Goals for the Distro.
Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 11:41 pm
Short term and long term goals for the Distro.
1. I have been thinking about which expansion to support in the Distro. So here are my ideas:
As far as functionality I would like to support as much as possible up to Time of Legends. Functionality, in this case, is a "fuzzy" term which means it has some wiggle room. Some examples of functionality include:
a. Support for the galleon class ships and despite one of my posts in an earlier thread they are not functional yet.
b. The various 'schools of magic' - Necromancy, Paladin, Spellweaving (sometimes called Druidry), and Mysticism.
c. Imbuing.
d. All NPCs, if possible. Though this isn't a high priority.
e. Some of the other items new to those of us who don't play on the "official" Ultima Online(R) servers, such as The Runic Atlas and Davies Locker.
f. We'll discuss map support at a later date as there have been some major changes to the geography in later map versions.
2. An easy way to download and install the latest Core and Distro. I am working on this. No promises as to a release date but this is next up for me to do.
3. A solid small team of Distro developers who can be relied upon to delegate projects to. They don't have to be fast or be particularly advanced coders but they do need to be willing to complete a thing assigned to them or admit if they think it is beyond their skill. There's no shame in admitting a "quest" is too difficult. Also, some testers and users of the Distro willing to experiment with some of the tools available in the Distro and write How to articles.
4. As I wrote almost none of the code for the Distro I would like a review done of at least the AI for areas of possible improvement. One thing that would be nice is smarter NPCs that can find a path to a player when one is available rather than be stuck in a 'cubby hole' whilst the player shoots them with arrows. Granted, if I had written the NPC AI it would be even more limited than it is.
5. Custom packages that would be optional that shard developers could add to the Distro if they so choose. Possibly some of the "functionality" I mentioned above should be made optional so as to keep the Distro simple.
6. Documentation! Need I say more? Alright, I will. Scripts should be documented. A User Guide for setting-up a server. Maybe, given that there are some quest tools already present in the Distro, a simple tutorial on their use. A how to for configuring levers, switches and other triggers.
7. A more advanced Quest Creation system. This I thought would be neat if it involved a "quest scripting language" or qScript if you prefer. I remember the old Infocom(R) text adventures used a similar system for creating their games. As I have no experience in the area of writing an interpreter this might be beyond me or even the scope of our current Distro developers but, hey these are goals. If we just improve what's already available maybe that will be enough or maybe what is available is enough. Someone needs to play with the tools and see.
8. And this is an important goal for all of us. To look at our work as a labour of love, not a chore. POL is extremely versatile and for that I love working with it. It needs some improvement but as it stands at version 0.99 it's pretty stable. So if you feel as I do about POL then approach your work with enthusiasm, and at times frustrated consternation, and enjoy the process of making it even better.
Yeah, I know that last goal is sappy but hey, I grumble more than I wax sappy so I'm entitled.
I didn't prioritise the list because I figured the input from everyone would help with that. I believe I had more ideas but at the moment they don't come to mind right now.
So have at it! Share your ideas and thoughts on mine. Once the dust has settled we'll place them in orfer of priority (or possibility) and finalise this in to a formal roadmap.
1. I have been thinking about which expansion to support in the Distro. So here are my ideas:
As far as functionality I would like to support as much as possible up to Time of Legends. Functionality, in this case, is a "fuzzy" term which means it has some wiggle room. Some examples of functionality include:
a. Support for the galleon class ships and despite one of my posts in an earlier thread they are not functional yet.
b. The various 'schools of magic' - Necromancy, Paladin, Spellweaving (sometimes called Druidry), and Mysticism.
c. Imbuing.
d. All NPCs, if possible. Though this isn't a high priority.
e. Some of the other items new to those of us who don't play on the "official" Ultima Online(R) servers, such as The Runic Atlas and Davies Locker.
f. We'll discuss map support at a later date as there have been some major changes to the geography in later map versions.
2. An easy way to download and install the latest Core and Distro. I am working on this. No promises as to a release date but this is next up for me to do.
3. A solid small team of Distro developers who can be relied upon to delegate projects to. They don't have to be fast or be particularly advanced coders but they do need to be willing to complete a thing assigned to them or admit if they think it is beyond their skill. There's no shame in admitting a "quest" is too difficult. Also, some testers and users of the Distro willing to experiment with some of the tools available in the Distro and write How to articles.
4. As I wrote almost none of the code for the Distro I would like a review done of at least the AI for areas of possible improvement. One thing that would be nice is smarter NPCs that can find a path to a player when one is available rather than be stuck in a 'cubby hole' whilst the player shoots them with arrows. Granted, if I had written the NPC AI it would be even more limited than it is.
5. Custom packages that would be optional that shard developers could add to the Distro if they so choose. Possibly some of the "functionality" I mentioned above should be made optional so as to keep the Distro simple.
6. Documentation! Need I say more? Alright, I will. Scripts should be documented. A User Guide for setting-up a server. Maybe, given that there are some quest tools already present in the Distro, a simple tutorial on their use. A how to for configuring levers, switches and other triggers.
7. A more advanced Quest Creation system. This I thought would be neat if it involved a "quest scripting language" or qScript if you prefer. I remember the old Infocom(R) text adventures used a similar system for creating their games. As I have no experience in the area of writing an interpreter this might be beyond me or even the scope of our current Distro developers but, hey these are goals. If we just improve what's already available maybe that will be enough or maybe what is available is enough. Someone needs to play with the tools and see.
8. And this is an important goal for all of us. To look at our work as a labour of love, not a chore. POL is extremely versatile and for that I love working with it. It needs some improvement but as it stands at version 0.99 it's pretty stable. So if you feel as I do about POL then approach your work with enthusiasm, and at times frustrated consternation, and enjoy the process of making it even better.
Yeah, I know that last goal is sappy but hey, I grumble more than I wax sappy so I'm entitled.
I didn't prioritise the list because I figured the input from everyone would help with that. I believe I had more ideas but at the moment they don't come to mind right now.
So have at it! Share your ideas and thoughts on mine. Once the dust has settled we'll place them in orfer of priority (or possibility) and finalise this in to a formal roadmap.