From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 589 invoked by alias); 5 Nov 2003 04:38:15 -0000 Mailing-List: contact xconq7-help@sources.redhat.com; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: xconq7-owner@sources.redhat.com Received: (qmail 581 invoked from network); 5 Nov 2003 04:38:15 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO outbound28-2.lax.untd.com) (64.136.28.160) by sources.redhat.com with SMTP; 5 Nov 2003 04:38:15 -0000 Received: (qmail 5787 invoked from network); 5 Nov 2003 04:38:13 -0000 Received: from 66-52-250-22.sttl.dial.netzero.com (HELO vangogh) (66.52.250.22) by smtp02.lax.untd.com with SMTP; 5 Nov 2003 04:38:13 -0000 From: "Brandon J. Van Every" To: "xconq" Subject: RE: Windows Installer for Xconq Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2003 08:54:00 -0000 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal In-Reply-To: Importance: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 X-SW-Source: 2003/txt/msg00589.txt.bz2 Hans Ronne wrote: > > To follow your example, the people who wrote Half-Life had no > reason to put > stuff in their kernel that was of no use in their game. The > xconq kernel, > OTOH, has been written to be as flexible as possible and to > provide support > for as many different types of interactions as are conceivable. I am not an Xconq developer, I haven't even gotten a proper Windows build environment going yet. So, take my opinions for whatever you think they're worth. My opinion is, even if you have the best game designer tools imagineable, even if you can make really deep changes to Xconq gameplay with them, "Modding" is still the industry standard term for it. You'd just tout the absolute coolness, flexibility, and scripting power of your Modding tools. Whatever the power of those tools, Xconq is not really middleware. If it were, a collection of rather different games would be running on "the Xconq engine." Maybe that sounds like a chicken-and-egg pronouncement, but nothing is middleware until it's demonstrably in the middle of something. Middleware, for instance, would carry the connotation that your code is very much intended to be used for non-Xconq games, that development revolves around providing general purpose game engine features. I doubt that's the case, am I mistaken? Regarding the label "Hacker" for the source code stuff, I think that is both a confusing label and a very negative one. Confusing because Modders certainly hack at stuff, if not the source code. Negative because in many people's minds, it implies shoddy and undisciplined engineering. I don't think you want to communicate to the world at large that your Xconq source code is a pile of sphaghetti coughed up by hackers. Even if hacking the sources is fun in the eyes of many people. I would suggest the label "For Programmers" instead. I think "For Players, For Modders, For Programmers" is standard game industry terminology and creates the least amount of confusion, even if you don't think it's a perfect fit. Cheers, www.indiegamedesign.com Brandon Van Every Seattle, WA Taking risk where others will not.