GarageGames really needs to address this...
by Yacine Salmi · in General Discussion · 02/06/2003 (7:41 pm) · 8 replies
Ok, I need to get some things off my mind. There are several substantial issues the people working at garagegames really need to address...quickly.
Realm Wars was created as a community project by GarageGames...Basically to showcase the power of torque, as well as give torque developers something in common they could work at.
I think I'll illustrate the issues that need to be dealt with, by describing me experience to try to get involved with rw.
I recently decided to try to do a build of Realm Wars (for linux, not that affects the issues). I had to download the cvs. Having already downloaded the torque cvs several months back, I was somewhat familiar with how this worked. I also remembered that when I had compiled torque I had also compiled realm wars. As I was about to log in to the torque cvs, someone on irc mentioned to me that rw had its own cvs now...
Ok, so I decided to look around on the Realm Wars part of the GG site. The main page has a big "Download now" graphic...I click it...and I get a list of the current builds (which seem to be several months old)...ok, I see on the right hand side menu, that there's a CVS link. Excellent...except the page that comes up says that the cvs information will be up by the end of Milestone 0. I don't know if this means that the cvs server will be up by the end of Milestone 0, or that the howto info will be up...I check out the milestone page which says that Milestone 2 is currently in development...
Ok, still no cvs access...I try connecting to the torque cvs and rummage around, but rw isn't there. I ask people on irc about realmwars docs and they point me to www.realmwarsgame.com...This site seems to be a bit more up to date. The latest builds are there....but I still can't find cvs info.
Finally someone on irc gives me the proper cvs root (which was /cvs/realmwars...I should have guessed it)...From there, downloading the cvs was basically the same commands as the ones given in the torque cvs howto. But it took me a good 30-40 minutes of rummaging before I accomplished this...and I wouldn't have been able to without using the irc channel....
How long would it take to throw up some cvs info on the cvs page, and a link to the torque cvs instructions? I mean, something really simple...
This is my first issue...but this just seems to lead to other issues....It seems like the whole RW part of the GG.com site isn't up to date. I'm confused...Someone needs to update these pages...The lead guys of rw should do it, unless they don't have write access to the site...Otherwise the gg guys should do it. I'm pretty sure they're quite busy...but it seems to me that letting realm wars flounder would be a bad move by gg... The way things are presented as it is makes it very difficult for potential developers to start working on rw.
Maybe a rw position could be made for website administrator with rights to update the rw part of the site. Also, I noticed that realmwarsgame.com could use some updating too. But I also notice that there's no mention of that site on the rw part of gg.com. So I don't know if it's an official site or what...At least it seems more updated.
Why doesn't gg simply link the main rw page to that site, that way people can at least get the latest build, and there would be no confusion. i'm guessing the realmwarsgame.com site isn't hosted by gg...so it might be updated even more so...
I don't know...I just found everything very disorientating...and frankly, not as professional as when rw was first launched...I think it reflects badly on gg...And the task manager doesn't seem to be used much either (that's ok though).
I'm not trying to attack rw or gg...I'm just disappointed...I think this could definitely be handled better...
Any thoughts?
--EDIT
couple spelling mistakes
Realm Wars was created as a community project by GarageGames...Basically to showcase the power of torque, as well as give torque developers something in common they could work at.
I think I'll illustrate the issues that need to be dealt with, by describing me experience to try to get involved with rw.
I recently decided to try to do a build of Realm Wars (for linux, not that affects the issues). I had to download the cvs. Having already downloaded the torque cvs several months back, I was somewhat familiar with how this worked. I also remembered that when I had compiled torque I had also compiled realm wars. As I was about to log in to the torque cvs, someone on irc mentioned to me that rw had its own cvs now...
Ok, so I decided to look around on the Realm Wars part of the GG site. The main page has a big "Download now" graphic...I click it...and I get a list of the current builds (which seem to be several months old)...ok, I see on the right hand side menu, that there's a CVS link. Excellent...except the page that comes up says that the cvs information will be up by the end of Milestone 0. I don't know if this means that the cvs server will be up by the end of Milestone 0, or that the howto info will be up...I check out the milestone page which says that Milestone 2 is currently in development...
Ok, still no cvs access...I try connecting to the torque cvs and rummage around, but rw isn't there. I ask people on irc about realmwars docs and they point me to www.realmwarsgame.com...This site seems to be a bit more up to date. The latest builds are there....but I still can't find cvs info.
