I think it's about time for POW to "grow up" and become more than what it currently it by going open source. For version 5, I have been working towards this goal. While I've wanted to go open source for awhile now, the way POW is structured is unsuitable for public involvement, due to how messy and amateur it is. It is the byproduct of a learning experience.
As I've been working on that new game I mentioned a few posts ago, I've learned the joys of programming in a more proper method, and now, coming back to work on POW, it's irritating. So, ever since releasing 4.4.11, I've been working on rewriting POW into hierarchical, encapsulated/modular code structure (which, btw, might have the side-effect of correcting a few troublesome bugs that are a consequence of the way things currently work).
Once I'm done with that, I plan on starting up a github to host POW's source files. Those with programming expertise could contribute to the programming side of things (AS3, similar to javascript), and those with the tools to create flash vector animations could download the .fla and see what they can do in there. Contributions to the official release would need to go through the usual QA and approval process by me, although there would be nothing stopping people from making their own unofficial variants of the game.
The coding process could take awhile, and I wouldn't expect any art news for the next month. And I'd be curious to know if anyone here would be seriously interested in getting involved with the open source version of POW once it's ready. Leave a comment ;)
This makes me wary of attracting Nintendo's awareness. (At least more so then the probably casual behind the scenes awareness they probably already have, hehe)
ReplyDeleteI find it unlikely that nintendo would try to get involved but you can never be sure. It's unlikely that they would care about some web flash game a few people collaborated on. i think if it made it into mainstream then it could be an issue.
DeletePokemon Uranium.
DeleteDon't be too sure: I saw a MMORPG Pokémon that charged nothing and was shit down within two -ish years of being around. (RIP, favorite way to play Pokémon with others) Granted it was a direct rip of F.R./L.G. so it was bound to happen. It was awesome for a global trading bazzar where you could trade around items for Pokémon, Pokémon for Pokémon, or Pokémon for the Pokemoney.
DeleteI just hope that Nintendo just doesn't get butthurt over P.O.W. or I WILL boycott any more Pokémon games from them.
(FYI: I thing Mega-evolution is too much a Digimon rip and I hate the concept of the upcoming Z-moves. The abilty to recustomize looks and groom your Pokémon's awesome though...)
:TDJK
Anyways,
are you going to quit making the game?
ReplyDeleteYes.
DeleteWell, I mean... eventually, could be 10 years from now!
I'd totally be up for it, although I haven't really done much with actionscript before, so I probably wouldn't be much help :(
ReplyDeleteI'm mainly a java, php and python person.
It's a neat thing you're doing though ^^
Always nice to see games and projects going open source :)
are you sure this is a good ideal? some people could corrupt it. i used to love coding but i can't help but wonder if this will still be the game i've come to love.
ReplyDeleteOpen source is always a good idea ;)
DeleteI'm unclear on what your concerns are.
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DeleteNo one is gonna corrupt the game. Any changes that are made have to be approved by terra. If stuff didnt have to be approved, github would be a total cesspool of unusable junk.
Deletemy worry was mostly people sticking viruses and tracker and adware into the game.
DeleteIf a project is open source, and if you suspect a third party download to be infected, then you can just clone the original code from the upstream and build it yourself. That is one of the boons of having an open source project.
DeleteAlso, there is nothing to stop anyone from unpacking an already compiled SWF application, adding infections in it, and bundling it back up to distribute. The number one rule of downloading any software is always be aware of the source.
Unfortunately true...
Delete:TDJK
Wait so your done working on this or are you still working with the extra fans help?
ReplyDeleteI'm still working on it. Just making it open source to make it easier for people to help out if they want.
DeleteWhat software license will POW be under? GPLv3? 3-clause BSD?
ReplyDeleteI saw you mentioned offering Open Source P.O.W. and you are looking for people who know coding.
ReplyDeleteWell, I can be serious to things I enjoy, which P.O.W. I do love, though my schedule's iffy. I just got done with the first month of this semester, and the college work's piling up.
If this was offered almost two months back, I would pitch in if you would care to accept. Though the soonest I could put continuous effort in is halfway into December. I could get a bit of work doing bug and grammar check, maybe, anywhere in between now and then.
