Vaevictis_Music
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Posts posted by Vaevictis_Music
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The 0 A.D. Sound Team is currently staging a collaborative contest that could get your sounds in-game.
We are going to need a wide variety of destruction sounds for various towns, buildings, ships, etc and I got to thinking about how this could be a fun little diversion for anyone into making noise and generally causing a ruckus. That means YOU!
I want to stress that this contest is open to noise wizards of all experience levels. If you think you've got what it takes to make some aural mayhem, BRING IT ON!!!
Here's the idea:
Anyone who wants to participate will supply 5-10 original sound files that could make for good destruction layers. These can be impacts, debris, explosions, grinding, rumble, or anything you think would contribute to the creation of the sounds of destruction. These should be sourced by you, in the highest possible quality format, cleaned up and ready to use.
Once these have been assembled, everyone who is participating will each create as many final destruction sounds possible, with an ear to quality not quantity. How you assemble them is up to you, what they represent, how they sound...as long as you use ONLY the sound files provided, and whatever other tricks you know, to turn them into a symphony of destruction.
At the end, submissions will be categorized and arranged in blind & anonymous packages and we will hold a public poll where 0.A.D. Team and community members will have a chance to vote for their favorites. The winner of the poll will go on to fame and fortune, an announcement of the top 3 winners will be posted, and any sounds used in-game will be credited to the originator.
So let’s get this started:
Email me stating your involvement (at damian@wildfiregames.com), then start assembling your original sounds. Try to have everything ready for distribution by November 1st.
I will assemble a .zip of the final raw files and get them out to each participant, you will then have until December 1st to create as many destruction sounds as possible, all final submissions should be submitted directly to me and I will keep track of your contributions and assign a secret code to your files to keep things anonymous for the poll.
Keep in mind, any sound files you submit should be of your own sourcing and manipulation. Any contributions to the contest could end up in the final game, so you should be comfortable with our usage of your creations. If you are not, please do not sign up for the contest!
The poll will begin upon the turning of the New Year and run for about a week.
Drop me a line, round up your assets, the clock is ticking.
The urge to destroy is a creative urge!
Damian
Wildfire Games
LostChocolateLab
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Three new soundtrack mp3's have been added to the Audio page:
1,2 mb / 1:14 min.
1,7 mb / 1:47 min.
2,1 mb / 2:06 min.
Enjoy!
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"(Hmm... shouldn't the title be Number_Of_Programmers++; ?)"
Wow, my bad. This is why we need people like Nicolai. Welcome!
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Please welcome the newest addition to the 0 A.D. Programming Department. Nicolai Hähnle (aka prefect) is an OGL Programmer from Germany, currently studying mathematics and computer science at university in Padeborn.
He has 6 years' experience in C++ - more than 10 years' programming experience in total, deep understanding of OpenGL and 3D hardware in general, formal training in maths and CS, and experience working with teams over the internet, including "Return to the Shadows", a vertical scroller (http://www.rtts.org/) (virtually all programming), and "Widelands", a Settlers-like game, simulation and strategy (http://www.sf.net/projects/widelands) (most of the game logic, as well as some (software) rendering work).
His background also includes writing an open-source driver for the ATI R3xx family of graphics chips and a number of high profile tutorials for the Half-Life 1 modding community (http://hlpp.thewavelength.net/tutorial.htm).
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Hot on the heels of our new Sound Department comes the FPQA - the newly-formed First Party Quality Assurance Department.
This department will be headed by Morgan Ramsay, who has a lot of professional field experience to speak of (NBA ShootOut 2006, Gretzky NHL 2006, SOCOM 3 for the PlayStation 2 (PS2), and The Con for the PlayStation Portable (PSP)).
The 'press release' reads thus:
"The Wildfire Games First Party Quality Assurance (FPQA) Department was formed in preparation for closed internal testing. The Department will be led by Captain Morgan.
