Donation driven development

[Kornel Kisielewicz]

This is really something for me to think about then... especially that it would be a direct motivation for me too!

[GenTechJ]

I'll donate again once I have money rolling in (c'mon tax rebate check).

In the meantime, I have two terms of C++ programming under my belt, a couple years of lua scripting, and some years of BASIC back in early high school developing my own text based adventures. Would love to help out depending on the deadlines given to your coders. I basically know enough to not get lost, and with some brushing up could be decent. Plus I'm unemployed at the moment, so that gives me a bit more free time than others might have.

EDIT: Let me correct that. I have one term taken twice because I'm horrible at writing essays. Stupid frigging essays, would've aced all my courses if it weren't for those.

[rekenne]

Essays in ... C++?
... how in the what is this I don't even HUH?!

[GenTechJ]

Essays in college. Fun times. Had to write an essay on the difference between user interface compiling and command line compiling for the mid term.

[rekenne]

That's... pretty weird. o_o

[Thomas]

Hey guys ignore the fact that I haven't been on in ages

I'd pay whatever to get DoomRL back in semi-regular development. I'm still designing my DoomRL wad for when 0.9.9 finally comes out!
No really, I've got everything planned out in a huge nerdy excel spreadsheet. And it's gonna be EVEN BETTER than DoomRL! You'll see! Oh yes you will!

[raekuul]

Again, at best I can not end up in Beijing by mistake, but I am learning C++ at the moment. I'm not sure what else I can donate aside from time...

[Kornel Kisielewicz]

One thing that I was thinking in terms of donations was to create some more visible rewards for donating -- for example a list of bountied features, that would be implemented once the given amount of donations would be gathered -- this way one would exactly know what the money went for. Or even give a choice to donate (for example) specifically to a given game (say 50$ to DiabloRL would drastically improve the amount of work done on it). Or 30$ towards DoomRL modding interface...

As for coding help :

there are several things that I'd like to have done even outside of the DoomRL source. A web-based scoreboard is one thing -- a full forum techincal administrator would be another...

[Thomas]

* Thomas scrounges up $30.

[Kornel Kisielewicz]

Thomas, better start a donation campaign ;)

[Derek]

I think a graphics tileset would drastically raise the profile of the DoomRL project and consequently, yourself and your other projects.  Otherwise, you're limiting yourself to your current fanbase (the relatively few members of this forum).  IMO, that should be your first priority - getting out a graphical version to expand your reach to new players who may otherwise overlook the title.  I can't think of any other new feature that would get new fans on board.  From there you can monetize the game however you please.

And you've had me ready to help for like... 3 or so years now?  You're wasting a free resource, Kornel.

This is, of course, a biased opinion, but I also believe it's a truthful one. ;)

[Kornel Kisielewicz]

I think a graphics tileset would drastically raise the profile of the DoomRL project and consequently, yourself and your other projects.   Otherwise, I think you're limiting yourself to your current fanbase (the relatively few members of this forum).  IMO, I think that should be your first priority - getting out a graphical version to expand your reach to new players who may otherwise overlook the title.  I can't think of any other new feature that would get new fans on board.  From there you can monetize the game however you please.

I can't argue with that. Yet the problem is that with my current free time (considering the full-time job and PhD studies) I have much problems in visualising a sane plan of setting this into motion. Also, I think I reached the limits of what can be easily done with FreePascal. I will however shift the graphical version up in the priority list -- as the major feature of 0.9.9.
Some work will still have to be done towards the 0.9.8.11 version however ( due to the fact that I changed the gameplay somewhat ). Still, I'm anxious about release dates...

And you've had me on board ready to help for like... 3 or so years now?  You're wasting a free resource, Kornel.

Sometimes I really wonder why didn't you get mad at me for that :). Thanks, Derek, I really owe you.

[Derek]

Even if the graphics were crudely implemented to begin with (hint: just hack something out in your spare time), you should see a big increase in the number of followers!

[Picklish]

I think a graphics tileset would drastically raise the profile of the DoomRL project and consequently, yourself and your other projects.

Seconded.  I can immediately name a number of folks that would love DoomRL, but that will never play it without a graphical interface.  I would gladly donate my time or money if I knew it would contribute towards a version of DoomRL with a graphical tileset.

If you don't mind taking the time to explain, I'm curious what the technical issues are with graphics and FreePascal. Isn't there an SDL interface for Pascal?

Even if the graphics were crudely implemented to begin with (hint: just hack something out in your spare time), you should see a big increase in the number of followers!

Although it doesn't have to be, I think the bar is quite low for graphics in roguelike games.  For what it's worth, folks were so excited when Crawl Stone Soup added health bars on monsters.  It's not like this was either revolutionary or a very large feature, but players were clearly starving for interface niceties of any kind.

[Kornel Kisielewicz]

Seconded.  I can immediately name a number of folks that would love DoomRL, but that will never play it without a graphical interface.  I would gladly donate my time or money if I knew it would contribute towards a version of DoomRL with a graphical tileset.

GraphicalDoomRL.Priority++;

If you don't mind taking the time to explain, I'm curious what the technical issues are with graphics and FreePascal. Isn't there an SDL interface for Pascal?

There is. I don't know if you've seen the graphical version of Berserk!, but it's basically what it would look like. The major problem here is the fact that DoomRL ( contrary to Berserk! ) was never written with anything else than ASCII in mind, so ASCII gylphs are scattered all over the codebase. Some serious refactoring is needed.