DEV Community: DomTech Gaming

Building the First Magic Ability for an MMORPG in UE5 (Dev Log #18)

DomTech Gaming — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 20:55:11 +0000

After months of building backend systems, combat, crafting, progression, and player interaction, Dev Log #18 reaches a milestone I've been looking forward to since the project began.

Magickness™ finally has its first Magick ability.

Rather than beginning with spellcasting immediately, Magick is introduced through gameplay.

When the player's health falls low enough, Mana awakens and the player unlocks Magick Burst.

This update required connecting multiple gameplay systems:

Gameplay events
Character animation
Visual effects
Ability activation
Mana systems
Ground impact effects

One of the biggest learning experiences during this milestone was integrating Unreal Engine's visual effects workflow and synchronizing those effects with gameplay animations.

While Magick Burst is only the first ability, it establishes the technical foundation for every future Magick technique in the game.

Video:

https://youtu.be/WadXQqg01...

Website:

https://magickness.com/

Building the First Craftable Weapon for an MMORPG (UE5 Dev Log #17)

DomTech Gaming — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:05:03 +0000

One of the most important steps toward a player-driven MMORPG is moving beyond resources and tools into actual equipment.

In Dev Log #17, Magickness™ gains its first craftable weapon.

The new Battle Stick is fully integrated into the game's progression systems.

This required connecting:

Crafting
Inventory
Equipment
Combat
Abilities
Multiplayer replication
UI systems

The update also introduces creator ownership tracking.

Crafted items now store information about the original crafter and display that information through a weapon information panel.

That may seem like a small feature, but it becomes important later for player economies, item identity, reputation systems, and world persistence.

The Stone Axe harvesting tool was also completed, helping finalize the current crafting foundation.

Video:

https://youtu.be/mDyu0JuVMYE

Website:

https://magickness.com/

Building the First Crafting & Progression Loop for an MMORPG (UE5 Dev Log #16)

DomTech Gaming — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 18:10:40 +0000

One of the most important milestones in MMORPG development is creating a gameplay loop that players can naturally progress through.

Dev Log #16 completes the first version of that loop in Magickness™.

Players can now:

Gather resources from the world
Craft tools
Equip those tools
Unlock access to additional resources
Earn experience
Track progression through skills

The current progression path looks like this:

Gather Stick + Vine + Stone

↓

Craft Stone Hammer

↓

Mine Rocks

↓

Gather Flint

↓

Craft Stone Axe

↓

Unlock Future Harvesting Systems

XP is currently awarded for digging, mining, and crafting, with progression visible through the Character Skills interface.

This is the first time multiple gameplay systems have connected together into a complete player progression chain.

Video:

https://youtu.be/p8t3Ad5EUNc

Website:

https://magickness.com/

Building Starter Resource Systems for an MMORPG (Trees, Rocks & Gathering Mechanics) — Dev Log #15

DomTech Gaming — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:25:56 +0000

One of the goals for Magickness™ is allowing players to build themselves up from almost nothing.

Dev Log #15 introduces the first starter resources available in the game world.

Current additions include:

Trees
Stones
Sticks
Vines

Players can gather materials without requiring tools, establishing the earliest stage of the progression loop.

Trees can produce sticks and may contain additional resources through interaction, while stones can be collected directly from the environment and stored in inventory.

This update also introduces the first resource sustainability decisions.

Harvesting a tree may provide immediate benefits, but removing it entirely can reduce future resource production opportunities.

The long-term goal is creating a world where resource management becomes a meaningful part of progression rather than simply clicking objects for materials.

Video:

https://youtu.be/V5KvTPbVO4w

Website:

https://magickness.com/

Building Fully Diggable Terrain & Resource Collection in a Multiplayer UE5 MMORPG (Dev Log #14)

DomTech Gaming — Sun, 31 May 2026 15:27:39 +0000

Development continues on the core world interaction systems for Magickness™.

