Rapid Prototype Sessions - Beginning Next Month?

[Pritchard]

SHMUP DEV has a great idea.

It appears that they recently began having weekly or bi-weekly prototyping sessions.  When rules for a session are presented, everyone begins developing their own prototype that conforms with the rules.  The rules should pose a challenge which is unique, yet generic enough for each developer to see in their own way.  These sessions are not competitions, but because we share code and concepts, they're learning experiences.  They're also self-challenges.  We try to see what ideas we can come up and translate into code within a limited time period.

At first, I liked the idea but didn't know why.  After having thought about it, I realized a great number of benefits to this format.

Benefits:

- Fast, casual collaboration with other developers

- Provide a personal challenge and gauge ourselves as developers

- Lots to learn!  Most of the time, you guys develop something that's way out of my area of expertise.  We each have our own.  If we can open up sessions for building game prototypes (or full games, if you want), we'll all be sharing ideas and code as though we were working on a single project together.  The key here is rapid development and a variety of ideas per session.  Given this, we'll each look at the problem a different way.

Potential Cons:

- While bi-weekly or weekly development sessions seem like a nice idea, I first have to know that you guys are interested.  Then, me and hopefully Lachie or another FBGD staff member can set up the rules.  We'll make sure to get inspired and set rules that are challenging and fun for everyone.


Please state your interest.  It'll really help.  Also, if someone doesn't post here (because, say, they never check out the forum or ignore the Competitions section), you may want to send them a word for me.  If you're afraid that you'll take interest then lose it, simply post here, possibly your email, and I'll be sure to bother you when the time comes.

[Pritchard]

As a first note of interest, I say, "Aye!"  A few of you have offered me help in game dev before, but I'm not sure how long I'd like to dedicate myself to a collaborative project.  This would be a great learning experience for me, as well as being more convenient than other competitions and game dev ideas.

I'm more than willing to take a look through the library of games I have on hand (I Was In The War being the most interesting right now) and seeing what I can gather.  That is, I'm willing to manage this project without any help, what I know is important to some of you lazy fellas. 

[ssjx]

I'm not entirely sure how this sort of thing works, and i'm not sure about the time scales but you can put me down as interested/curious. The main reason i enter the comps is that it gives me the chance to make something i would not normally consider and this sounds like a similar opportunity.

(Editted for spelling mistake)

[notthecheatr]

I didn't see much detail in either your post or their posts about exactly *what* this is all about, but let me try to get this into words I can understand, and you tell me if I'm right or wrong.  And if I'm right, hopefully this will help other people to understand what it's all about too.

Each week (or two weeks or whatever), an idea is presented.  Every person starts on their own "entry" for this idea (not quite the same as a competition, but you might call it something like that), and everyone else tries it out, gives feedback and ideas (perhaps even adding code to the entry) so even though each entry is created by one person the results are ultimately a group collab (although the one person who started it will probably have control over the development, but fresh ideas for game play, dynamics, etc. can be suggested by others and added in that otherwise might never have happened if the one person developed on his own).  There's no real "winner" or "loser" to these things, it's just everyone collaborating to make a bunch of mini-games (presumably/preferably with unique twists, interesting things nobody ever thought of before).  Or rather, everyone is a winner, since we all have a lot of fun, get to mess around with ideas we never would have thought of, and learn a lot about game development and on a variety of different levels.

If I'm correct, or close to it, I do like this idea a lot!  Count me in if it's something like that.

[Pritchard]

notthecheatr - That's pretty much the idea, yeah.  Although as the starter of the sessions, I wouldn't manage everyone else's code.  I'd only provide the idea that the current prototype is to be based on along with the ending date of the session.  I'll also be participating.  The group collab idea's great, too.  Everyone gets to do their own thing, but because we share the final result, you'll see how different people approach the same problem.  It's a wonderful learning opportunity.

You explained it well
EDIT:  I rewrote the first paragraph.  Can you tell me if it's descriptive now?  I'm tired, apparently.

[notthecheatr]

Sounds good.  I'm pretty busy with school, but I'll make time.

[Lachie Dazdarian]

Well, I like the idea, and you have my support. You are an admin in this forum, so I don't see what else you need. If you want to brainstorm some ideas in private, no problem.

I think building prototypes challenges could turn out to be quite interesting...and the pressure of not releasing a full game might be relieving for many. Let’s try.

[Pritchard]

Thanks, Lachie, and yes, I did want to brainstorm some ideas with you.

[notthecheatr]

Brilliant.  And I wouldn't mind being one of the brainstorming-ideas people either.  If I happen to be on IRC.  And I'll try to be.

Eh... how are we going to organize this?  Are we going to try to do this within the existing framework of the forum, or add existing sub-forums?  The source Pritchard linked to seemed to have an entirely separate forum for rapid prototyping, which in some ways might be better so each week gets its own subforum and then each user posts a thread within that subforum.  But in that case, we may have to make a new forum, since that system wouldn't work well with either FBGD or the official forums.  Or should we simply try to do it here, and put all the threads into one sub-forum?  More confusing that way, but then we wouldn't have to setup a new forum.

[Pritchard]

That's just the format Shmup-Dev was used to going by.  Changing it would be difficult for them, just as adding an entire section just for the sessions is unnecessary for us.

If people request it, I can get Lach to do it.

[Lachie Dazdarian]

I'm not sure we need a new sub-forum. The Competitions sub-forum seems to be sufficient. I mean, we open a prototype thread and people start posting stuff in it. All in one place. What's wrong with that?

[notthecheatr]

Well, I like the format they used but I think it's probably unnecessary (not to mention more work to do) so that's probably fine.  Anyways, it is an experimental thing so far so we don't yet know how well it will go anyways.

[Pritchard]

I'm putting the sessions on delay until I think we're all ready for them.  That includes me, friends.  Sorry.

[Jattenalle]

Bump, this going anywhere?

[Lachie Dazdarian]

Prolly not. I'm depressed.