at some of the 3D models I have drawn for the game. We are using Milkshape to draw the models. (We ARE looking for more artists! Please fill out this form: Volunteer Application if you are interested.) I will not reveal all of the models we've been working on, as some will be a surprize for the players to discover in the game world first hand. But I am excited to show you some of the models I've been working on. We may possibly have to edit them some more to reduce the number of polygons for computer lag considerations, but overall I consider these to be in their finished state.
We have done a fair amount of research as to which animals are found in the Bible, which species are currently found in the Holy Land, and which are likely to have been found there in the 1st century A.D. Then after confirming animal types and species, we have to find photos that meet proper specifications for developing accurate 3D models of each animal. In some cases we have found that there were species then which are likely now extinct. So in some cases we have to recreate modren representations of what we believe those species to have been like. And in some cases we use modern species or varieties that come as close to a match as we are able to determine. In all instances we are doing our best to re-create the landscape, wildlife and human condition as closely as we can imagine it might have been like during the 2nd century A.D. in the Holy Land. It is our goal for the players to have a sense that they are going back in time and really experiencing life as a citizen or explorer of the Holy Land shortly after the last book of the Bible was completed.
This is a baby chick we will be putting into the game. The White Faced Black Spanish species was chosen, because it is believed that the Romans obtained their poutrly stock from Southern Europe, and then introduced chickens to Israel possibly as long ago as 300 BC. There is anecdotal reference to chickens and baby chicks in Matthew 23:37 suggesting that raising poultry for food had become a common practice by this time in Biblical history. The White Faced Black Spanish is one of the oldest known European chicken breeds, and while it may not have been the exclusive chicken breed, it's possible that this breed or a similar representation was present in the 2nd century Holy Land.
This is a Mackerel. From research we have done on fish species of the Mediterranean Sea, we believe this was likely a very common fish that fishermen would have caught and sold in the market. There are still Mackerel present in the Mediterranean Sea to this day, and it is caught and eaten as part of the diet of coastal residents.
This ram is of the breed known today as "Jacob's Sheep" which has been developed from stock most closely representing the spotted, multi-horned sheep that the Bible tells us Jacob culled from the flocks when he left his Father-in-law's land after 14 years of service for his two wives, Leah and Rachel (Genesis 30:32-35). The piebald stock was imported from Europe and has been recognised as a rare breed in North America since 1985.
More has been accomplished than what is shown here, but I think I will save some pictures for later. =) Check back soon for more updates on the development progress of our Visions game!
Thank you for your interest in our company and in our game. I have always believed that if you follow the leading of your heart, you will not go wrong. And it is with this focus that I am persuing the development of the Visions game. However, I can not complete this project all by myself. I require the help of many people, both in the way of labor and funding. While I have taught myself to draw these 3D models, I have not been able to successfully animate any of them in such a way that their movements look realistic. If you, or someone you know, is interested in contributing their animation talents to the creation of this game, please fill out this form: Volunteer Application. If we are able to collect enough donations, we plan to hire some talented animators, and other game development team members for the completion of this project, but until that time all work is done by unpaid volunteers such as myself. No donation is too small, no contribution of work is too little. All help is appreciated. I encourage you to follow the leading of your heart, in this and in all that you do.
Please note all donations are non-refundable, and non-tax-deductible.
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Email me: Sparkling