Which was actually what I wanted to do for Corruption of Champions, now Tainted Space, however I've interacted more here then there and I feel a bit intimidated there...
*ahem* I have done college classes in Java (not sure if JavaScript), web creation, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash Player, Unreal-Engine Level Designing, Maya modeling and a bit of animating, and I've delved a bit into Mudbox.
Unfortunately, I've slowly not been able to remember things and its slipping away. I do have good means to remember things when I start checking things out again and I learn well by meddling with example, so if I got ahold of the source codes, then it shouldn't take long to understand it.
(One thing though, I'm a terrible artist; I don't do well setting up outlines, though working with shading and color blending's fine. I do much better in level design and coding)
Just gonna leave this here...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000069.html
That's my biggest fear right now...
DeleteLet's hope that POW's not such a huge mess and it's actually "easily" rewriteable
hey Terra what is the link of the place where we can share our creation?
ReplyDeleteWill the previously added Pokemon get more sex positions and when you show a teaser of one with Sylveon in the breeder section of the menu. I would say add pikachu or pikachu libre but I am asking too much.
ReplyDeleteAny updates or Live streams coming out, I will be looking forward to the next stream. I missed the last one, so a heads up will be nice for the next one.
ReplyDeleteI would love to get involved but I don't really know how to code and I can't draw sadly, but please keep up the good work, the game is awesome!
ReplyDeletewould be interesting to how gender blends for this game and anal scenes
ReplyDeletePls continue with the doggystyle scene and don't die for another 3 months like last time :( the wait is killing me.
ReplyDeletemaking it open source is the worst idea i've ever heard. and also don't put yourself down i do not consider this ametuer or otherwise. it would be very smart to finish this project rather than leave it. cause that would only cause problems in the future
ReplyDeleteTerra Raptor never said that he/she was going to leave the project. In fact, it is stated that all coding contributions will have to be approved by Terra Raptor before merging into the trunk. What kind of problems do you feel will emerge in the future from this decision?
Deletealso i have been waiting forever for you to finish what you started and throwing your work onto others shoulders is irresponsible and childish. you should finish it because it is your work making it open source so others can finish it for you is lazy
ReplyDeleteI feel like I either did a poor job at explaining the goal of this open sourcing project, or you don't understand how open source projects work...
DeleteTerra Raptor is already accepting contributions on his project (just look at his ‘Contribute’ tab). He is already getting help from another artist (Yaroul, I believe). Also users who use his project find bugs all the time, such as typos in the XML, and report it to him. He/she also gets fan submissions. This is not laziness, this is a development cycle working to enhance the enjoyment for you and everyone else. How is releasing source code for the purpose of developing it even further childish and irresponsible?
Deletethat makes me very disapointed in you. i think your work is excellent but your doing a very good job of disappointing people
ReplyDelete... I had to delete an entire rant against what you were saying, followup. Rather than make an entire debate, I'll just say that it's Terra's choice what to do, and expecting someone to slave away for years at a project they no longer have passion for is not healthy for anyone, especially the person doing it.
Deletei understand what you mean but i am currently doing the same. being a fanfic writer is very stressfull when you lose the spark but force yourself to finish a story sorry for the rant but i still force myself to finish stories where as others would have dropped it. sorry for high expectations on others but im just not understanding the problem with the project plus open source is a very confusing matter for me
Deletei was never patient when it came to learning code reguardless of taking it like fish to water. so anything pertaining to code is confusing cause i didn't have the patience to learn to understand code to begin with
Deleteplus i have had a crap ton of problems with other open source projects due to not knowing how to compile the crap
Deletesome of the games i wanted to try out were open source and since i couldn't find a proper compiler or there was never one at all... regardless open source has given me to many problems in the past that i have slight animosity towards the subject
Delete“… open source is a very confusing matter for me… i was never patient when it came to learning code… so anything pertaining to code is confusing…”
DeleteHow your patience and understanding of programming relevant to Terra Raptor releasing his/her source code? Terra Raptor is still going to keep developing it with the help of a few volunteers. If you do not intend to contribute to the project code then how does this affect you?