The initial focus of FPQA is the development of policies and procedures for effective testing, and the creation of a formal test plan. Upon completion of these tasks, the test plan will be implemented. Closed internal testing will ensure the title functions properly on minimum and recommended requirements system configurations.
In the future, FPQA intends to procure testers from the community for localization, hardware compatibility and extended general testing."
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Music will be divided between peace and battle tracks in-game. Although we won't use true dynamic music, the effect that you describe will still be there.
Additionally, each of the 6 playable civs will have their own set of peace/battle music.
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What are irregular and inexplicable maps? (I mean diffuse, glow, bump?)
I'm afraid a couple of the team members are in a funny mood and have decided to be sarcastic with you. We try to teach them not to do that. It's an ugly teaching process, involving batons and electric shocks. You won't believe the things that take place in the Staff Lounge sometimes...
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The establishment of a solid Sound Department is a clear sign that a project has grown to maturity. Why are we telling you this? Because 0 A.D. has recently formed a brand new team of 5 semi-professional sound designers to assist Carsten and Damian with the comprehensive task of 0 A.D.'s sound design. Damian has been promoted to Head of this department.
In Damian's own words:
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"The Sound Department has recently assembled a team of fine individuals to aid in the creation of sound effects assets, and propel the audio side of 0 A.D. swiftly forward.
We are proud to introduce:
Andy Bayless (bluesquadron) www.andybayless.com
Andy is an accomplished independent musician/sound designer, and knows how to mess around proper with some sound. Ready to set the world on fire with his audio prowess
Ivan Roland Beres (roland) www.battlerats.com
Roland is a master of ambiance, soul musician extraordinary, and occasional animal tamer. He is active in the mod community, and has put mad hours into his sound library.
Kit Challis (browncoat) www.browncoat.co.uk
Kit is an established freelance audio/video producer, his passion for audio is equaled only by his passion for giant metal containers & security guards.
Ryan Nicholl (rnicholl) www.blue-sounds.com
Ryan is a bass guitar giant who plays and teaches bass to pay the bills. He is also a freelance audio lead for a company that develops soul sucking addictive slot machines...the perfect melding of twitch and adrenaline!
Mike Stanton (dungeonsound615) www.dungeonsoundlab.com
Mike comes to us with a passion for gaming and technical experience in live recording and sound mangling. His work with sourcing sounds and sound editing make him a perfect fit for the team.
Carsten and I are excited to continue the work we have started establishing a feel for the sound aspects of the game with the new blood.
Looking forward to greatness!
Damian Kastbauer [ aka LostChocolateLab ]
Wildfire Games Sound Effects Mind Bender
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"Sometimes the historical record for certain troop types is extremely vague, leaving us in the uncomfortable position of literally designing the soldier. One example of this was the aforementioned Arabian camel cavalry..."
A new developer article has been posted. Today, we visit 0 A.D.'s history department for a look at the synergy and conflict between two of 0 A.D.'s most important aspects: Historical accuracy and good gameplay.
In his article, History Department Manager Paul Basar discusses how these two aspects sometimes go hand in hand, and how one must sometimes be prioritized over the other.
The article can be found here.
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History vs. Gameplay - the twisted paradox
by History Department Manager Paul Basar (Paal_101).
When I joined 0 A.D. in November 2003, I was struck by the extraordinary amount of effort that was being put into historical accuracy. It was not what someone coming from a serious historical background expected to see when dealing with game developers. At worst they were designing the game based on Hercules Unchained and Asterix. On the flip side: At best they were giving artistic and gameplay considerations worthy of the true beauty of historical form.
To put it mildly, I was impressed. The entire team was aware of the history and cultures that they were bringing to life: From the simply mind-blowing shield blazons created by Ryan (irishstag) to unit art created by Michael (Mythos_Ruler) to the sensibility of the programming department headed by Stuart (Acumen). That is not to say there were (and are) not problems and glitches, be it soldiers picked from several eras to the wrong weapons given to troops. But as with everything, there is some give and take.
