The creation process of the map was more challenging than he initially thought. While he finished the outline in less than an hour, the fine-tuning process took him a whole week.
It was already January 15th, and he had about four weeks left to complete the Secret Realm.
The more he thought about it, the more impossible it seemed.
Time wasn't his only constraint either.
"*Sigh* Report the approximate bandwidth needed based on current circumstances."
[Calculating... 86% of current bandwidth allocated will be used.](Mildred)
With a shake of his head, Michael knew it was impossible to continue. Overlooking the result of his hard work in the past week, he saw the three 'lanes' separated as envisioned while the biomes and regions were adequately detailed.
The 'camps' where neutral creeps would be spawned after some time passed in the game were also drawn on the island, with the allocation following the latest game update he remembered before his transmigration.
On the 'Radiant' side, the two 'Ancient camps' and the 'Tormentor' were set on the left side of the island - also known as the top lane - while the 'Jungle' was between the middle and bottom lane.
He set the six neutral creep camps accordingly, and three more camps were assigned along the eastern side of the bottom lane.
These camps were either clearings in the forest terrain or 'monster lairs' set outside the forest entrance.
He didn't exaggerate the number of trees while also ensuring it looked realistic enough to support an actual biome.
Then, on the 'Dire' side, the design was much easier to create because he had previously selected the savannah biome.
The middle lane was the easiest, with sparse trees and large expanses of land heading toward the river.
The top lane was the more headache-inducing one since he had to generate three neutral creep camps on the northern side of the 'lane,' as well as the 'jungle' between the top, middle lane, and the river.
Another six creep camps were distributed accordingly, after which he focused on the 'triangle' or one of the two spots where players could farm 'Ancient' creeps.
Then, finally, he detailed the bottom lane accordingly, with the 'Tormentor' and the second 'Ancient' camp, exactly like in the game.
However, just this took 86% of the bandwidth he was allotted. It wasn't a small matter, as these were all the resources he had to use.
The next issue was actually creating the 'heroes' and detailing their physiques and skills. When he first attempted this with a random hero, he found the easiest to reproduce; the A.I. calculated the bandwidth necessary to 127%.
Meaning that he went 27% over the resources he was given. Not only that, but according to Mildred, the time needed to create the 124 heroes he had in mind was estimated to be anywhere between three to six months to adequately create them during the first two stages and another 2 to 5 years to infuse his intent into them during the third stage.
Bottom-line, concluding this project in the remaining four weeks he had was impossible.
Exiting deep dive, he took a shower to clear his thoughts and contacted 'professor' Morano for some advice.
[It's you again, boy? What's wrong?](Morano)
"Hello, professor..."
After explaining his plight, the Tier 2 Programmer asked him to send over the project he created so far.
He vaguely described his idea, still worried that Morano might steal the concept and claim it as his own, but reality proved he was thinking too much.
[I see. You overextended. I can't help you in this matter since the practical test requirements are inflexible.](Morano)
"*Sigh* I understand..."
[However, it doesn't mean you are truly out of options. Create the virtual project however, you envision it since the A.I. can handle it easily. As for the subsequent two phases, focus on a smaller portion of the Secret Realm to showcase this project's potential. Then, if approved and the sect's Elders agree, you could receive investments to further complete it.](Morano)
"A demo!"
Cursing at his own stupidity, Michael immediately understood what Morano was trying to say.
Remembering the first deep-dive demo he tried and the excitement as the jungle's flora touched his skin, he already had a general idea of how to continue.
[Exactly. You have an interesting concept. I look forward to seeing what you do with it. Contact me again if you have any issues.](Morano)
"Thank you very much, sir!"
Incredibly excited, he reconnected to his 'workspace' and immediately issued some orders.
"Mildred, keep the original template and save it as 'Full version.' Then, isolate the Radiant and Dire bases, as well as the middle lane. Expand the circle to here and here, and include the first three camps of each side's 'jungle,' as well as the 'triangle.' Estimate the bandwidth needed."
[Calibrating... 29% bandwidth required to generate.](Mildred)
"Excellent!"
Laughing wildly, Michael made the adjustments as he prepared the neutral creep models, as well as the spawned creeps on both the Radiant and Dire sides. The latter would act as the 'soldiers' fighting alongside the heroes.
His thought process was simple: if creating the whole game is impossible in the short term, go for one of the mods!
And the best mod to showcase the game's mechanics and potential was the '1v1 middle lane.'
In doing so, his 'demo' would also be playable to a larger extent, capable of drawing users and investors.
"Yes, that's good. Follow these models and distribute them alongside the map as discussed. Make sure you also add them to the 'Full version.'"
[Understood. Generating...](Mildred)
The neutral creeps in DOTA 2 were split into four major 'factions' according to their camp size.
The small camps could spawn Kobold Camps, Hill Troll Camps, Hill Troll and Kobold Camps, Vhoul Assassin Camps, Ghost Camps, and finally, Harpy Camps.
Each one of these creatures had their own unique looks and builds, not to mention active or passive skills.
Next were medium camps, which could spawn Centaur Camps, Wolf Camps, Satyr Camps, Ogre Camps, and Golem Camps.
The difference between the medium camp neutral creeps and the small camps was in the power they could showcase.
After discussing it with Mildred and having her run some simulations, an Ogre Camp could easily smash three Kobold Camps with ease without losing any of their members. Therefore, it would be significantly more difficult for the players to farm these camps if they wanted the extra gold and neutral items.
The third 'faction' was the large camps, which spawned Large Centaur Camps, Large Satyr Camps, Hellbear Camps, Wildwing Camps, Troll Camps, and Warpine Camps.
The difference between the medium and large camps was mostly in their numbers. For example, a medium Centaur Camp would have one Centaur Conqueror and two Centaur Coursers.
