06 Jun, 2007, bunabiros wrote in the 2nd comment:
Yes, my advertisement is intentionally vague! Please don't read that as a lack of seriousness or a lack of completed design work, because it isn't. I wanted to post an update:
I've got a builder/writer working in collaboration with myself on the prototype area. I've got an individual who specializes in software QA and is ready to help test said prototype. I've even got offers from "junior coders" who want to help out part time where they can. I'm also interviewing one person for a "head coder" position.
What I still need is a dedicated coder to take the reigns. This is a role that can be filled by 1-3 serious individuals who want to be in charge of writing new code and managing existing code. At this stage we'd be aiming for a small working prototype that stands on the shoulders of existing CoffeeMud code. The areas and much of the content are prepared, it's the systems that need to be finalized.
Thanks for reading!
I've got a builder/writer working in collaboration with myself on the prototype area. I've got an individual who specializes in software QA and is ready to help test said prototype. I've even got offers from "junior coders" who want to help out part time where they can. I'm also interviewing one person for a "head coder" position.
What I still need is a dedicated coder to take the reigns. This is a role that can be filled by 1-3 serious individuals who want to be in charge of writing new code and managing existing code. At this stage we'd be aiming for a small working prototype that stands on the shoulders of existing CoffeeMud code. The areas and much of the content are prepared, it's the systems that need to be finalized.
Thanks for reading!
06 Aug, 2007, bunabiros wrote in the 3rd comment:
I've seen a few more posts by Java Coders looking for projects to join lately, and I've gotten by now enough feedback from my previous post that I feel it worth following up.
First, please read or at least scan the previous post before you read on. While many thought it came across with attitude, ignorance, or delusions of grandeur, it nevertheless includes vital information about the project. Here are some questions asked followed by my answers:
"Please indicate that you are providing a useful function to the project yourself." This makes sense, since it may seem I'm some "designer" who wants all the work to be done by other people. That not being true, here's what I've done: 1) Found a reliable host for the code, website, and database, all of which are live and running 2) Installed, configured, and wrote custom shell scripts for upgrades and mods to the codebase, 3) Designed, mapped, and built the rooms to be used for (so far) one of the game's cities (more planned), 4) Wrote a few simple mud scripts, 5) Modified parts of the Java code, 6) Installed, configured, maintained, and populated the Content Management System used for the game. Honestly, I'll do anything that needs doing. And until I find a capable coder, I'll continue doing everything myself. :)
"Do you have a reasonable sense of urgency?" This is an interesting point… Some are scared off by deadlines, having only small amounts of time to invest to such projects. Others would like to see that things are progressing, otherwise will not want to be a part of such projects. I'm open to both types. I can find time to work on the project as needed, roughly a minimum of 1 hour per day. I would love to see this project gain momentum ASAP, however I'll not ask too much of those who might be interested in only minor contributions. So the definite answer would be that the sense of urgency is entirely dependent on the availability and preference of the coder who steps up to the task.
"Please be more open about your game's theme." I'd love to! But I prefer to do it privately. Indeed I'll answer any questions you want and even show you the CMS hosted design documents if you're *really* interested. I am confident in the quality of the game's theme, and can honestly tell you that those who I have shown it to (some experienced mudders and gamers) have all commented on how great a game they think it will eventually be. If you have specific questions, why not ask??
"How hard is it going to be to get access/permissions to complete tasks, given that you're so worried about others stealing your ideas?" Surprisingly easy! Once you've decided that you want to participate, you'll get access to everything you want! I make frequent backups of all web/code/db so I'm prepared for the occasional data loss. Any participants (coders or otherwise) are welcome to contribute to the design docs through CMS driven site. Feel free to login and create a testing area on the game to use as a sandbox. Go ahead and log in via SSH to the game host if you're comfortable with that level of administration. Ideally, I'd like to set up SVN (yes I know how) for the coder that takes the job to make such updates easier.
"How do I know your game isn't going to vanish a few months after I've started working?" I've worked on this game idea for a very long time (years). In my spare time I compose writing, art, and music to the theme of this world. I love it, honestly, I'm proud of it, and I want to see it succeed. I have absolutely no intention of letting the idea die and will continue to work by myself at a snail's pace if required.
