May 2002

• Random Resets John Robert Arras
• • Random Resets Kwon Ekstrom
  • • Random Resets John Robert Arras
• [MLP] The use of ecology models Rayzam
• Interesting things to do (was: Player Accounts on a Non-Commercial MUD) John Buehler
• • Interesting things to do (was: Player Accounts on a Non-Commercial MUD) Damion Schubert
• Apple WWDC? amanda@alfar.com
• • Apple WWDC? Nathan F. Yospe
  • • Apple WWDC? Amanda Walker
    • • Apple WWDC? Sasha Hart
      • • Apple WWDC? amanda@alfar.com
        • • Apple WWDC? Brian Hook
          • Apple WWDC? John A. Bertoglio
          • • Apple WWDC? Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
            • Apple WWDC? Matt Mihaly
            • • Apple WWDC? shren
              • • Apple WWDC? Matt Mihaly
              • Apple WWDC? John A. Bertoglio
            • Apple WWDC? James Edward Gray II
        • Apple WWDC? Brian Hook
• Encouraging groups without grouping Brian 'Psychochild' Green
• Introduction and My solution to Powergamers, Treadmills, and Content Devaluation. Ken Raisor
• • Introduction and My solution to Powergamers, Treadmills, and Content Devaluation. shren
  • Introduction and My solution to Powergamers, Treadmills, and Content Devaluation. Gladimir
  • Introduction and My solution to Powergamers, Treadmills, and Content Devaluation. szii@sziisoft.com
• The audience is the medium. For now. John Szeder
• • The audience is the medium. For now. John Buehler
  • • The audience is the medium. For now. Damion Schubert
    • • The audience is the medium. For now. Ted L. Chen
      • • The audience is the medium. For now. Shane Gough
        • The audience is the medium. For now. Michael Tresca
        • • The audience is the medium. For now. Ted L. Chen
          • • The audience is the medium. For now. Marian Griffith
            • The audience is the medium. For now. Vincent Archer
  • The audience is the medium. For now. Damion Schubert
  • The audience is the medium. For now. David B. Held
  • The audience is the medium. For now. Ted L. Chen
  • The audience is the medium. For now. Marian Griffith
  • The audience is the medium. For now. F. Randall Farmer
  • • The audience is the medium. For now. J C Lawrence
  • The audience is the medium. For now. Frank Crowell
• Ownership of characters Jasper McChesney
• Explorers? (Was: Codename Blue & Facets - Nick Yee's new studies) Brian 'Psychochild' Green
• • Explorers? (Was: Codename Blue & Facets - Nick Yee's new studies) Matt Mihaly
• Befriending Critters (was: Random Resets) Arthaey
• • Befriending Critters (was: Random Resets) Rayzam
  • Befriending Critters (was: Random Resets) shren
• Questions about server design Ben Chambers
• • Questions about server design Michael Bayne
  • Questions about server design Sean Middleditch
  • Questions about server design Mike Shaver
  • Questions about server design Kwon Ekstrom
  • Questions about server design szii@sziisoft.com
  • Questions about server design F. Randall Farmer
  • • Questions about server design James Edward Gray II
  • Questions about server design Shane Gough
• Extensibility Ben Chambers
• • Extensibility Ammon Lauritzen
  • Extensibility Kwon Ekstrom
  • Extensibility Ben Chambers
  • • Extensibility "Christopher {siege} " OBrien
  • Extensibility Sean Middleditch
  • Extensibility Sean Kelly
  • • Extensibility John Buehler
    • • Extensibility shren
      • • Extensibility John Buehler
    • Extensibility szii@sziisoft.com
    • • Extensibility John Buehler
      • • Extensibility szii@sziisoft.com
  • Extensibility Mike Shaver
• Question: Any published research on Sims type game personae? susan wu
• • Question: Any published research on Sims type game personae? Robert Zubek
• [MLP] Why care about levels? (was: The use of ecolo Richard Woolcock
• [MLP] Why care about levels? (was: The use of ecolo gy models) Jon Lambert
• Component Design (was: Extensibility) Scion Altera
• [BIZ] Selling Stock (formerly Blacksnow revisted ) Robert A. Rice, Jr.
• Games are Hot. Period Michael Tresca
• • Games are Hot. Period Gladimir
  • • Games are Hot. Period Richard Aihoshi aka Jonric
    • • Games are Hot. Period Freeman, Jeff
      • • Games are Hot. Period Richard Aihoshi aka Jonric
      • Games are Hot. Period Koster, Raph
      • • Games are Hot. Period Vincent Archer
        • Games are Hot. Period Richard Aihoshi aka Jonric
  • Games are Hot. Period Matt Mihaly
• fun Matt Mihaly
• [TECH] Shortest Path William Murdick
• [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Ted L. Chen
• • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction John Buehler
  • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Ted L. Chen
    • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction John Buehler
  • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Ted L. Chen
  • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Eli Stevens
    • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Jon Leonard
      • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
      • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Rec onstruction Robert Zubek
      • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Rec onstruction ceo@grexengine.com
  • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
  • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Ted L. Chen
    • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Rec onstruction Koster, Raph
      • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Rec onstruction lynx@lynx.purrsia.com
        • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Ted L. Chen
  • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Rudy Neeser
  • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Ted L. Chen
  • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Matt Mihaly
  • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Rec onstruction Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
    • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction John Buehler
      • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Ted L. Chen
        • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction John Buehler
        • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction Mike Shaver
        • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction John Buehler
          • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Reconstruction amanda@alfar.com
        • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Rec onstruction Koster, Raph
        • • [TECH] Voice in MO* - Phoneme Decomposition and Rec onstruction Steve {Bloo} Daniels
• Combat with Style (was Player Accounts on a Non-Commercial MUD) lynx@lynx.purrsia.com
• Playskins Koster, Raph
• People were talking about resets.. Anderson, David
• • People were talking about resets.. Sasha Hart
  • • People were talking about resets.. Anderson, David
  • People were talking about resets.. John Buehler
  • People were talking about resets.. Anderson, David
  • People were talking about resets.. Arnau Rossell=?US-ASCII?Q?=F3?= Castell=?US-ASCII?Q?=F3?=
  • • People were talking about resets.. shren
    • People were talking about resets.. Anderson, David
    • • People were talking about resets.. David B. Held
  • People were talking about resets.. shren
  • • People were talking about resets.. Anderson, David
    • • People were talking about resets.. Michael Tresca
      • • People were talking about resets.. Fred Clift
        • • People were talking about resets.. Lars Duening
          • People were talking about resets.. Michael Tresca
          • • People were talking about resets.. Rayzam
            • • People were talking about resets.. Matt Mihaly
  • People were talking about resets.. Tand'a-ur
  • • People were talking about resets.. John Buehler
    • People were talking about resets.. Leland Hulbert II
  • People were talking about resets.. lynx@lynx.purrsia.com
  • People were talking about resets.. Jason Murdick
  • • People were talking about resets.. Jeff Lindsey
    • People were talking about resets.. Ben Chambers
  • People were talking about resets.. Sasha Hart
  • • People were talking about resets.. David B. Held
    • • People were talking about resets.. Sasha Hart
      • • People were talking about resets.. Anderson, David
        • People were talking about resets.. David B. Held
        • • People were talking about resets.. Acius
          • • People were talking about resets.. Marian Griffith
• Question about copyovers. Anderson, David
• • Question about copyovers. Tand'a-ur
  • • Question about copyovers. Anderson, David
    • • Question about copyovers. Kwon Ekstrom
      • • Question about copyovers. Adam
        • Question about copyovers. Oliver Jowett
        • • Question about copyovers. Kwon Ekstrom
          • • Question about copyovers. Adam
      • Question about copyovers. Lars Duening
  • Question about copyovers. Jon Lambert
  • Question about copyovers. fred@clift.org
  • • Question about copyovers. Zach Collins {Siege}
  • Question about copyovers. Smith, David {Lynchburg}
• non-violent activities (was People were talking about resets..) Ammon Lauritzen
• References on personality and emotion models Robert Zubek
• Multimodal interface conference. Rayzam
• Hyperbolies R Us shren
• • Hyperbolies R Us Matt Mihaly
• TECH: Systems Administration Issues Thomas Leavitt
• Questions about ... XML as data format Adam
• • Questions about ... XML as data format Anderson, David
  • Questions about ... XML as data format Kwon Ekstrom
  • • Questions about ... XML as data format Adam
• R&D Matt Mihaly
• • R&D Dave Rickey
  • • R&D apollyon
    • • R&D shren
    • R&D Zach Collins {Siege}
    • • R&D Sean Kelly
      • • R&D Matt Mihaly
        • • R&D Sean Kelly
        • R&D Derek Licciardi
        • R&D Brian Bilek
        • • R&D Richard Aihoshi aka Jonric
          • • R&D Brian Bilek
            • • R&D Richard Aihoshi aka Jonric
              • • R&D Brian Bilek
          • R&D Damion Schubert
          • R&D Matt Mihaly
          • • R&D Brian Bilek
            • • R&D amanda@alfar.com
              • • R&D Brian Bilek
                  amanda@alfar.com wrote:
                  
