Erm, dont want to argue
, but compiling with MSVC I have had so far had to download about a dozen extra libraries, several related to sound and graphics but a few others also.
In the process of attempting to compile the server, I have also had to turn of several of the subprojects (I think MNG might have been one of them) with the result that (tbh mostly due to needing time for RL stuff) that I have more or less aborted the attempt until I can get more time and/or the compilation process under MSVC is documented a bit more fully.
I just dont have the time to compile until an error crops up, go check where to get the library that is missing and resulting in the error, download it, install it, compile it, remove any errors in compiling it and then move on to the next library.
I second the call for a full list of what support libraries are required and where to get them.
With respect to compiling under MSVC it would also be nice if the support libraries had a preallocated space within the source tree which the project file was preconfigured to refer to so that people wanting to compile the server source would only have to download the relevant libraries and extract them in the appropraite directories within the source tree for it to compile.
And, again, I\'d like to suggest that it would be a good idea if the source for all relevant libraries was included (as permitted by the distributors) in the CVS so that people keen to work on PS would not have to spend a week hunting around for all of them themselves.
While I can see that overcoming the problem of finding all these libraries and installing them is one way to ensure that the people who contribute to PS are competent to do so, I would also like to point out that there are very many programmers who are not necessarily extremely familiar with the process of hunting down support libraries and installing them, but who are, nevertheless, perfectly capabale of producing excellent code.
Since November, I have read at least half a dozen posts here made my programmers who appear perfectly competent to turn out good C++ code but who are not conversant with Linux style code environments and practice and so have been baffled in fulfilling an earnest desire to help further the PS project.
While completely unfamiliar with C++, I have compiled pretty much the entire base Linux system from source and am still finding compiling PS to be problematic.
While I admit that I have not had as much time to put into it as I would like, surely that is some indication of how much of an obstacle getting past the compilation stage must be for people who are more used to working in a Windows environment.
My perspective on this is basically as follows. While I am not part of the development team (yet), I think that PS is a fantastically inspiring project that very many people would both like to see progress and would like to contribute to.
Now that the work on the underlying game engine seems to be relatively complete and to have resulted in a stable platform for development of a more complete ingame engine, it would surely be extremely helpful for the project to have the help of those additional people who find the project as interesting and inspiring as myself and are keen to help it move forward.
That and the fact that the bulk of the work of implementing a complete game seems still to be done has me feeling that you may agree with me that now would be a very good time to consolidate on what the project has achieved so far and make it easier for new members to join the team, by providing introductoory documentation on where a developer new to the project should start in familiarising themselves with the source code and on reviewing the source install and compile documentation so that it is much easier for people to join the PS project and begin to develop code for it.
Having said that, I have been very busy over the last few months and have not had a chance to update my copy of the source or to check for the improved documentation that you have already said was a goal that you wanted to achieve after the release of CB.