Shake Up in the East
One of the first major historical accuracy events in my time with 0 A.D. was the revision of the Persians. Initially the Persians had been built with a semi-uniform racial mix, Medes and Persians with the odd Bactrian and Lydian thrown in. More importantly the focus was on infantry instead of the cavalry that the Achaemenid Persians were famous for. Immediately it was decided to edit and modify everything to make it more historically accurate. Almost everything was on the block, from Arab camel troops to Immortals.
First off we had to make sure that the infantry were consistent with the ancient record. Racially the Persian army was diverse, featuring men from Ethiopia to India and southern Russia, something we wanted to get across. The second main feature of the Persian infantry was their use of ranged weapons such as javelins and especially arrows. Swords were uncommon, as were armor and helmets, immediately calling into question the Bactrian swordsman slated as the initial unit that any Persian player would create. After talking about rearming him with a sagaris (spiked battle axe) or even a triangular bladed Bactrian dagger I had managed to find on the Net it was decided to drop him from the list. He did not fit with the image we wanted to create.
Next up was the Mede spearman, the corps of the Achaemenid army. Since he was shaping up to be the only close combat unit on the Persian side we decided to make him special, equipping him with the famous short Persian spear with its bronze counterweight and a large rectangular shield called a spara. This allowed us to create a possible special function, based on manoeuvres performed by the ancients known as the sparabara formation in which the spearmen would lay their shields on the ground to form a barrier. Behind the wall of shields archers were free to attack in relative safety. Not only was history appeased but a potentially valuable tool was placed in the gamer’s sweaty hands.
The next two units - archers and javelinists - were quickly dealt with. Despite a name change for the javelin thrower, the two units remained essentially the same.
Now we were ready to take on the Persian cavalry, the heart of their power. Amusingly enough, it was the Arabian camel warrior that came up first. This unit was particularly puzzling since none of us knew exactly what an Arab from the 5th century BC would look like. After some deliberation and discussion it was discovered that the ancient Midianites, who lived in Arabia, dressed remarkably similar to modern Bedouins. With that out of the way it was time to decide what weapon to give him, being designated a swordsman. Trying to suppress the images of Lawrence of Arabia flashing through our minds we searched for any ancient Arabian sword we could find. Despite our best efforts we had to revert to the evil process of guessing. As a result the Arabian was given an “antiquated” version of the modern Bedouin straight sword.
Persian cavalry was made up mostly of Medes armed with javelins and bows, closing only rarely with their opponents. Since we wanted to save the mounted archer for a scythed chariot unit, the Mede light horseman kept his javelins. At the same time the chariot was relatively straightforward, bringing us to the Lydian cataphract. Using the term cataphract at this early point is a bit of a stretch (lancer being more appropriate) but it is the most recognized word for shock cavalry in the ancient world. Although the Lydians were the first major users of this type of troops, they are not mentioned as serving often in the Persian ranks. One people that served as extra heavy cavalry for the Persians were the Massagetae, who picked up the technique from the neighbouring Sarmatians. But this was shot down for the simple fact that they were technologically inferior and are most famous for killing the great Persian king Cyrus. After kicking the idea around for a bit we settled on a Bactrian cataphract, armed with the 12-foot lance known as a kontos.
With that, the major work on the Persians was done. We felt that we had accomplished what we had set out to do: convert the Persians from the infantry horde they had been before to the more organized horsemen and foot soldiers they were. In addition the multi-cultural feel was far more noticeable, the units designed from the start with national headgear and haircuts taken from the great stairway in Persepolis. Weapons and armor were also refined to more accurately portray the lightly equipped troops fielded by the Achaemenids.
From the Ground Up
The second major event was the complete redesign of the Republican Roman combat units. From the beginning, 0 A.D. was designed to show a civilization as it would appear during a specific slice of time. If we could jump into a time machine and go back to Carthage, May 12, 280 BC, we’d want the game to be as close as possible to everything that was seen during such a visit. All the units should come from the same time period if at all possible. In the case of the Romans it was.
