The Mod development cycle has, in general, been too static and dependent on input from a single individual.
Igiss won first simply because he created the mod. As he is currently off fighting bigger fish, he cannot do anything here anymore.
As times change and things go on, the way the development team operates needs to change with it. We've stuck to the old ways in the past. Discovery 4.85 and 4.86 both had multi-year development cycles with large, sweeping changes, often ignoring alot of what went on in the intervening years.
Simply put, players go faster than the Devteam.
I would recommend a more open, simplified cycle with smaller, easier-to-manage updates instead of moving from 4.8X to 4.8Y. And distributing several storyline managers in each house atleast, with a single 'last word' individual to break up arguements.
I stand by my previous statement and will continue to do so.
' Wrote:The Mod development cycle has, in general, been too static and dependent on input from a single individual.
Igiss won first simply because he created the mod. As he is currently off fighting bigger fish, he cannot do anything here anymore.
As times change and things go on, the way the development team operates needs to change with it. We've stuck to the old ways in the past. Discovery 4.85 and 4.86 both had multi-year development cycles with large, sweeping changes, often ignoring alot of what went on in the intervening years.
Simply put, players go faster than the Devteam.
I would recommend a more open, simplified cycle with smaller, easier-to-manage updates instead of moving from 4.8X to 4.8Y. And distributing several storyline managers in each house atleast, with a single 'last word' individual to break up arguements.
I stand by my previous statement and will continue to do so.
The last word individual is the storyline head.
Nearly every other developer pokes their head into the storyline as well, helping give a broader spectrum of views.
The development cycles for 4.85/6 were headed by Igiss. 4.86 in particular didn't work out well as the first year was spent with very little happening.
The real problem was actually Igiss not really being willing to delegate enough power to Cannon for him to do his job well, while still making Cannon responsible for stuff.
The gradual shift that happened there was what the delay was, convincing Igiss to actually let others get the mod rolling.
Currently the development of 4.87 is in early stages, as you might expect.
4.86 has only been out pretty much 7 months and there have been 6 updates since then.
We're pretty much on the verge of being able to churn through the work, we just need to decide on what the work is that we want to do and what we want to achieve with it.
Player bases, Gallia and other things have thrown up particularly large challenges that most developers have different solutions for, hence why we are discussing it all.
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Joined: Oct 2007
Staff roles:
Friday's job is to make sure that something gets done. The biggest problem in any sort of volunteer effort like developing this mod is overcoming inertia and transitioning from endless talk to actually accomplishing work. Every dev freely provides input on anything they care to have an opinion about; there is no shortage of opinions about everything, especially the direction of faction storylines. But in the end someone has to decide the talk is over and here's the plan, and make sure that plan gets done, usually by doing it himself (in this case, writing out lots of clear prose). Friday has proven himself quite capable of fitting that role, and frankly, there are precious few people around here who can. Let's try not to burn him out with needless criticism, which is basically anticipatory criticism rather than criticism of actual work product.
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' Wrote:There has always been a sole person in charge of it. Igiss. Cannon. Now Friday. As if they care about your opinion on the matter or want to waste time chatting with you about it.
Well having been part of a group speaking to him, I can honestly report that with regard to Friday, the above is true. Wasn't open to new ideas from our player base and basically told us what was going to happen to us. Thoroughly disappointed.
' Wrote:Well having been part of a group speaking to him, I can honestly report that with regard to Friday, the above is true. Wasn't open to new ideas from our player base and basically told us what was going to happen to us. Thoroughly disappointed.
Whom do you represent? Ahh the Corsairs of course!
Don't be shy now - come and share with the community your 'ideas'. Make a new topic for it if you like.
Then you can be 'thoroughly disappointed' at the whole community...
' Wrote:Whom do you represent? Ahh the Corsairs of course!
Don't be shy now - come and share with the community your 'ideas'. Make a new topic for it if you like.
Then you can be 'thoroughly disappointed' at the whole community...
Shy isn't a word a I normally associate myself with but thankyou anyway and what do you mean by "Then", wasn't sharing them with the lead enough?
Would it make any difference anyhow?
No difference at all because clearly you don't listen to the community. I have received my instructions because thats what they were and now I have to swallow them.
Good luck Friday. I hope you'll fare better then I did... I'mma stick to the tech aspects from now on.
Wide awake in a world that sleeps, enduring thoughts, enduring scenes. The knowledge of what is yet to come.
From a time when all seems lost, from a dead man to a world, without restraint, unafraid and free.
Mostly retired Discovery member. May still visit from time to time.
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