Hey all...

This has been one heck of a year for us here at Prairie Games... There's been a lot of sweat and a few tears. It hasn't been very easy which is understandable for a startup. I am so grateful for the support we have received from so many people... on the game, in these boards, in emails, and out on the web: THANK YOU!!!

We have some big things in store... and are working very hard on Minions of Mirth... This next year is going to be incredible. I cannot stress how much stronger we are going into it...

There have been a number of structural changes made to MoM... not the least of which is our adoption of the Third Edition rules, or SRD, for our core RPG mechanic. This is a great system, though we are quite aware of how generic the Third Edition can get to feeling... We'll be creating "House Rules" for MoM's specific gameplay... it's fun stuff...

Also, we will be porting to the Quake3 engine very soon... We have already been retooling and I have to say, the look of the game is very much improved... as is the pathfinding and many other features. Frankly, I have wanted to use the Quake3 engine for a number of years... I am really stoked...

Another thing, one that hasn't been touched on very much 'officially', is that we are creating a distributed massively multiplayer framework for MoM (and our future titles)... I am fond of calling this "The Bittorrent of Massively Multiplayer"... we'll be releasing some tests of this soon... it's very cool stuff ... I also want to assure everyone we are dedicated to the single player experience... in this mode, MoM is kind of like a Massively Multiplayer Simulator that you can play yourself... "Massively Single Player"

Lastly and most importantly, partnering with Barry Trottier is the smartest move we have ever made. He brings a great enthusiasm, business, and marketing sense to the adventure. We really look forward to working with him over the next year and beyond... It honestly feels like he has been with us the entire time.

In closing, the goals for 2005 are to build community, get help, and ship Minions of Mirth... To build community and get help, we need to get something playable out... this is job #1 and it isn't all that far away...

Thanks again and peace on earth,
-Josh Ritter
Technical Director
Prairie Games