Initially the Romans were a mishmash of soldiers taken from several eras: Servian hoplites to Camillan velites to Marian legionnaires. Not only were they historically totally out of sync with the other civilizations they were chronologically a jumble, in no way showing the true mastery and design the Romans put into their army. After a failed attempt by myself to revise the existing units into something that would be historically passable, the Romans were looking like something out of Age of Empires, progressing through various “ages” of development. We were all becoming concerned that the Romans were going to have to be significantly altered if they were to match the other civilizations. After a detailed debate, the Roman combat units were revised from the ground up.
Deciding what time period of Roman history to use was important, as it would significantly alter the gameplay in all cases. We knew that we wanted the Romans to be Republican, showing a period of history not often portrayed in games, and if so, poorly. The Servian era (pre-4th century BC) was rejected for the lack of any recognizably Roman elements, a time when the Romans were just discovering themselves and were heavily influenced by the Etruscans and Greeks. The Marian era (c.100BC to 31 BC) saw the creation of the professional Roman army that would go on to become the famous fighting force of the 1st and 2nd Centuries AD. This was the time of Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Sulla, larger than life men and a period full of historic events. These reasons alone were tempting enough to make us choose this period, except that the units we could portray would be limited, not to mention very similar to the Imperial Army of the 1st Century AD, whom we are intent on portraying in Part II of the Project.
This left only one choice, the Camillan era, nestled between the two previously mentioned periods. Not only did it possess the strictly organized variety of units necessary for the game, it was a time of great history. This was the time of Rome’s great expansion across the Mediterranean, battles being fought from Iberia to Cappadocia in a great struggle for dominance as the Hellenistic Kingdoms weakened. Some of the greatest battles in Roman history were fought during this time, including Telamon, Cannae, Zama, Cynoscephalae, Pydna, and Numantia. There were great heroes such as Camillus, “Cunctator”, and Scipio Africanus.
Now that we had chosen the era the troop types fit into place. During the three military eras of Republican Rome the Camillan featured a unique three-line battle plan. Consisting of men armed with javelins, swords, and spears it meant we could get a good range of units to give the player an all round experience with many options. First came the swordsman, the main unit of the Roman army in any period. This honor was bestowed upon the Hastatus, the first line in the Camillan order of battle. Not only were these men deadly, they were artistically varied enough to provide many different options. Normally the Hastatus would carry a pair of heavy javelins into battle and throw them before drawing his sword. For our purposes the sword was all that was necessary.
Behind the Hastatus came the Principes, the second line of heavy infantry in the Camillan battle plan. They were armed identically as the Hastatus, so we decided to give them the pilum in this case, giving us the famous javelin to use in combat. Unlike some of the later eras spearmen were employed by the Romans of this period, allowing us to replace the Servian Hoplite with the Triarus, or “Third Liner”. We now had the three heavy infantry types the Camillan Romans fought as, giving the Romans the heavy punch that history demanded, out attacking and defending almost every other opponent in the game. The huge numbers of heavy troops that will be available to the player from the beginning when playing the Romans will be far more powerful than many of the other units from other civilizations. Again history was appeased, the game mirroring the massive amounts of manpower the Romans had available to them during the Second Punic War when over 700,000 men were eligible for military service.
But there was one unit that had been left out, the Velite. These were young men armed with light javelins and round shields who fought as skirmishers in front of the three lines of heavy infantry. 0 A.D. was designed with some strict rules in mind, one of which was that in no way could a civilization have two troops of the same class. For example, the Greeks could not have two different infantry units armed with a spear, nor could the Persians have two different kinds of cavalry archers. In the same way the Romans could not have two infantry javelinists. Initially the javelin thrower had been the Velite, but since we wanted to complete the three lines of heavy infantry and include the famous pilum the Velite had to go. We kicked the idea of classifying the Velite as an archer or slinger with a javelin throwing animation but came to the conclusion that in doing so we would violate the spirit of the game. Why should the Romans break the rules when the Celts could not? In that case gameplay rightly won over history. Even so, the Romans were now oriented around a historical era that gave us everything we needed.