"How many staff members are there now, or have you had in the past?" Some readers of the original post assumed that I had unsuccessfully worked with others in the past, hence my attitude. This is actually not true. I've never had a coder other than myself, nor any other serious staff members. However, I do have some collaborators who like to pop in and out at their own leisure and provide feedback when asked: Graphic Artist- a talented person who has done a number of creature designs, vehicle designs, and other graphics for the game. He loves a challenge and a unique idea for a composition. Builder- she is a very experienced builder with her own mud resume to back it up. She contributes when she has time and would like to see this game take off almost as much as I do! Tester- one software qa professional who is interested in helping out. So far there has been no coder on hand to take his suggestions so his talent has not been used to it's potential.
One thing I'd like to say is a point I've found I disagree on with most other MUD Admins/Designers. That is with regard to the opening of the game and website before necessary preparations are made. The idea of throwing up a stock version of the codebase and inviting players even though you've done no real work, or only bad, low quality work. I don't believe in this. Before opening the game I'd prefer to have a good public site for collecting feedback, some player Archetypes completed (see below), and specifically, a prototype to test (such as combat and a quest or two).
And finally, here are some of my priorities for the interested coder to tackle:
1) Combat Prototype. Partially designed, but needs to be prototyped and tweaked.
2) Character Creation. Help in modifying the stock creation, as well as tailoring it for web based delivery (more on that by request).
3) Bug fixes. The primary CoffeeMud programmer does not have time to address everything. There are a handful of small bugs that need fixing to allow specific features of this world to succeed, I'd have you do this rather than wait for the next official release to deal with it.
4) Player Archetypes. 3 race/class combinations have been selected as the first to be created and tested in the world. These require some custom code to work properly.
Thank you for your time and if you made it to the bottom of this post, I'm impressed. :P
-Bunabiros
First, please read or at least scan the previous post before you read on. While many thought it came across with attitude, ignorance, or delusions of grandeur, it nevertheless includes vital information about the project. Here are some questions asked followed by my answers:
"Please indicate that you are providing a useful function to the project yourself." This makes sense, since it may seem I'm some "designer" who wants all the work to be done by other people. That not being true, here's what I've done: 1) Found a reliable host for the code, website, and database, all of which are live and running 2) Installed, configured, and wrote custom shell scripts for upgrades and mods to the codebase, 3) Designed, mapped, and built the rooms to be used for (so far) one of the game's cities (more planned), 4) Wrote a few simple mud scripts, 5) Modified parts of the Java code, 6) Installed, configured, maintained, and populated the Content Management System used for the game. Honestly, I'll do anything that needs doing. And until I find a capable coder, I'll continue doing everything myself. :)
"Do you have a reasonable sense of urgency?" This is an interesting point… Some are scared off by deadlines, having only small amounts of time to invest to such projects. Others would like to see that things are progressing, otherwise will not want to be a part of such projects. I'm open to both types. I can find time to work on the project as needed, roughly a minimum of 1 hour per day. I would love to see this project gain momentum ASAP, however I'll not ask too much of those who might be interested in only minor contributions. So the definite answer would be that the sense of urgency is entirely dependent on the availability and preference of the coder who steps up to the task.
"Please be more open about your game's theme." I'd love to! But I prefer to do it privately. Indeed I'll answer any questions you want and even show you the CMS hosted design documents if you're *really* interested. I am confident in the quality of the game's theme, and can honestly tell you that those who I have shown it to (some experienced mudders and gamers) have all commented on how great a game they think it will eventually be. If you have specific questions, why not ask??
"How hard is it going to be to get access/permissions to complete tasks, given that you're so worried about others stealing your ideas?" Surprisingly easy! Once you've decided that you want to participate, you'll get access to everything you want! I make frequent backups of all web/code/db so I'm prepared for the occasional data loss. Any participants (coders or otherwise) are welcome to contribute to the design docs through CMS driven site. Feel free to login and create a testing area on the game to use as a sandbox. Go ahead and log in via SSH to the game host if you're comfortable with that level of administration. Ideally, I'd like to set up SVN (yes I know how) for the coder that takes the job to make such updates easier.
