ProtoCiv: porting Freeciv to Python

[Brandon J. Van Every]

"Tom Plunket" <tomas at fancy.org> wrote in message
news:opamuv0esr85tsu1mfpmkvlniuga5frd4c at 4ax.com...
> Brandon J. Van Every wrote:
>
> > I am
> >
> > - *TENTATIVELY* -
> >
> > (operative word) undertaking the project of porting...
>
> Brandon, why not heed the advice that one holds back such an
> announcement until someone actually has something interesting to
> announce?

Because if someone has my project goals and wants to volunteer source
control right now, I'm taking them up on it.  Here's the consideration on
that: some people are telling me to use TLA, not CVS, so that means it's not
just a hop-skip-jump to Sourceforge.

>You know how many of these sorts of projects are
> started, and you know how many of these projects get carried
> through to completion.

Yes I do.  And you'll notice that I didn't start a mailing list, or really
ask for any help.  All I need at this point is:

1) gauge project interest
2) sanity check my goals, in the face of opposition
3) see if anyone happens to be ready and willing to work towards the same
goals

> > - the primary language of ProtoCiv development will be Python.
>
> Seems like a huge waste of time,

One of the meta-goals is Python advocacy in the field of Game Design.  Given
my strategic view on the matter, it is not a waste of time, unless it is too
much work to have any chance of ever getting done.

> starting with the fact that
> editing the C codebase to do what you want is likely, at this
> point, far easier.

Even the "simple" act of eliminating the Cygwin dependencies is proving to
be a chore.  C is not a good language for anything but portable assembly.

> Since it's GPL'd, it's not like you couldn't just fork the
> project and do it in C, sticking Python on for new bits as
> appropriate.

Do you have an understanding of what it takes to put on "new bits" in
Python?  I'm thinking not.

> Show us the money.

Excuse me?  If you are in a snit about anyone communicating about stuff, if
that's your personal taste, then that's your problem.

> Let us know when there's something to see.
> Until that point, you might heed the advice here:
> http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson24.html#tal
> Scroll to entry 16 if your browser doesn't go for you (Opera, for
> example).

I could argue all sorts of reasons why it's not "stupid" to state what I
have, but I won't bother.  That *would* be stupid; as I said initially, if
you don't have my goals let's not waste the breath.

> > - I'm a commercial developer, not a hobbyist.
>
> Good luck.  You haven't made any money yet, right?  It's been
> five years?

Almost six.  And I'm still doing what I want to do, so that should tell you
something.

> > - Because of the GPL license, no commercial gain of any kind is
> >   believed possible with this project.
>
> Just because the code is GPL doesn't mean the assets need to be.

But I'm not Mr. Art Guy cranking out assets.  They will probably come from
other people, and it will depend on their sensibilities on whether they're
GPL'd or not.

> Regardless, nothing is preventing you from sticking it on a CD
> and charging money for it.

Sure there is.  First CD sold, someone else can do exactly the same thing.
What's the point?  Unless you're doing online subscription stuff it is
difficult to have a service model for games.

-- 
Cheers,                     www.indiegamedesign.com
Brandon Van Every           Seattle, WA

20% of the world is real.
80% is gobbledygook we make up inside our own heads.