One of the biggest goals for the project has always been allowing players to meaningfully interact with and modify the game world.

In Dev Log #14, that foundation takes a major step forward.

The terrain is now fully diggable.

Players can:

Dig terrain
Collect dirt directly into inventory
Drop resources into the world
Generate physical loot bags
Allow other players to pick up dropped resources

This creates the first complete resource loop inside the multiplayer environment and establishes the foundation for future gathering, construction, agriculture, and underground exploration systems.

The update also includes a brief review of our finalized PC ↔ Android deployment pipeline, which is now fully operational.

Video:

https://youtu.be/ubT9XunEod0

Website:

https://magickness.com/

Magickness MMORPG Now Running on PC + Mobile Ahead of Open Demo

DomTech Gaming — Fri, 15 May 2026 21:28:52 +0000

Magickness™ has officially crossed a major production milestone.

The current multiplayer build is now successfully running on both Windows PC and Android using the same live backend infrastructure, dedicated server pipeline, and persistent world systems.

This was not a content milestone.

It was a production milestone.

What’s Currently Running

The current playable build now supports:

Account creation
Email verification
Character creation
2D HomeWorld login space
Portal travel into the 3D world
Dedicated multiplayer server connection
Real-time gameplay synchronization
Character stats, inventory, abilities, morality systems, and HUD integration

Both PC and Android builds now connect to the same live multiplayer infrastructure running continuously on Oracle Cloud ARM64 servers.

The Current State of Pangea

The current playable world — Pangea — is still intentionally minimal.

Right now the focus is infrastructure stability and gameplay foundation rather than large-scale world decoration.

The terrain system currently includes:

Runtime voxel terrain generation
Rolling hills and mountain ridges
River and lake generation
Multi-material biome blending
Underground terrain support
Marching-cubes terrain architecture

The current playable world space spans roughly 2km × 2km.

Pangea also plays directly into the larger lore direction of Magickness™, which explores alternate dimensions and simulated realities connected to experimental wormhole research.

That worldbuilding layer will continue expanding over time as development moves deeper into gameplay systems and environmental storytelling.

Why This Milestone Matters

Cross-platform support was always part of the long-term vision for Magickness.

Getting both PC and Android operational before Open Demo dramatically changes future development iteration speed.

The Android pipeline currently supports:

Vulkan SM5 devices
OpenGL ES 3.1 fallback devices
ARM64 deployment
ASTC texture compression
Shared backend authentication
Shared multiplayer server connectivity

Many of the hardest problems in multiplayer game development happen before players ever see meaningful content:

Packaging
Shader compatibility
Runtime networking
Dedicated server deployment
Authentication persistence
Cross-platform synchronization

Those systems are now operational together in a live environment.

What Solo UE5 Development Actually Looks Like

A large portion of the last several weeks involved:

Unreal Engine packaging/debugging
Android compatibility issues
Dedicated server deployment
Multiplayer synchronization
Runtime networking
Infrastructure troubleshooting

Some fixes took minutes once identified.

Some took hours just to diagnose correctly.

That is the reality of building multiplayer infrastructure across multiple platforms simultaneously as a solo developer.

AI-assisted development tools have significantly accelerated iteration speed throughout development, particularly for:

C++ systems
Backend architecture
Tooling workflows
Deployment scripting
Animation prototyping

But AI does not replace production pipeline knowledge.

If anything, this milestone reinforced that shipping experience and infrastructure understanding are still the hardest part of game development.

Current Limitations

The current build is still considered pre-alpha and several systems remain unfinished or placeholder.

Current known limitations include:

Mobile sprint input still needs implementation
Mobile in-game menu behavior still needs refinement
Combat AI systems are still evolving
Audio implementation has not started yet
Some voxel networking systems are still non-replicated

The current milestone is about infrastructure stability and gameplay foundation — not polished content volume.

