[phpRPG-discussion] Future of phpRPG

[Micheal W. <ha...@ho...>]

Here in the next few days I am going to be putting together a comprehensive 
TODO.  In addition to this, Rob is right, we need to put bounds on the 
project.  Rob and I have a lovely habit of knowing we can do all of this 
greatness but when we go to actually do it, the implementation time gets so 
elongated, because of the inherent complication in the desired outcome, that 
it seems that the project is a never ending ball of headache. To overcome 
this I would like to strictly set the bounds for the game, what its expected 
and what it's *not* expected to do.

One thing that I think that I might have been getting off course with is the 
fact that become DOM is so powerful that I was turning php into a 
traditional GUI program.  This is not inherently bad, BUT, php doesn't lend 
itself (nor does DOM for that matter) to full on gui applications as does 
C/C++.  If this is so, then we may wish to try to keep much of the interface 
in a traditional web style.  This is not to say that the functionality that 
the pages (editors) already have shouldn't use DOM such as they do now, but 
when we start writing the actual GUI for the main game interface, we may not 
wish to go overboard (or at the very least, we can implement all that once a 
base has been laid).

Another issue that has been showing its head is that because someone is not 
technically talented as others (not even going to say this is accurate, just 
mouthing what I am hearing ;) doesn't mean that they can't contribute.  
Right now we are in the time where the biggest thing we need done is for 
some people to tackle the "Look and Feel" aspects to how you interact with 
the game and what the game consists of.  Other style questions, game play, 
content,  balance, documentation, etc... the list goes on and on for non 
technical yet principally vital tasks that need accomplished.  Not to call 
anyone out, just saying that there is so much to do that if we could even 
get totally non-technically proficient people we could still find use for 
them, so anyone of us who is not that... they are even more helpful and a 
vital member of our team.

Another thing to think about, concerning the code, is the two code bases 
that are currently being talked about on the forum and even to some extent 
in the chartroom.  Its very hard to talk about the 2 versions of the game 
when nothing else, webpage or otherwise, really even talks about any other 
version than version 0.5.  I was even up for the idea of keeping both 
versions and leaving the 0.5 as a legacy or intro version but the more that 
this idea has started to take shape the more confusing and challenging it 
has become.  On the webpage I get no helpful information because all of the 
commentary is focused on the 0.5 and not what is actually being worked on.  
I propose that we take some drastic steps to either a) let go of version 0.5 
as a start but no obsolete version or b) scrap what we have been working on 
and stick to modifying 0.5.  As we can all tell I vote for the former but 
this is a question that needs answering non the less.  Which ever idea is 
the one for us, we should then revamp the webpage (content not look) and 
gear it all toward the one version and it's promotion.

With all that being said, if we can, try to spend some time thinking about 
what would make phpRPG the best *web* game out there and what would detract 
from it.   We can either continue to use the mail list or we can use the 
webpage for actual the finalized outline like you will find in the 
documentation section of the current CVS.  But I will then be able to use 
this data to write the aforementioned TODO and then I will be in a better 
position to be able to delegate work to all those devs who are beating down 
our door to code for phpRPG =P.

mike (haeric)

_________________________________________________________________
Find and compare great deals on Broadband access at the MSN High-Speed 
Marketplace. http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200360ave/direct/01/