The Goofs
To say that 0 A.D. is perfect is arrogant and to say that we got everything right historically is lying. In some cases there is no choice but to fill a hole in the unit list as best as we can. If at all possible we try to find a historical unit that would meet the needs of the culture, if not from the same period that we are trying to portray then as close to it as possible. Sometimes the historical record for certain troop types is extremely vague, leaving us in the uncomfortable position of literally designing the soldier. One such example of this was the aforementioned Arabian camel cavalry. Thanks to some research and a bit of discussion we came up with a design that fits the profile. While this is not the preferred method of allocating a unit it has to be done in some cases.
In other cases the culture or military system had totally changed and a unit that was more than adequate would not match the current civilization design under normal circumstances. For instance, the Carthaginian Sacred Band officer is included in the build list as an elite unit. The Sacred Band was a formation of troops, usually numbering 300 men, dating from the Heroic period of Dark Age Greece. The Theban Sacred Band was famous for fighting to the last man on at least two separate occasions, proving to be equals of the famous Spartans. As a result, the concept of a Sacred Band dedicated to each other and their patron deity spread across the Mediterranean to Carthage, whose own Sacred Band was renowned for its bravery and courage. But they were disbanded quite a while before the Second Punic Wars, the time period the Carthaginians are based around in the game. But since there was no other option and that the allure of the Sacred Band was powerful in its own right, the Sacred Band remains a part of the Carthaginian build list.
Similarly, we had to make some interesting choices concerning the Italian Allied cavalrymen, also a member of the Carthaginian army. Based on the southern Italian horsemen, who were provided by defecting Roman allies to Hannibal during the Second Punic War, the decision was made to model the unit on the most famous southern Italians, the Samnites. By the late 3rd Century BC the Romans and Samnites had not been fighting for almost 80 years, the Samnites and the other tribes from Campania providing excellent horsemen for the Romans. Equipment in the south would have begun to resemble that from Rome. To differentiate the Samnites from their Roman counterparts, it was decided to go with a more traditional Samnite look: triple disc bronze breastplate, Attic helmet, and greaves. While this involves turning back the clock somewhat, it does give the game more variety and color. In addition, the more classic appearance of the Samnite horsemen is born out somewhat by the discovery of Samnite equipment in North Africa, without a doubt brought over by mercenaries travelling with Hannibal on his return to Carthage.
To minimize the historical disparities, we use the greatest asset in any project: Knowledge. The more we know about the history of an era, culture, and army the better we can come up with viable solutions for the problems we face. The first resource for designing a historical unit list is communication, especially between the three major departments involved. These are Design, Programming, and of course History, each one providing a separate view on how the ingame units should react and how they should be constructed. Communication gives us the knowledge to understand the direction Design wants to take the game, what Programming can accomplish, and what the annals of history can offer to fill those spaces.
Once the basic design of the units has been ordered, it comes next to finding the exact units that should fit into a certain slot. In most cases we know the historical equivalent for each particular unit, but even if we do, we still go straight into research to make sure we have chosen wisely. In addition this allows us to check for interesting abilities or skills that could be of benefit ingame. The previously mentioned sparabara and the Roman testudo formation are other interesting choices, not to mention the stalking abilities given to the Iberians. Even if we don’t use these traits, it still gives us a larger all-round view of the culture and its warriors, making our understanding of the period more complete. In addition, research allows us to gather pictures and reconstructions of armor, weapons, and equipment, as well as information on tactics, formations, mentality, and weaknesses. Without a doubt, the first line of research is Google, the greatest friend of the cash strapped hobby gamemaker. For more detailed information we turn to books, some of the best including the Osprey Men At Arms series, Warfare in the Classical World, and Greece and Rome at War.
Goofs and gaffs are unavoidable, but I feel confident in saying that the 0 A.D team has managed to create a great balance between historical accuracy and gameplay. Obviously there. is still a long way to go yet, a journey that will require much refining and tweaking of the units and their properties. I am confident that 0 A.D. will emerge as one of the most immersive and enjoyable RTS games available anywhere. The whole team is committed to producing a game that is as true to the historical record as possible, while not sacrificing the enjoyment gamers will receive.