What Comes Next

Development focus can now shift more aggressively toward:

Worldbuilding
Resource systems
Crafting systems
Expanded combat behavior
Environmental gameplay
Economy foundations
Larger-scale Pangea iteration

The long-term goal remains the same:

Build a discovery-driven online world where progression comes from experimentation, exploration, and player interaction rather than predefined paths.

That transition marks the point where Magickness™ begins evolving from foundational infrastructure into a living game world.

Website:
https://magickness.com/

Support Development:
https://ko-fi.com/domtechgaming

Building an AI-Assisted Animation Pipeline in UE5 with HY-Motion (Dev Log #13)

DomTech Gaming — Wed, 06 May 2026 20:53:47 +0000

Development continues on the gameplay animation systems for Magickness™.

In Dev Log #13, I showcase the current AI-assisted animation workflow being integrated into the project using HY-Motion (HY Animotion), Blender, and Unreal Engine 5.

The goal of this pipeline is to streamline gameplay animation iteration while maintaining compatibility with the existing Mixamo-based character framework already established in the project.

Current Workflow
Generate animation in HY-Motion
Export FBX
Trim/refine in Blender if needed
Import into UE5 using the existing SMPLH skeleton
Retarget using a custom SMPLH → Mixamo retargeter
Export finalized gameplay animation

One important part of the workflow is that the retarget pose is stored directly inside the UE5 retargeter asset itself, meaning future animations can reuse the same pipeline without rebuilding the setup every time.

This allows future gameplay abilities and combat systems to iterate significantly faster while keeping the animation framework consistent across the project.

Magickness™ is a discovery-driven MMORPG currently in active development.

Website:
https://magickness.com/

Support development:
https://ko-fi.com/domtechgaming

YouTube Dev Log:
https://youtu.be/_BEMC1-BY_I

Building a Connected Gameplay Loop (Morality, Abilities, UI) in UE5 — Dev Log #12

DomTech Gaming — Sun, 03 May 2026 23:01:23 +0000

Building a Connected Gameplay Loop (Morality, Abilities, UI) in UE5 — Dev Log #12

Development continues on the core gameplay and progression systems for Magickness™.

This dev log focuses on the current game state and provides an overview of how core systems are now interacting in a playable build.

In this update

Full mechanics overview of the current build
Morality system integrated into combat with floating feedback
Ability leveling system implemented
Combat loop updated with visible progression
Settings menu added with navigation options
Continued UI and gameplay integration

This marks a shift in development — from building isolated systems to validating how they interact as a cohesive gameplay loop.

The focus now is ensuring that progression, player choice, and system interaction are all connected in a scalable and extensible framework.

Magickness™ is a discovery-driven MMORPG currently in development using Unreal Engine 5.4.

The project is being developed for an adult (18+) audience to maintain a more mature, focused community environment during development and beyond.

Links

Website:
https://magickness.com/

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/AhswMBZoWs8

Support development:
https://ko-fi.com/domtechgaming

Building a Full Player Onboarding + Gameplay Loop in UE5 (Dev Log #11)

DomTech Gaming — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 02:02:13 +0000

Building a Full Player Onboarding + Gameplay Loop in UE5 (Dev Log #11)

Development continues on the core gameplay and progression systems for Magickness™.

This dev log focuses on testing a full player flow — from account creation through early gameplay progression to level 2.

In this update

Full onboarding flow (account creation → email verification → character creation)
Early progression test (Level 1 → Level 2)
Unlockable ability integrated into gameplay
HUD hotbar + ability UI functioning
Base enemy AI implementation
Character stats and progression system active
Morality system integrated into combat loop
Inventory system connected to player state

This marks a major shift in development — moving from isolated systems to a cohesive gameplay loop where multiple systems interact in real-time.

The goal is to build a scalable foundation where progression, player choice, and system interaction drive the gameplay experience.

Magickness™ is a discovery-driven MMORPG currently in development using Unreal Engine 5.4.

The project is being developed for an adult (18+) audience to maintain a more mature, focused community environment during development and beyond.