Finally someone on irc gives me the proper cvs root (which was /cvs/realmwars...I should have guessed it)...From there, downloading the cvs was basically the same commands as the ones given in the torque cvs howto. But it took me a good 30-40 minutes of rummaging before I accomplished this...and I wouldn't have been able to without using the irc channel....
How long would it take to throw up some cvs info on the cvs page, and a link to the torque cvs instructions? I mean, something really simple...
This is my first issue...but this just seems to lead to other issues....It seems like the whole RW part of the GG.com site isn't up to date. I'm confused...Someone needs to update these pages...The lead guys of rw should do it, unless they don't have write access to the site...Otherwise the gg guys should do it. I'm pretty sure they're quite busy...but it seems to me that letting realm wars flounder would be a bad move by gg... The way things are presented as it is makes it very difficult for potential developers to start working on rw.
Maybe a rw position could be made for website administrator with rights to update the rw part of the site. Also, I noticed that realmwarsgame.com could use some updating too. But I also notice that there's no mention of that site on the rw part of gg.com. So I don't know if it's an official site or what...At least it seems more updated.
Why doesn't gg simply link the main rw page to that site, that way people can at least get the latest build, and there would be no confusion. i'm guessing the realmwarsgame.com site isn't hosted by gg...so it might be updated even more so...
I don't know...I just found everything very disorientating...and frankly, not as professional as when rw was first launched...I think it reflects badly on gg...And the task manager doesn't seem to be used much either (that's ok though).
I'm not trying to attack rw or gg...I'm just disappointed...I think this could definitely be handled better...
Any thoughts?
--EDIT
couple spelling mistakes
#2
As for the realwarsgame.com (RWG) site, most of us have been pretty darned busy trying to get hand to hand combat working (which it is thanks to Paul Dana's great work), clear up some outstanding bugs and issues that people have encountered, and get a really cool map going for the next release build. So unfortunately we have not had much time to address the website and update its content like we should, which I apoligize for since its sort of my responsibility at this time. Please feel free to comment away at anything/everything that you would like added to the RWG site and I will add it to my todo list.
Logan
02/07/2003 (6:55 am)
Yacine I do not disagree with you on any of your points. Information should be quick and easy to find for everyone.As for the realwarsgame.com (RWG) site, most of us have been pretty darned busy trying to get hand to hand combat working (which it is thanks to Paul Dana's great work), clear up some outstanding bugs and issues that people have encountered, and get a really cool map going for the next release build. So unfortunately we have not had much time to address the website and update its content like we should, which I apoligize for since its sort of my responsibility at this time. Please feel free to comment away at anything/everything that you would like added to the RWG site and I will add it to my todo list.
Logan
#3
This is a problem the GG guys know about and are dealing with. Until it is dealt with we will have to live with it.
02/07/2003 (8:05 am)
About the general relationship between the GG RW site and rwg.com. Basically we can't really update the RW portion of the GG site directly, and the people who can don't have the time and don't know how it should be updated exactly.This is a problem the GG guys know about and are dealing with. Until it is dealt with we will have to live with it.
#4
I think a quick fix for now would just be to have the rw page point to rwg.com.
LFoster, the main thing I would like to see added is a short "getting started" page for developers who want to get involved. Just a few lines, specifiying the cvs, and links to the torque info page since a lot of the information is the same.
02/07/2003 (12:07 pm)
Hey, thanks for the answer guys. I know that most of the people involved in rw and gg are usually quite busy.I think a quick fix for now would just be to have the rw page point to rwg.com.
LFoster, the main thing I would like to see added is a short "getting started" page for developers who want to get involved. Just a few lines, specifiying the cvs, and links to the torque info page since a lot of the information is the same.
#5
04/03/2003 (7:32 pm)
I just played on the current server and drove the flintstone vehicle around. other games need that functionality. If RW gets this going, great leap in multiplayer fantasy gaming. I am starting the learning curve to evenually join this project. Would be fun.
#6
04/03/2003 (9:10 pm)
Flintsonte vehicle? Must be a mod...interesting!
#7
05/03/2003 (7:21 am)
I too was looking to check on RW's progress and possibly scrimp up the $100 for the Torque license and try to kickstart my learning again. The realmwarsgame.com website has been down for the past couple days though... :( 
#8
05/03/2003 (8:39 am)
It was dead this morning, but seems ok again now. 
Torque Owner Christopher Dapo
- Christopher Dapo ~ Ronixus