By Paul Basar (Paal_101)
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Bill Brown -- Trapped - The Survivors
BB can take any crappy straight-to-TV movie and add some cool stuff to it. Same with his music for Scorcher, which is also on his website.
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It's just, dont want that argument here in this thread, but in Norway we all get tought to HATE swedens, their country and whatever they do. We also have a lot of "sweden jokes" about how stupid they are ....
You know, we have those too here in Denmark. But in the end, most of us don't have a clue about the major differences between Swedes and Norwegians (I even have difficulties telling the languages apart most of the time). I fully expect that Norwegians have the same impression of Swedes vs. Danes and likewise for Swedes' impression of Norwegians vs. Danes. I can't see why any Norwegian / Swede / Dane shouldn't be able to feel at home in any of the two other countries (well, apart from the darn cold!). We aren't so different, all in all.
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The Norwegians have made a new move on their hidden agenda to take over WFG from the inside. They've sent us Dan Strandberg, our new tool programmer.
Dan is in his mid-twenties with a full-time job, and experience in writing tools for games.
He's recently done some contract tool programming for Gas Powered Games, and his most recent online project was working as content engineer / tool programmer for Elemental, a total-conversion mod for Dungeon Siege.
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This new screenshot shows the Celts facing off against the Hellenes near a village. Check it out for a visual status report on how the 0 A.D. engine is coming along.
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Mmm, ham.
This one is not too hard once one realises that each number represents a letter, and that one of the words therefore must be one of the few English one-letter words.
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Well, it certainly doesn't make it less embarassing that it's Zimmer who has ripped off Zimmer..
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Since you're obsessed with the Twi'lek woman - that's Amy Allen, who works as a visual effects designer on the prequels, and was cast pretty much by coincidence. Happy googling
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Yeah, I got the Equilibrium soundtrack because I seemed to remember that it lifted a sub-mediocre movie up to mediocre level, but - I don't know, it seems a bit bland. I like how it shows that Badelt is able to write understated music, but nothing really seems to stand out.
The only other stuff I've heard from him is the Time Machine OST. It has good moments, but it's back to the Zimmer camp.
(Hold on a sec - listening to the Equilibrium music again - the electronic theme which occurs all over, isn't that lifted from MI:2? Try listening to the track "Finally", then go to 1:08 where it starts. That sounds almost identical to one of the action tracks from MI:2, doesn't it? I don't have the MI:2 OST, so I can't be sure.)
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He's a Pirate by Hans Zimmer.
Isn't POTC by Klaus Badelt? I think it is, and I always thought it was a bit embarassing for Badelt, because he used to be one of Zimmer's students, and the action theme from POTC is an exact match of the one from Gladiator, if I remember correctly.
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Our latest Dev Article is by the Chief himself; Jason Bishop, 0 A.D.'s Project Leader. In the article, he describes a typical day as team leader for 0 A.D. It gives an insight into what duties come with the title, and Jason shares some views on which skills are necessary for someone in the Project Leader role.
Go to our Developer Articles section to find the new article. Also, in case you missed them the first time around, you'll find two older articles by Programming Manager Stuart Walpole on the same page.
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A Day In A Life
By Jason Bishop
The PR department asked me to write an article on a day in my life. Hopefully you will find it enlightening and entertaining.
You know, as I take a moment to pause for personal reflection, I would like to say that it truly is an honor to be working with staff here at Wildfire Games. They are the ones who bring all the pieces of this massive puzzle to the table. I am just the one lucky enough to guide them in the process.
When we first got this hare-brained idea, it was kicked off by a comment of "Why don't we just create a game instead of a mod?" Just? JUST? How absurd! If only then we'd had a glimpse of the trials and difficulties we would encounter; or the bottomless pit we'd are throwing our time into before seeing a mound starting to form; or the sheer organizational nightmare of developing an entire game over the internet, with team members spread out across the globe, spanning over a score of time zones - I probably wouldn't have attempted it. As they say: Ignorance is bliss.
