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Warsow 0.5 preview interview
on Saturday, June 27, 2009 :: by soh-lokirulez @ 3:28 PM
7695 Views ::
4 Comments
::  :: Interviews, Ask the devs
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6. The developement cycle
6.1 With 0.5 having a much larger development period than any other version, do you feel that this is the most complete and well-developed version? And do you see the community as having similar thoughts?
jal: I definately think so. I consider 0.5 the first version with all basic features completed. I also think 0.5 will stay for a long time, since the addition of gametype scripts and autoupdate will reduce the need of making new full releases. I don't really know what the whole comunity thinks, but as far as I know, the people who played the test versions think it's very superior to previous versions. In my mind, 0.5 moves Warsow from alpha to beta stage.
Vic: We all had our time off after 0.4x, so there were opportunities for us to idle, goof around and so on. Lots of sidetracking things happened during the development cycle as well: team members leaving and slacking, our web site got hacked, we moved to a different web server, new forum, new SVN server.. On the other hand we had an opportunity to reorganize and clean up some dusty stuff to ensure that the development platform is in healthy state. So yes, I do think 0.5 is better than previous versions both in quality and quantity :)
I can hope that players feel the same.
thelawenforcer: To me, 0.5 seems to be very complete as a foundation, with many many features. I think jal and vic have done a huge job... Theres still some stuff to be completed in the future, but i think its safe to say that warsow has its fair share of blockbuster features.
SolomonK: It's quite senseless to build up theories about development cycle, specially for a kind of "cowboy coding" development. Personal motivations come and go, irl duties come and go, support from community comes and goes, so many external factors are influencing the dev and the internal dynamic. Last, the skill for finishing the work is really rare. Inspiration and good ideas are only 10% of the job.
6.2 Will there be a major version after 0.5 and will it be a 1.x?
jal: Sure, there will always be the need of major versions, but they will be needed only to introduce major features. It's expected to take as long, or even longer than the lapse between 0.4 and 0.5. I couldn't say what would be its version number.
Vic: I don't know.
thelawenforcer: I seriously hope so. I think that we are not that far off from 1.0 in terms of features, but before we can really call it that, we still have a bit more work to do. What id like to do is to work on more gfx characterisation, finish some of the features that werent completed for 0.5 and to work on some unconventional gametypes that will have a wider appeal.
6.3 Do you see this version as the one that sustains a large community and achieve the popularity that no other version as thus gained?
jal: Being honest, I don't know. I see it as a version that will evolve with time, and I don't know where that evolution will take it. Hopefully it will make Warsow grow as a game and this will mean a progresive growing of the comunity, but I don't expect the release to quickly bring the masses into Warsow.
Vic: Current times are hard for first person shooters, in my opinion, they are not as exciting and new as they were 10 or 15 years ago. And it's particularly so for games that are not backed by investing companies, willing to spend their money on PR hype. So even if 0.5 doesn't become huge and popular, we'll be proud of it anyway.
thelawenforcer: Im not sure, I think in terms of code, warsow is very complete, but i still think theres something missing to attract large crowds of casual gamers.
6.4 In pre 0.4 times Warsow had a tester team. With 0.5 there were no "external" tester jobs given. Instead, you released test builds to the warsow.net community. What are the pro and cons of doing it this way and not with testers?
jal: I'm very happy with how it worked out. First because it allowed us to work with less presure before making the test builds public, and later because the feedback given has been more varied in terms of different skills, tastes and gametypes.
Vic: Pros: so much valuable information obtained due to wider exposure, cons: so much stress from constant requests, duplicate bug reports and overall noise.
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| Comments |
By
SolidFake
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Saturday, June 27, 2009 6:57 PM
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Well, maps would last longer if e.g. jumpheight and other tricks wouldn't be changed with each version
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By
makkE
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Sunday, June 28, 2009 10:37 PM 
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"Vic: To be honest, I've never quite understood why if you're a CA player, you can't play duel or if you're a dueler, you can't play CTF and so on."
Well, it never was a problem in 0.3, but it started to become a problem with the introduction of newmovement.
If you want to compete in duel, you are forced to use the new one, if you want casual fun in CA, you need to use the old one. Switching really sux and it's that has driven me away from wsw.
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By
Lo
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Saturday, July 11, 2009 12:57 AM 
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"..If you want to compete in duel, you are forced to use the new one.."
what the fuck are you talking about?
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By
makkE
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Monday, July 13, 2009 10:27 AM
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Okay, maybe that was badly put. One can probably compete just as good, but alone having the choice always leaves doubt, as to whether one is missing out on opportunities to turn some corner faster, etc. I hate being forced to chose over fundamental game mechanics.
Having two sets of movements to chose from is still bad design, whether it'S 0.4 or 0.5 :/
But I don't want to start a discussion here, I won't like 0.5 anyways, so it's pointless.
GL for the future, warsow, I'm out.
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