Milestone 0 — Prototype
Goal: Is the game fun?
- Player movement
- Basic combat
- Basic enemy
- Basic world
- Basic resource gathering
- Basic building
- Basic progression
Success Criteria:
I can start a new world, explore, fight, gather resources, become stronger, and genuinely want to keep playing.
Milestone 1 — Vertical Slice
Goal: Does the game feel like the game we’re trying to make?
- One complete biome
- One complete class
- One race
- Several weapons
- Accessories
- Crafting
- NPCs
- One boss
- Basic progression
Success Criteria:
A new player can play for several hours and experience the core fantasy.
Milestone 2 — Core Systems
Goal: Establish the systems that differentiate the game.
- Full class system
- Races
- Advanced inventory/storage
- Expanded progression
- Multiple biomes
- Multiple bosses
- Improved NPC system
Milestone 3 — World & Content
Goal: Build the larger adventure.
- More biomes
- More bosses
- More equipment
- Villages
- NPC progression
- Events
- Endgame progression
Milestone 4 — Polish
Goal: Make the game feel finished.
- QoL
- Balance
- UX
- Visual polish
- Performance
- Audio
- Bug fixing