Two years into development, however, we had invested too much time in the project to stop, and here we are, four years later, starting to see the culmination of all our hard work. This has, without a doubt, been an amazing journey!
In the end we will have done something that has never been done before. We will have:
1] Independently created a freeware RTS game that will rival any RTS game currently on the store shelves.
2] Expanded our game development skills to allow us to break into the industry.
3] Shaken the industry to the core - hopefully encourage some introspection on their part to justify development costs, publisher's cut, game prices, hiring of staff, game development 'training', and workplace environments.
WHAT'S IN A DAY?
7:00 AM - My alarm goes off, I wake up to news (I'm a current events junkie) - I lie in bed for a bit while the fog lifts.
7:20 AM - Get out of bed - turn on computer - read my email, and check the WFG forums.
7:30 AM - Take a shower - Think about what to reply too while doing so
7:45 AM - Back to my computer - make my replies.
8:00 AM - Turn off computer - Grab some granola and eat breakfast while I scan the newspaper.
8:15 AM - Assemble my books, lunch, and homework from the night before, then leave for EWU.
8:55 AM - Schoolday starts. Today's classes are
- "Survey of Electricity"
- "Statics"
- "Microsoft Excel for Engineers and Introduction to Microsoft Project" (during this class I have access to the internet so I sneak a peak at the forums/email and answer any questions or make any comments I can)
- "Speech and Communication".
- "Thermodynamics"
2:00 PM - Finally I'm done! The 5 classes in a row are finished, and I head home.
2:45 PM - Arrive back home - check the snail mail - grab some grub (usually cookies) to tide me over till supper. Turn on the computer - check email and forums - answer questions and make comments.
4:15 PM - Should be done with communication duties by now - turn on MSN messenger in case someone needs to get ahold of me. Start doing priority tasks. This could be anything really - I seem to quite an assortment of duties. Here are some of things I could possibly be working on (in no particular order):
- feedback for latest builds, textures, models, maps, functions, design, etc.
- models, animations, skins for graphics
- website - html and css and graphics
- tutorials/procedures/lists/schedules
- dabbling with xml/java code
- clarification of issues in game design
- uploading assets for the staff
- reviewing new hires, checking gamedev.net forums for potential help
- checking to see if everyone is tasked, keeping abreast of what they are all doing
- making various forum administrative tweaks
- reviewing books to find needed historical information
- reviewing articles at gamedev.net and gamasutra.com for development articles
- playtesting other games to see how things are done when faced with a question
- monthly reports and summaries
- communication with staff
5:30 PM - I usually take a break to watch (or at least listen to) the evening news
6:00 PM - Dinner time!
6:30 PM - Head back to computer to do WFG stuff.
10:30 PM - Look up at the time and note it's getting late.
11:30 PM - Look at the time again and note it's getting *really* late - realize that if I'm going to start doing homework, I better start now.
1:00 AM - Hopefully done with homework by now and crash in bed.
There you have it! Then the whole cycle starts again the next day! As you can see, pretty much all my free time is spent on the project. But that's okay, because after doing this schedule every day for about 3 years now, I'm getting pretty comfortable with it. It requires a 'GO GO GO' mentality, but I think that's the mentality you need to have in order to succeed in a project like this. And for those of you who are concerned about my mental health, don't worry: I get out every once in a while to breathe fresh air and socialize - every few weeks I take a moment to relax or hang out with my brothers and go watch a movie or something.
Being a project manager is a big job and a big responsibility. Here is an excerpt from Stuart's "Ideal Design Structure" article that I think is applicable for those who are interested in being a project lead.
Project Lead
- He must have a clear vision for what game will be made, and its design objectives and theme.
- He should have the final say on everything that goes into the game.
- He holds ultimate responsibility for the success of the product, so must balance the quality and content of the game against his personal preferences.
