User generated content and PS

[Nikodemus]

CONTRIBUTOR:

To be a contributor you must simply send an e-mail to the leader of the department in which you want to contribute. The BIG difference with members, is that you will have more loose deadlines on the work you should complete and obviously also lesser benefits in the game. The skills required are the same as the members, listed below in the description of each department.

I believe this should maybe change, if i got it right
What if one want to contribute something what the team did not ask for? He found out it would be good for the game in general, or needs to contribute something of his character/guild history, for it to start make sense,[EDIT], for it to become "real". Just like any NPC may have the history and placeses associated to it.[/EDIT] Is it still next to near impossible?

Also, I gues it is not actually about e0mailing, but PM... IRC will do the job too (wrong?)


Sorry for no eureka moment ;P

[Cherppow]

Hi,

An interesting discussion. Personally I have a bit of mixed feelings about this. I would surely like to see PS grow faster, but on the other hand allowing unrestricted contributions can result in less dev applications. Who would choose to work under schedule and assigned tasks (as a developer), when you can work at your own pace, and pick the tasks yourself (as a contibutor)? In the worst case, the existing devs might decide to resign and continue as contributors, leaving the "dependable workforce" too small to review the growing number of freelance contributions. Well, I hope that I am wrong here.

Ps. What comes to players creating minor content, writing books, modeling items, creating gui skins, sending bug fixes... I fully support that. Earlier is about more major features.

Regards,
- Cherppow

[LARAGORN]

I understand your point Cherppow, but I see it a little differently. If I had the level of tallent needed to be a contributor, I would still apply to the Dev team. Even with others contributing an item here and there, I would still want to be part of the official team and work on specific items at specific times. I dont think I am the only one either. Being dedicated to the whole of PS as a member of the Dev team is very different from being dedicated to a single item. Accepting a position on the team, is an acceptance of structure, knowing that you will have to work on what is assigned, as stated above, and this shows a good deal about ones character and dedication. I do believe that there are many here that would gladly take on that responsability.

[Asraniel]

there could be a todo list of non important things, like, new sword, new hammer, new skin, or a new not very interesting monster. Things that arent as important that the devs want to keep them as a surprise.
People could submit proposals in a wiki or whatever for those todos, and the devs can decide which one they take (they dont have to pick one, but if one is good enough, they can).
If they see that somebody is very talented and invest much time in creating good artwork for those TODOs and gets them ingame, they could ask this artist if he wants to join the team.
There are so many ways for a much more open way to develop this game, whitout talad losing control and withou spoiling the fun for the players.

[Karyuu]

Asraniel, something of the sort has already begun. If you would but take a look at our "What the Team needs from You" thread in the Fanart section...

[Xillix Queen of Fools]

niko let us decide for now what the game needs we are not at a state of readiness for autonomous decisions based on personal bias. it may well come in time, i think anyone can see this thread already generated a step forward in this regard. If this iteration works out well there may be room for broader possibilities in the future. I hope you and induane both sense a feeling of progress in relation to Karyuu and my efforts to open the doors for some more user generated work.

Asraniel, had you read the whole thread which it is incumbant on any poster to do, you would know the answer to your question without Karyuu having to reiterate.

@everyone else do not enter into this discussion as a passerby many players and a couple devs have discussed the issue at length with some fine points, do not disregard this because you are of short attention span.

I think we had a bit of a eureka moment and that satifies me at this stage of development. 

[Nikodemus]

niko let us decide for now what the game needs we are not at a state of readiness for autonomous decisions based on personal bias.

Of course, no one want to turn the setting into chaos. It must be consistent and what players offer can't be completly out of place, it must have logical links with the rest.

What's done so far is indeed a step forward! Although with the congrats i will wait till i see this stuff in game I suppse everyone can understand my carefulness.

[wither]

There are alot of great ideas floating around this thread, as well as in the wishlist.  I think one thing to be weary of though, is to not turn all of PS into one great big virtual rubbish dump, like 2nd Life.  There needs to be some sort of policing of ingame user generated material, or some restrictions on what you can do with them.  For example, a great idea was wood sculpting, great idea, i would enjoy doing that ingame, but, will you end up with 500 crap sculptures that nobody wants? 

An idea would be, is to have bins in the cities, they look like bins, they work like bins, basically a PS recycle bin, rather than litter the ground with unwanted stuff like these sculptures, or anything else for that matter, drop it in the recycle bin and presto, instant delete of that item.  Cuts down on not only crap all over the ground, but takes items out of the game, so cuts down on server load as well, maybe not alot, but in the long run, a big difference.

Im not a coder, so i dont know if its possible, in my head, seems it should be. 

How do we get people to use the bins i hear you ask?  Well, glad you did ask.  The restriction on any user generated object on game could be that it cant be dropped anywhere, but in a recycle bin. 

Just a thought anyway, my main concern is that I wouldnt want PS turning out like 2nd Life, far to much user generated 'crap' in that game.

Cheers...

[Asraniel]

Asraniel, something of the sort has already begun. If you would but take a look at our "What the Team needs from You" thread in the Fanart section...

congratulations! now just everybody has to be informed correctly :-) ah i'm so happy, that is exactly what i was thinking.