Development Team Structure

[Xalrok]

Development Workflow
- 1 - Development Team exits the bug fixing cycle from the previous update. Lead Developer initiates progress for the next update and sets an estimated preliminary deadline
- 2 - Story Planning Developers contact faction leaders, representatives, and/or lore knowledgeable players (where relevant) about planned updates. With their input and advice, these developers create, draft, revise, then finalize update packages
2 – 3 Lead Developer gives the System Modification Developers the go-ahead to start work for an update package, once completed by the story guys
- 3 - System Modification Developers work on their assigned packages (or chunks thereof) as time permits. They occasionally collaborate with or help out others on some portions, then they stitch it together and bug test when they've finished
3 – 4 Lead Developer gives the Economy Developers the go-ahead to start fixes and rebalances, once the packages are completed by the system modders
- 4 - Economy Developers correct trade route imbalances and errors, in addition to adjusting existing content plus creating new features as planned out
( - X [3, 4] - Meanwhile, Story Planning Developers, as managers of the Infocard Writers (and as writers themselves), produce the necessary infocards for the update. These are encoded into XML and inserted when complete)
( - Y [2, 3, 4] - Meanwhile, PvP Balance Developers work on balance solutions. Effects and Models Developers work with them, in addition to producing their own content. These three groups tend to have a mostly independent workflow from the rest, but the release schedule is the same as the team)
4 – 5 Lead Developer gives the Server Shenanigans Developers the go-ahead to prepare for a deploy of the update to the server, once workflow steps 4, X, and Y are complete
- 5 - Server Shenanigans Developers wrap everything up, and press the big red button. Relevant server utilities and features, such as the navmap, are also attended to
5 – 6 We all relax for a bit
- 6 - Development Team enters the bug fixing cycle for the just-released update. Developers work on problems relevant to their role
6 – 1 Wash, rinse, repeat

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This is a basic gist of what goes on. There is some other background stuff, such as story/systems planning, economy planning, and the things those server guys do. Out of this main workflow, step 3 is definitely the longest part of that, which is why X and Y occur during it. Steps 4 and 5 are typically the most brief, yet also the most crucial phase.