Key Skills
- Broad understanding of what it takes to create a game: a little background and knowledge in aspects of programming, sound, visual, UI, etc, goes a long way in their ability to 'connect' with staff.
- People skills: A definite requirement; nobody wants to work with/for anyone who is rude, dismissive, arrogant, overbearing, critical. (In fact, it is ultimately better for the team to avoid recruiting 'any' member with those traits, regardless of the skills they could contribute).
- Clarity of mind when making decisions; their wisdom is key and ultimately the balance for the success or failure of the game. The ultimate goal is a "benevolent dictatorship".
- Level-headed: The Project Lead needs to ensure that the project's progress does not go to his head and cause him to regard it as mostly his doing. It's quite the opposite! The hard working team is responsible for success, and should be recognized as such. The Project Lead should realize that he does not know it all, and that's why he needs to surround himself with the best and brightest. It is the collection of minds that lifts a project up, not just one.
- Wise delegation: Not only does it lessen their workload, but project members will rise up to reach the level you set for them. It also gives members 'ownership'; their own piece of the pie they consider their responsibility.
- Inspires: If things set slow, or start to go from bad to worse, it's the Project Lead's job to inspire and refocus the team. Lead by example. Show them how it should be done, and don't just demand it.
- Humble: The Lead directs the project and team to failure or success. It's a big responsibility, and if he truly wants the project to succeed, he should be ready to step down if he is hindering it in any way. The project takes precedence over pride.
- Good talent scout: Should have the ability to spot talent and reward it with more responsibility, and also know when to stop pushing people to their own detriment.
- feedback for latest builds, textures, models, maps, functions, design, etc.
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Mark Strawson (Xentelian) and Dayle Flowers (Xienen) have joined the 0 A.D. programming team to help out with UI scripting and C++ programming, respectively.
Mark hails from Canada, and is most well known for the enhancements he has made to the user interface and messaging system for Age of Mythology over the past year: (check out http://members.shaw.ca/markstrawson/ ). [ Read full bio ]
Dayle is at time of writing studying Software Engineering at Southern Polytechnic State University, attempting to transfer to Georgia Tech and do Computer Science. [ Read full bio. ]
Welcome Mark and Dale!
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Some more food for thought:
First of all, check out http://billbrownmusic.com/musicG1.htm and the subsequent 4 game music pages (bottom menu). Tons and tons of free game music from game titles you'll instantly recognise. If you liked the Rock, you'll have hours of music waiting for you here.
Bill Brown is very much inspired by Zimmer and Gregson-Williams (as can be heard in tracks like Rogue Spear Main Theme, and he also moves into epic fantasy in tracks like Lineage II Outro. Top notch music.
Other game soundtracks:
- All of the Infinity Engine games: Baldur's Gate I, II, Throne of Bhaal, Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment.
- Warcraft III
- Metal Gear Solid 3
- Deus Ex (mostly for those who loved the game)
- Demon Stone
- Divine Divinity
- Knights of the Old Republic 1 (and the sequel to a lesser degree)
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Wildfire Games' main website - http://www.wildfiregames.com - has taken on a new and more stylish look. Although it's not directly 0 A.D.-related, you may want to check it out. The main page also contains a link to WFG's other project, The Last Alliance, a fantasy RTS under development.
The WFG main page will be the place to look for news about WFG as a company and community, whereas this site will still be the place for all things 0 A.D.
Indie development
in Announcements / News
Posted
0 A.D. is Gamedev.net's featured Image of the Day for the 1st of November. Blink and you'll miss it!
And some not strictly 0 A.D.-related news: You may have noticed the two Affiliates links on the left. The top one is worth a mention: Ethereal Darkness is an indie developer group just like WFG. They have recently finished their first game, a full-length RPG by the name of Morning's Wrath. ED is one of the teams besides WFG that has managed to take hobbyist development to an eye-catching level. In the interest of promoting indie game development, we recommend that you head over to check out the game and maybe download the demo.