"How do I know your game isn't going to vanish a few months after I've started working?" I've worked on this game idea for a very long time (years). In my spare time I compose writing, art, and music to the theme of this world. I love it, honestly, I'm proud of it, and I want to see it succeed. I have absolutely no intention of letting the idea die and will continue to work by myself at a snail's pace if required.
"How many staff members are there now, or have you had in the past?" Some readers of the original post assumed that I had unsuccessfully worked with others in the past, hence my attitude. This is actually not true. I've never had a coder other than myself, nor any other serious staff members. However, I do have some collaborators who like to pop in and out at their own leisure and provide feedback when asked: Graphic Artist- a talented person who has done a number of creature designs, vehicle designs, and other graphics for the game. He loves a challenge and a unique idea for a composition. Builder- she is a very experienced builder with her own mud resume to back it up. She contributes when she has time and would like to see this game take off almost as much as I do! Tester- one software qa professional who is interested in helping out. So far there has been no coder on hand to take his suggestions so his talent has not been used to it's potential.
One thing I'd like to say is a point I've found I disagree on with most other MUD Admins/Designers. That is with regard to the opening of the game and website before necessary preparations are made. The idea of throwing up a stock version of the codebase and inviting players even though you've done no real work, or only bad, low quality work. I don't believe in this. Before opening the game I'd prefer to have a good public site for collecting feedback, some player Archetypes completed (see below), and specifically, a prototype to test (such as combat and a quest or two).
And finally, here are some of my priorities for the interested coder to tackle:
1) Combat Prototype. Partially designed, but needs to be prototyped and tweaked.
2) Character Creation. Help in modifying the stock creation, as well as tailoring it for web based delivery (more on that by request).
3) Bug fixes. The primary CoffeeMud programmer does not have time to address everything. There are a handful of small bugs that need fixing to allow specific features of this world to succeed, I'd have you do this rather than wait for the next official release to deal with it.
4) Player Archetypes. 3 race/class combinations have been selected as the first to be created and tested in the world. These require some custom code to work properly.
Thank you for your time and if you made it to the bottom of this post, I'm impressed. :P
-Bunabiros
Random Picks
My game is in dire need of a coder! I need someone who is interested in taking my design and making it a functional game. Please see the details below:
– The game design is nearly 4 years old and derived from systems I've been working on for up to 10 years.
– I take my designs seriously and try to utilize the guidelines that real professionals in the industry use.
– I have a private content management site online where everyone working on the game can collaborate real-time.
– The website contains *all* of the documentation and discussion regarding the latest work being done.
– The website can interface with the MUD's database to pull "live" data from the game.
– If I ever find a coder, a code revision system will be put in place such as SVN or CVS.
I am primarily a designer, capable of hacking/copying/pasting java code here and there. I do not write code by hand. I am talented writer and builder, and I can sometimes figure out scripts when I have the time to do so. I've been working with CoffeeMud for at least 3 years and I settled on it after doing lots of research and monitoring other codebases and projects. I am very attached to my game's design and content and I don't make it publicly available. I've invested countless hours into this (so-called hobby) and I'm wary of people who steal code and ideas (I've seen this happen many times).
You are someone who knows java programming well, and is (optional)familiar to some extent with the CoffeeMud codebase. You're an optimist, who loves to find a way to make things work despite what others say is not possible. You're somewhat of a perfectionist who cares about what the game outputs just as much as what goes on "behind the scenes". You know that in any game, presentation is wickedly important. MUDs are no exception. You trust your designer (me) and he trusts in your coding/systems abilities. Both of you are capable of coming to terms on issues, and believe that player testing is the defining indicator of success or failure of a feature.
I can say a little about the game: There are no elves, dwarves, orcs, or dragons. There is no all-knowing pantheon of gods. The game seeks to strike a balance between being both unique and familiar in obvious ways. It does not cater well to players who like to "skip reading the room descriptions", or "attack everything in sight". It does cater to those who are looking for a deep, engaging experience in a fantastic world. It draws upon many more genres than simply traditional fantasy.
Particularly, I need help with a manual combat system, new alignment system, and new stats.
Anyone interested please reply with an email address I can use to contact you, send me a message on this site, or use my contact form on this site to email me directly.
Thanks for your time.
–
-Bunabiros