The same type of camp, but in the 'large' version, would greet the players with three times the numbers of the medium one.
Of course, there were also new types of neutral creeps, such as the Hellbears, Wildlings, and Warpines. Each one of these creeps had their own skills and talents, enough to make the lives of the players a living hell.
Finally, there were the Ancient camps, which were undoubtedly the hardest to farm at low levels. They posed a lethal danger to players even at medium levels if they weren't careful enough.
There were only two such camps on each side of the map, with the possibility of spawning either a Dragon Camp, a Large Golem Camp, aThunderhide Camp, or a Frostbitten Camp.
Michael gasped in excitement when he saw the models simulated by the A.I. There was also the big boy, 'Roshan,' but he temporarily set it aside for now as he had already wasted the entire day creating the base models for the neutral creeps.
"*Sigh* And this is before adding their combat mechanics, active and passive skills. Mildred, save everything. Also, on the 'Full Version' design, the island's top left and bottom right corners are 'Roshan lairs.' Temporarily create them as follows..."
After another hour or so of regurgitating Icefrog's creation and empowering it with a sense of realism brought by the full dive realistic graphics, Michael exhaustedly collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.
Starting the next day, he spent another week creating the heroes and designing the skills of both heroes and neutral creeps.
Since he didn't have to go full throttle yet, he selected 18 heroes, which he split based on two factors: their faction and their primary attribute.
Following the DOTA 1 mechanics, he first designated 9 heroes to the Dire and another 9 to the Radiant.
Then, each of these heroes was split into three categories based on their type.
There were Agility heroes whose main attribute was obvious. These heroes, either melee or ranged, had increased armor, and their future attribute improvements would receive a bigger boost per level in agility.
Next were Strength heroes. Mostly melee, these heroes had lower armor than the Agility heroes but higher Physical Damage and increased Hit Points. Unfortunately, they would also have lower Magical Damage since their attribute progression per level would focus on strength and agility, and only a few points would be added to intelligence. Michael decided on a 6:3:1 ratio for now.
Finally, the Intelligence heroes. Mostly ranged, with lower armor, Hit Points, and Physical Damage compared with both counterparts, but a much higher Mana Pool and considerably higher Magical Damage.
The role designation for these heroes would have to wait until the Full Version is released.
"Mildred, how are we looking?"
[The bandwidth estimation is at 96%, sir.](Mildred)
"Excellent! *Sigh* I was worried we wouldn't make it for a moment. What about mechanics and skill balance?"
[I suggest purchasing the Qi Gathering-level Combat Package, which will solve both of your concerns. However, the allotted resources wouldn't be sufficient to do so.](Mildred)
"How much would I have to pay out of pocket?"
[65 spirit stones, sir.](Mildred)
"65, huh?"
Reading the description of the Qi Gathering-level Combat Package, Michael's brows furrowed. Buying and applying this resource package would allow his models to better integrate the capability of a Qi Gathering cultivator, allowing him to spare a lot of hard work during the third stage of Intent infusion.
Without a better alternative, he gritted his teeth and paid the extra amount. Watching the simulation of skills used by the A.I.-controlled heroes, a smile finally appeared on his face.
Once the package was' installed, ' the movements were much less robotic, and the combat between the two heroes flowed much smoother.
This mainly affected the 'bots' Michael wanted to use for people preferring the 'single-player' version, while it would also help with the restrictions and combat capability of players who later entered the game.
With this, the first stage was finally completed. Next followed the more challenging part: the Concept.
First, he set the game's lore by copy-pasting the narrative of DOTA 2 from Earth.
The two bases on the Radiant and Dire sides had a large structure in the middle. For Radiant was a towering tree, while for Dire was a Sauron-looking dome.
According to the backstory he set, each of these two unique buildings imprisoned a terrifying being called 'Ancient.'
As shards of the primordial, these two Ancients fought each other throughout the eons until finally almost annihilating each other and pitifully falling to this world.
The people of this world sealed the two shards after witnessing how the will of the Ancients corrupted nearby fauna and people alike to fight in their stead, finally putting an end to the mess.
Unfortunately, no mortal can match the powers of the divine, and the seal was weakening with each passing day. Therefore, the leaders of the world decided to imprison and isolate the two shards on an island.
However, a sacrifice had to be made in order to satisfy the thirst for battle between the two Ancients. Therefore, heroes from all around the world, as well as regular soldiers, were selected.
They would enter this island and fight each other to the death repeatedly over the years. Fortunately, with the world's blessing, the heroes and soldiers alike were allowed to be restricted after each 'ritual' ended.
Drawing a deep breath, Michael found his mind buzzing. He spent the last three days working non-stop, with pauses only for eating and going to the bathroom.
"Fortunately, I am finally done with the Concept for the world. Next are the heroes and the skills mechanics, HP, MP, levels, attributes, items... Fuck! I definitely don't have enough time."
Rubbing his tired eyebrows, he went to sleep. Even in his dreams, he was designing the game, cursing at the short timeframe he was given.
With the end of the training session approaching rapidly, Michael decisively reduced the number of heroes fully defined through Concept to only six: three on each side and two of each attribute type.
"Let's go with Lina, Sven, and Juggernaut for Radiant, Shadow Fiend, Chaos Knight, and Slark for Dire. As for their background stories..."
Time passed, and he was down to the last two weeks of the training camp. It was already January 30th, and he somehow managed to complete the Concept stage.
There were still many things he wasn't satisfied with, such as the leveling process, the experience allotment, the gold allotment, attribute growth, skill growth, items, and many other finer details.
However, the rough outline was more or less done.
"Now, I have to somehow infuse my Intent into this project in the next two weeks..."