“… i have had a crap ton of problems with other open source projects due to not knowing how to compile it… i couldn't find a proper compiler or there was never one at all…”
DeleteAnd what did you do after you tried compiling it? Did you go to the mailing lists? Emailed the contributors? Posted in the forums? Filed a bug report? The important part in all open source projects is communication. If something fails, it should be reported to the developers so that they can fix it.
Nonetheless, Terra Raptor is still going to release the SWF application of POW, so you do not have to compile it on your own. The source is there for those who still wish to contribute and build. Again, how does this affect you?
sorry i was just rambling
Deletei do that way to much for my own good
DeleteIf you have any concerns about the direction of the project then by all means speak your mind and feel free explain why you believe it is not a good idea. Terra Raptor states that he/she is open to all feedback, both positive and negative. But please refrain from posting incoherent rhetoric for the sake of getting attention. It adds nothing to the thread of the conversation and it will only make you appear antagonistic, and the last thing we all want in this blogspot is to start flame wars.
DeleteI'm sorry but i have to agree with him on this one
ReplyDeleteWhen do you think 5.0 will be done?
ReplyDeleteAre we still alive, or is this dream as dead as Half-life 3?
ReplyDeletekinda dead already, cause many followers lost interest
DeleteExcept, you know, the conversation on this very post that was had but a single week ago.
DeleteOn hiatus for now... check again later ;)
Deletewhy hiatus? can we get some details so we ourselves can work out an estimated return time?
DeleteWhat is hiatus, I know the definition, but y'all are making it sound like a website
Deletehiatus = break, where the creator thinks about abandon the project or keeping it going
Deleteprolly abandon this project
Aw :( But it was going so well...
DeletePOW not having any updates for a few months is nothing unusual in its life over the years. I work on it in waves.
DeleteI'm just going to go ahead and apologize on behalf of some of the angrier, more entitled folks. I for one understand the struggles with motivation, and some days you're just not up to it. Good health to you, bro.
Deletehey Terra do you think you can also give us some live stream?
DeleteI'm sure that will be a good thing for you and us.
When the next version comes out?
ReplyDeleteBy the way I love you as fact ��
Hes letting go of the project..."Sniff".... It was good while it lasted, I was waiting and excited for about 5 months now when he first announced the ninetails doggystyle, sucks because I can't find any pokemon doggystyle anywhere else.
DeleteYou might want to get your facts straight before you start creating false rumors. Can we get a collective call for some appreciated patience for free art by talented and generous here?
DeleteHe's stopping to develope the game? Then i will stop my Patreon supports :(
DeleteA: Terraraptor isn't stopping, only taking a break. B: Money isn't drawn from Patreon unless there's an update anyway, it's per major update to a max of once a month, not monthly. People need to pay attention.
DeleteWhere. Is. My. Ninetales. Scene.
ReplyDelete>:(
Keep up the good work!:D
I would love to provide you with a large sum of money every so often on patreon, but your so inconsistat and that scares me. I love your work, but I hate your work motivation.
ReplyDeleteIt's per major update not to exceed once a month, and not per month anyway. Your money, no need to flaunt why you're not spending it when someone else has their own life and troubles and doesn't even use patreon as their job anyway.
DeleteI'm just waiting patiently for my Pokéwaifu, Umbreon.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you'll live that long
DeleteI will continue to live and wait. Umbreon is worth it.
Deletehttp://i.imgur.com/mDTtipD.jpg
ReplyDeletelol, jk, take all the time you need
Yo Terra, can you add Lucario to the breeder at some point?
ReplyDeleteHe never mentioned anything about that and hes taking a break right now, he also has other pokemon planned after ninetails. Prob never or a very long time. Lucario already has an amazing scene anyways.
DeleteI'd just be happy the character you want is in the game at all, I would give an arm AND a leg to see Snivy in here ;_;
DeleteI'd give your arm and a leg for an Eevee, too :(
Delete;)
Terra Raptor is this your github https://github.com/terraraptor ?
ReplyDeleteo jogo ainda tera continuação? joguei recentemente e estava ansioso pra versão 5.0
ReplyDeletewill the game still have continuation? I played recently and was looking forward to version 5.0
Delete