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A request...
Sanfam
I like clocks.
I'm posting this up for any of members of a mods group reading this...
I have a quick and simple request. What do [b]you[/b] want from this project? I've attached a few questions to start you thinking, so read on and answer them as you wish, or just brainstorm as you feel is proper.
What do you want to see happen? How would you like it to happen?
What would make or break an attempt to join in on it, and how would you feel about your group's content being placed on a regulated forum for free download? Unregulated?
What sort of terms would have to be written up to secure the distribution of your group's materials?
Do you think the community can be trusted with an open-access repository of source material? And what if they are required to agree to terms as specified by the content's creator?
What sort of environment do you think would be best for this sort of project to grow in? Heavily moderated forum? E-Commerce site? Secured PHP website?
Would you consider releasing your source meshes, textures, and story concepts if you felt it would benefit the community?
Think about it and post a thread on the matter. I suggest a thread as it would be far easier to track replies in said environment.
Your Tyrant Overlord,
Sanfam
I have a quick and simple request. What do [b]you[/b] want from this project? I've attached a few questions to start you thinking, so read on and answer them as you wish, or just brainstorm as you feel is proper.
What do you want to see happen? How would you like it to happen?
What would make or break an attempt to join in on it, and how would you feel about your group's content being placed on a regulated forum for free download? Unregulated?
What sort of terms would have to be written up to secure the distribution of your group's materials?
Do you think the community can be trusted with an open-access repository of source material? And what if they are required to agree to terms as specified by the content's creator?
What sort of environment do you think would be best for this sort of project to grow in? Heavily moderated forum? E-Commerce site? Secured PHP website?
Would you consider releasing your source meshes, textures, and story concepts if you felt it would benefit the community?
Think about it and post a thread on the matter. I suggest a thread as it would be far easier to track replies in said environment.
Your Tyrant Overlord,
Sanfam
Comments
As Sanfam posted in other topics, other project can modify a submission and add it as a fork (mush with many textures, mesh with single texture, etc as different engines have different requirements)
2) Some kind of code/code snippet repository.
If someone wrote nice code for the star furry multi vent engine they can post it there.
3) Help wanted ads.
Project leaders can post what positions/activities that need to be filled/done and see if anyone responds
4) Wanting to Help ads.
Artists and coders can post what help they can offer to any project that is interested. They would post their strengths and experience and project leaders can then contact those who are of interest.
5) The Universe project.
Many projects have covered many different aspects of the universe in location and in time. The universe project would be the ultimate mod - the recreation of everything in the Babylon 5 universe. While the project wont be for a specific game or mod it will fill in what is missing from other projects.
I highly suggest looking for existing software similar to the kind that runs SourceForge.net to develop a platform for this system.
[url]http://forge.joomla.org/sf/sfmain/do/home[/url]
[url]http://savannah.gnu.org/[/url]
[url]https://gna.org/projects/savane[/url]
[url]http://gforge.org/[/url]
What would I like to see with the project?
Well first off is openess of models for others to use. (Would surely cut the time off of what I'm spending on models).
The Help ads that Croxis suggested would be a big help for any project here (ModDB does something like this). But allowing people to post up what they would like to do (Work wanted ads) would be a great option.
Also another thing that I had an idea about which has been a stumble in my work is a universal database about the ships? Yea B5tech has some stuff, but only general things, nothing about semi cannon stuff (RPG stuff released), or possibly some stuff that is non-cannon. If it could work like a wiki, but only administrators or project members could modify, we could possibly have the best technical manual on B5. And this could be greatly expanded on by allowing 3d models from projects to be released to allow people to actually have an idea of how the ships are.
Now for the terms of distrabution of materials:
I've been a game editor for quite some time, but the thing that really gets in the way is people saying "That's mine. No that's mine!" deal. I've always been a strong beliver in giving material out and allowing people to modify it as long as I got credit for the base model they used it on. Now I think some type of secure website that allows registered project members(most likely project leaders or trusted members assigned by the project leaders) to download content of other project's. Now this is a maybe/maybenot, but if a project downloads material from a peticular project, a database is made to say so and so project has referenced from this project and this peticular item, and have that database reflect somewhere on the project's site. Now for people who are not in a project (to cover thoes who are really picky about their material) the project manager could set that paticular material to either be full open, or have email authority to downloand the content. With the email authority, a project manager can post the email (altered so that browsing bots won't copy the email and start spaming) of who requested the file on their site(or a list in the materials information) to authenticate that they were given permission to use that.
Now databasing is pretty complicated for this type of deal (I designed bank systems for online clubs in asp... I know for a fact), but it is not impossible.
I am always proud to allow people to use my models and modify them for their means as long as they give credit to the model or base model they used to add on to.
Now one thing that could really break the barrier between cross project confusion is actual tools that can convert the material into what they need (Example a 3ds to dxf converter), either need to be made or already made, that is availiable to the entire site. We could possibly have people deticated to converting people's material once it's been uploaded to the server too.
I think the community can be trusted because we are the last hope that a whole world has to having actual B5 games.
That's just my pitiful two cents.
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sanfam [/i]
I'm posting this up for any of members of a mods group reading this...
I have a quick and simple request. What do [b]you[/b] want from this project? I've attached a few questions to start you thinking, so read on and answer them as you wish, or just brainstorm as you feel is proper.
What do you want to see happen? How would you like it to happen?
[/quote]
Well, a central place for modders where they could post models and other forms of art. I believe all mods could use each others' models and textures, why reinvent the wheel when it's already around? Saves a lot of work.
[quote]
What would make or break an attempt to join in on it, and how would you feel about your group's content being placed on a regulated forum for free download? Unregulated?
[/quote]
Regulated, definitely. I wouldn't want to share my work to everyone on this planet. This is due to the fact that I have a feeling in my arse that someone is going to take the stuff, integrate them into his/her project that has nothing to do with Firstones modder community and does takes all the credit. The people with access should be limited to Firstones community modders to not let any abuse to happen.
[quote]
What sort of terms would have to be written up to secure the distribution of your group's materials?
[/quote]
Perhaps simply authorized users. To gain access one must register and create an account and the administrator then verifies the user, basically that he is a modder from our community.
[quote]
Do you think the community can be trusted with an open-access repository of source material? And what if they are required to agree to terms as specified by the content's creator?
[/quote]
Every author should always have the right to create his own terms to his/her material -> everyone that uses them must accept and agree to the terms of the author. It's the basic right, it just has to be there. Then again, if the author wants to set limitations he can always accompany a readme with the material where the terms are set so it doesn't need to be a built-in feature. But indeed everyone should accompany some sort of terms with their material, even if all uses/modifications/distribution is allowed. It's just as important to know.
[quote]
What sort of environment do you think would be best for this sort of project to grow in? Heavily moderated forum? E-Commerce site? Secured PHP website?
[/quote]
A secure PHP website would of course probably be the best choice but it's not an easy task to code it. Proper forum software could probably do it just as well.
[quote]
Would you consider releasing your source meshes, textures, and story concepts if you felt it would benefit the community?
[/quote]
Definitely. Meshes, textures, tips, tricks, anything that I can think of. Most projects fall because they just can't get all that material made. Keeping this stuff to myself would be rather selfish, I'm not exactly getting anything out of it. I'd share everything I can.