Topic: Looking for a developer?

[contingencyplan]

I was talking with whitelynx on #crystalspace earlier tonight about the game y'all are working on.  With the discussion, I was surprised and excited at how closely the ideas for your game resembled one I was planning on making in the future.  Thus, I was wondering if y'all would be interested in another developer.

I am a computer science student at a Texas university, just finished the first semester of my junior year (I'm a semester ahead).  My uni allows me to get a B.S. and a M.S. in Computer Science in 5 years, so I'm planning on taking advantage of that while getting a Philosophy minor.

I have been programming since 5th grade, and have a very firm grasp on general C++ (5 years experience, self-taught).  I am a fast learner if I have the resources available to learn with.  I am currently working on my own Crystal Space-based game, available on SourceForge at http://sourceforge.net/projects/thalisstears .  You can download the code from the CVS to get an idea of my coding style.

At the present, I am interested in working on any aspect of the game.  However, my passions lie with artificial intelligence - machine learning, non-hard-coded logic (e.g., genetic algorithms, neural nets, etc.).  I am hoping to work on AIs that behave almost like humans - purposefully imperfect, but smarter than a lot of the ones out there now.   AI should be an asset, not a cause for aggravation.

Additionally, I recently took a class on Concepts of Programming Languages, during which I learned HOW you go about creating programming langauges.  I loved the class, so I would list that as another area of Computer Science that I am passionate about.  (Dunno how much that would help out in game development, but I figured I'd throw that in anyways... :-) )

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  I am very excited about working on your game, and I believe I could be a strong asset to your development team.

[Morgul]

Nice. I'm pretty pashionate about AI's too, but My programming experiance is significantly less than whitelynx's or yours... so I've been more the project head/idea man/debugging aid. One thing I want for this game is some really smart AI. (The ability to learn tactics is something I would love to have, but I don't know if that's realistic...)

From what you've posted, and what whitelynx said... Yes, we want you as a Dev. Right now, the project is kinda stalled pending a re-write of the mechanics system. Talk to whitelynx, and maybe between you two, you can figure out exactly how to solve the problems he's having with the rewrite... after that, there's two thing that need to be worked on that I think your pashions may play into. First, is the fact that we need some sort of basic AI that will shoot, and fly, and do basic manuevers. (Could even be a hard coded pattern for now... I'd rather it wasn't though.) The other is implimenting systems (and hence damage for combat). In the systems implimentation, we need to write some basic AI into the systems themselves... and we need to figure otu the logic of two special systems; the Power Distribution Network (PDN) and the Data Distribution Network (DDN). What's special about them, is that they function very much like a nueral net... All Systems, except the reactor needs a connection to the PDN. If a connection is severed, it's possible the system is still connected to another system, and can still get power that way. (Somehow it needs a path to the reactor) The DDN is even more like a neural net... the DDN allows systems to communicate. When breaks occure... it's possble the DDN will be cut into two different networks... so they systems can only talk to whatever other systems are still connected to thier part of the DDN.

Well, I'm getting a bit long winded here, and some of this should likely go into either another thread, or an e-mail, or an IRC chat... but yes, we want you as a Dev!

--Chris

[Morgul]

After talking it over with Dave (whitelynx) You are officially a dev (assuming you accept )

Welcome onboard!

[contingencyplan]

** looks over reply
** becomes elated
** is intrigued at the ideas for the PDN and the DDN

All in all, I'm very excited.  Let me know when I can start working.

Just please bear in mind one thing: I will not be able to work on the game "full time" - I am working a job 8-5 at my uni's Law School, and that keeps me pretty busy most of the day.  But I will be very glad to work on it when I'm able, which should be most of the remainder from work.

Please let me know what area you are considering the most important, programming-wise.  I do not have experience with writing CS / CEL plugins, but I would be glad to help out with the development on the mechanics plugin.  As I told whitelynx, I am still very unfamiliar with the CEL.  

Presuming you already have code for ship control, I could also start writing a simple AI for that as well.  I am reading (in spare time) about game AI, and I am anxious to be able to apply those techniques to a real-world situation.

All in all, I'm glad you think so highly of me.  Let me know when and how I can start working.  Thanks.

[Morgul]

As far as the 'fulltime' thing... fulltime is relative.... Both whitelynx and myself are college students (CS majors)... and both of us are pretty busy this summer (I'm looking for a job so I can pay rent, and whitelynx I think has a job.. or is going to.) So, basically everything we've done sofar has been part time/free time.

Well, here's one of our biggest issues: our code is in an SVN repository on a server in whitelynx's house.... He seems pretty sure he can't get you direct access to the box... (although, we may be able to think of something...) Any suggestions on how we might get around this would be appreicated... Talk to whitelynx about it though.

As far as where to start... well, right now out movement code depends on the mechanics plugin... which is in a sort of API flux right now.... And implimenting the systems (including the PDN/DDN stuff) is pretty heavy on the CEL end of things....

Ok, I guess I'll talk to whitelynx and figure out what we want you to start on. (Personally, I'd like to see you start working on systems... and then some basic AI...) Work for you?

[Noonien]

Contingencyplan, mind if I hop on the band-wagon? I too have been programming since I was a wee-one. My Dad's a computer programmer, I have fond memories of being in my play-pen in a server room. Personally I've been programming since I was about 6 (salvaged an apple IIe from my school) with robotics. Remember the turtle? Yeah, I have one still. Last 4 years of highschool I was the head programmer for our school's F.I.R.S.T. team (robotics with professionals). When they instituted the "atuonomous-mode" part of the gameplay, I was the first to create something that worked (although looking back @ it, it was a little hack-ish). I know Applesoft (applescript  8) ), a bit of C++ (self-taught and still learning, comp. engineering student), a bit of python, a boat-load of logo/basic, Pbasic, STAMP, and (adding a little color, all be it useless) COBOL and FORTRAN.

Additionally, something I started towards the end of April, I have a small little program I've been working on. I run linux (Gentoo 2004.3, 2.6.9 kernel), so stuff like temp, CPU useage, and mem-useage are somewhat easy to access (ever read in from a txt file?   ). Anyway, all it does right now is read in from those and a few other sources and upon program initialization and defines a "mood" for computer. You can tickle it or poke it to modify the "mood" defined by that program. I want to develope it to eventually pass the Turing test, but it's got a loooong way to. Explosive learning would be cool. And I agree, AI should be something good to count on, not something to complain about (although jokes are still cool). 8)

And Chris, you still owe me rent money.

-Mike