[Proclone]

Here's an idea I thought I'd toss out for discussion;

I have this TC concept I've been sitting on, most of it is already determined but I'll want to finish the DD before proceeding with anything. That said the DD contains all conceptual elements of the TC so there's little about the foundation of the mod left to be made up.

What I'm thinking of it one of a few things..

A) A "public" modding project. A project where anyone can sign up and attempt a contribution, be it art wise, ini-wise, research-wise etc.

The issue with something like that is control and approval. Not to mention making sure people don't royally screw up the inis. Because of that I don't think a "pure" public mod would work.

B) A semi-public mod. This would be more of a general group of modders selected to participate and whose progress and work will be entirely visible to anyone interested. Meaning mainly that the mod would be "open doors" for anyone to watch happen.

C) A Closed small group mod, advantage would be a potentially higher skilled team and easier to manage.

The reason why I'm considering this stuff is due to a little experience I've been having with the "recruits" I've been putting through a texturing test for Blitz 2. one guy showed me absolute crap as examples of his work and I just about wrote him off.. but all he needed was to be shown what was expected.. and hile he still needs prodding I'd say he's already almost abetter skinner than most of the people on DZ.net have shown themselves to be. I'd bet a lot more people would behave similarly if pushed or if they had something active to base their work on.

One thing I'm still thinking about is the extent of a "semi-public" mod I mean I could easily see doing something like that with a group within a forum like this one, but that would defeat the purpose... Anyway if anyone has any views on this I'd love to hear it.

[smurfbizkit]

Things like this have been tried more than a few times in the past, all have failed. If however you have a good solid structure to it...it might turn out alright...but as far as the units go. You would need 1 skinner per side pretty much...same with modelers, otherwise it will look all wrong with different styles on each unit.

Initially I would suggest that you start out with something simple...maybe a ra2 mod since there are a few units made for it already. Just list the idea in a good design document...and post it up. People could then contribute code for the units, or models/skins. Then you(or some coder helping) would help put it all together and balance it. That is the only way I can see it working out well.

[Proclone]

I can't help but think that any previous type of thing like this' failing may have been attributed partially to an overdepenence on the public.

If no one contributes anything, or if that which is contributed sucks, there's no reason for the mod to fail as it's not crucial to have anything mad via the public at all.

Still when I say "public" I think more along the lines of 'open door"" not so much "anyone can help" if you know what I mean by that kind of distinction.

ANyone else have any comments I want to hear more from everyone so I can hope to cover most angles...

[Koen]

A public mod doesn't have to fail, as long as there are active people, and no arguments start which split the mod in two.
However, I've tried to start a 'game project' in the past, which was an active forum, but after a few weeks no one had done anything except me. And a month later the project 'died'. It's possible, but I recommend a fixed team with everyone having certain responsibilities, and the public can give comments and suggestions and test. You should only let people join who contribute. That's my view.

[Proclone]

That sort of what I had in mind with the "semi-public" form. Something that's open for everyone to watch but with a limited number of contributing members. Along with that anyone could apply to be a member etc, but doing so would need to be regulated so as to not get inundated with redundant members.

[DeeZire]

I remember a project on the old FA2 forums called the PAM (Pass Around Map) where people did a bit of work on a map then passed it on to the next person until it was done. Trouble was the arguing and the fact that there was always one person who screwed something up or did something stoopid with it.

A public mod however would do much to improve and encourage collaboration as well as perhaps break some new ground...

[CannisRabidus]

...And I made sure to stay the hell out of the way of the PAM since I knew what would happen to it. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion that I'd already seen before.

Blade's Project for YR sorta kinda utilizes this concept on the other end of the scale. The mod itself is closely held by him alone, but others are encouraged to contribute elements, many of which become public for others to use in other projects.

[Flyby]

The problem with anything that is publicly accessible is that you first need to set a number of "rules of conduct" and then have people to follow them.

And the last part is probably the most difficult to maintain, because of the young age of most people in this community. As teenagers we all had a tendency to anarchy, and nothing has changed since then. On the contrary...

Honestly, I remain highly sceptical of the success of such an undertaking, but that shouldn't be a reason not to try.
If you find this is worth a shot, then sure, go for it.
I'm the last person to sabotage an initiative in this area.

[DeeZire]

Originally Posted by CannisRabidus

It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion that I'd already seen before.

LOL, nicely put