Links

Website:
https://magickness.com/

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/4xq9g4jQtao

Support development:
https://ko-fi.com/domtechgaming

Building Unlockable Ability UI + HUD Integration in UE5 (Dev Log #10)

DomTech Gaming — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:57:58 +0000

Development continues on the core gameplay and progression systems for Magickness™.

This dev log focuses on integrating the first unlockable combat ability into the gameplay UI, HUD hotbar, and input mapping framework.

In this update

Added unlockable ability support to the Ability Menu UI
Integrated the first ability icon into the HUD hotbar
Continued gameplay input/key mapping workflow
Expanded UI-to-gameplay interaction systems
Used Claude AI to assist with implementation and iteration

The long-term goal is to build a scalable progression and ability framework centered around discovery and experimentation rather than rigid class restrictions.

This is still part of the foundation phase — connecting isolated systems into a cohesive gameplay structure that can scale long term.

Magickness™ is a discovery-driven MMORPG currently in development using Unreal Engine 5.4.

The project is being developed for an adult (18+) audience to maintain a more mature, focused community environment during development and beyond.

Follow Development

Website:
https://magickness.com/

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/zeqAcAZpWM0

Ko-fi:
https://ko-fi.com/domtechgaming

From Systems to Gameplay: Implementing the First Ability in UE5 (Animation Blending)

DomTech Gaming — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:40:48 +0000

Dev Log #9 — First Ability System (Magickness™)

This is a turning point in development.

Up to now, most work has been focused on systems:

stats
UI
combat structure
player flow

Dev Log #9 is where those systems start becoming actual gameplay.

What Changed

The first unlockable combat ability has been implemented and integrated into the animation system.

Key Work:

Ability activation logic
Animation blending with locomotion
Combat system integration
Early gameplay testing

The Challenge: Blending with Locomotion

Abilities can’t feel disconnected.

They need to:

transition cleanly from movement
maintain responsiveness
avoid breaking flow

This required careful blending inside UE5’s animation system to ensure:

no snapping
no input lag feeling
consistent player control

Design Direction

Abilities in Magickness™ are not fixed loadouts.

They are designed to be:

discovered through gameplay
combined into new mechanics
evolved over time

This first ability is the foundation for that system.

Why This Matters

This is the shift from:

“building systems”

to:

“creating gameplay”

Everything from here becomes more visible, testable, and improvable.

Dev Log Video

https://youtu.be/3zpdf9sd0-I

Project Links

https://magickness.com/

https://ko-fi.com/domtechgaming

Magickness™ is being developed for an adult (18+) audience to maintain a focused, mature community environment during development and beyond.

Designing a Scalable Character Stats & Abilities System for an MMORPG (UE5)

DomTech Gaming — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:35:36 +0000

Dev Log #8 — Character Stats & Abilities System (Magickness™)

Development is moving deeper into core RPG systems for Magickness™.

This dev log focuses on building the foundation for:

Character stats
Ability systems
Progression structure

Why This Layer Matters

This is one of the most critical systems in an RPG.

It defines:

how players grow
how combat behaves
how choices impact gameplay

If this layer is weak, everything built on top of it feels shallow.

What’s Being Built

Character Stats System

Structuring player attributes with scalability in mind.

Not just flat stats, but systems that can:

interact with abilities
influence gameplay outcomes
evolve over time

Abilities Framework

Beginning the structure for abilities that will eventually support:

discovery mechanics
combination systems
progression-based evolution

Design Goal

Avoid rigid, predefined builds.

Instead:

allow systems to interact
allow players to experiment
allow progression to emerge

Long-Term Integration

These systems will connect directly into:

combat systems
inventory/equipment
magic discovery mechanics

Dev Log Video

https://youtu.be/6RYDO6qPI2E

Project Links

https://magickness.com/

https://ko-fi.com/domtechgaming

Magickness™ is being developed for an adult (18+) audience to maintain a focused, mature community environment during development and beyond.