Re: [pygame] Collaborative game in 8 weeks.

[Pete Shinners <pete@shinners.org>]

Rene Dudfield wrote:
> Would anyone be interested in making an open source,  free game as a group?
>
> To make it interesting, and to be sure that it will be finished(good or 
> bad), I propose it be completed within two months.  With set time 
> periods to have certain parts done.
>
> So we start with throwing some ideas around for a game, then make a 
> prototype.  We try and get game play finished early, then spend the rest 
> of the time tweaking, and polishing it.
>
> Anyone interested?   Who wants to propose some game ideas?
sounds really fun, here's my thoughts on it.

you really are going to want a 'single person' at the head of the 
project. "design by comitee" will end up as a mess, especially trying to 
keep the quick development pace. this doesn't mean one person comes up 
with all the ideas, but all decisions need a "final vote" that can be 
made pretty quick.

i think the theme should be roughly done in advance. then skewed a bit 
once you see who can commit and what the group's strengths are. your 
first three weeks on the schedule will probably be done by a smaller 1 
or 2 person team. definitely getting review/input from other people who 
want to be involved, but actually put together and edited by less. in 
the meantime there can definitely be people doing 'concept art' and 
'concept code' that will flesh out ideas, but might not be used.

the next 2 weeks will be where the bulk of the game gets done. you'll 
definitely want some "checkin rules" in place, and game parts will be 
moving around often. this is where the game will need a 'dictator'. 
someone who has to make the decision to reject bad ideas/code, decide 
what is good enough, and decide what to do next.

once the working game is fairly assembled you'll be in good shape. at 
that point the hard decision will be what the priorities are. with only 
a few more weeks, there will probably be original design ideas that need 
to be dropped or simplified. time to make a massive "todo list" and let 
people go to work on it. somoene needs to maintain the list, so people 
can see who is doing what, and find things they can help with 
themselves. if the game is 'starting to suck' here, the leader needs to 
make the decisions as to why, and hold the game to an 8 week schedule. 
if it looks like we really won't make it, it is up to the leader to trim 
trim trim.

the last week, #8 will probably be more of the same. i'd bring in some 
beta testers at this point and get some outside input. this will likely 
be more of the same, attacking the "todo list". someone may want to put 
a little web page together. version 1.0.


btw, i'm in!
why didn't someone organize this sooner?


as for game ideas. personally, i'm jealous inside when i see all the 
attention something like "frozen bubble" gets. upping the quality on 
that should be well within reach for 2 months and several people.

* zelda style game. man that "zelda through time" game on snes was the 
peak of the series. probably have to keep the "scale" of the game a 
little smaller, as it would require heavy efforts from mapmakers and 
gametesters. rating 3 of 3

* take the zelda game online. a little multiplayer online zelda game. 
this would add tons of design work the the previous zelda game, so it is 
probably out of reach. rating 1 of 3

* a squad-style counterstrike remake. two people play against each other 
and control a small squad of toops, C&C style i'd say. different silly 
missions like plant the bomb or rescue the hostage, you know. i'd say 
simple overhead 2d graphics (C&C like). note, when i say C&C like i 
don't mean resource management, i mean point and click little guys to 
move them, they shoot automatically. the only other control might be a 
"weapon switch". rating 3 of 3

* a "heroes of m&m" type game. good fun, i always wanted to do one of 
these. perhaps change the theme from fantasy to 'matrix' or something or 
other. rating 2 of 3


anyways, some of these are probably a little too "big" for project 
ideas. i fear the project would be stretched too thin to get the quality 
very high. but who knows, it'd be crazy fun to go for it.


--
"if they keep silent, the very stones will cry out"
pete*shinners.org

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