                  > There are barriers to entry into any industry, particularly a
                  > small niche like gaming (note that I'm talking about the developer
                  > community, not the end user market here :-)). In a small niche,
                  > it takes a lot of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and
                  > paying your dues in order to demonstrate your proficiency with the
                  > practical craft of working in that niche as well as the theory.
                  
                  > I don't think this is anything special about gaming. I started
                  > doing networking development in the mid 80s and multiplatform
                  > development in the early 90s, and recognize a lot of the same
                  > effects: a small pool of truly field-proven developers, a lot of
                  > work trying to figure out which successes were intentional and
                  > which were dumb luck, and a lot of impatience with business types
                  > who "just don't get it." 15 years later, the landscape is
                  > completely different. I think the same will be true of gaming.
                  
                  I am not sure if this was intended as a counterpoint, or perhaps an
                  explanation - however it sounds like we are thinking along the same
                  lines. While barriers to entry vary greatly from market to market,
                  I agree they are especially high in an immature, niche market.
                  
                  So, I agree that from a development standpoint, experience is key,
                  however I disagree that project management, product management, and
                  business management necessarily follow. Code development and game
                  design are skills learned and earned through experience, but so is
                  project management of complex software development, as an example.
                  Often, the skills which are learned in this type of management are
                  product-independent, and even industry-independent, to some degree.
                  
                  A brief example of what I mean: Working as a management consultant
                  some time ago (process mapping, process re-engineering, and software
                  project management) I applied the same management skills across a
                  variety of industries and products, including developing a program
                  office to manage an implementation of SAP for a global chemical
                  company, and managing the Y2K projects for a large insurance firm.
                  Of course adaptation was necessary, but part of the skills I brought
                  to the table were being able to ferret out and streamline company
                  (and product)-specific processes, and applying general project
                  management principles to improve the performance of software
                  development teams.
                  
                  There are entire organizations devoted to improving the way we deal
                  with processes and projects, which are of great benefit to software
                  development organizations, regardless of industry or product.
                  Carnegie Mellon's Software Engineering Institute (sei.cmu.edu) and
                  the Project Management Institute (pmi.org) are two excellent
                  examples. Isn't the industry a bit myopic if it develops similar
                  processes while ignoring an entire body of knowledge that has been
                  gathered for this very purpose?
                  
                  Earlier on this list, one of our more well known producers presented
                  an example of the process he goes through when designing a game. I
                  instantly recognized a great many parallels to 'standard' software
                  project management theory. I have a number of books that could have
                  been used as guides to developing that design process, adapted of
                  course to the nature of the project (as it would be for any
                  project).
                  
                  An enterprising person might earn credentials from PMI, for
                  instance, and become instantly valuable to a great many software
                  developers, across a great many industries, including niche markets
                  and industries where products are breaking new ground. One of the
                  great sources of software development processes and techniques comes
                  from an organization in a "niche" industry...unique, even. NASA's
                  Software Engineering Laboratory.
                  
                  > Right now, there's more work than skill, and a lot of people who
                  > have interest at the level of "I want to make games." There's a
                  > large gap between wanting to make games and understanding how to
                  > be part of an effective product team; how to manage large-scale
                  > development and asset management; and technical skills like
                  > network architecture, performance issues, high availability,
                  > testing, and so on. A modern game is not a simple programming
                  > task, and so there's a reason that it's hard as an outsider to get
                  > anything but an entry level position, despite experience in other
                  > niches.
                  
                  I think we're making a similar point. With respect to the actual
                  coding of games, or the design of games, I would agree with the
                  above. In the same breath, you are talking about skills which are
                  certainly not unique to the management of a gaming project.
                  
                  My question is - what makes the gaming industry different? If other
                  niche industries draw on talent and knowledge considered standard in
                  software development, marketing, and/or business management, why not
                  computer game companies? What is it about making a game that
                  suddenly turns someone with project management skills into a
                  'game-company compliant' project manager?
                  
                  Is it an assumption that since a coder or a designer is more
                  valuable after working on a few games, that someone working more on
                  the business end would be as well?
                  
                  > Luckily, game development is starting to mature. Taking a single
                  > example, Game Developer magazine is no longer about tweaky little
                  > details such as how to do forward differencing in x86
                  > assembler--it's about asset management, project workflow, and post
                  > hoc analysis of what things went right and wrong with game
                  > releases. It's more and more trying to get industry lore down on
                  > paper (or electrons) instead of locked into peoples' heads. This
                  > is a very, very good thing. Now, I'm sure there are people who
                  > think GD mag has gone downhill as a result--there's certainly
                  > still a place for math and coding tweaks. But that's no longer
                  > the central challenge of game development.
                  
                  A lot of the standard processes that almost all software projects or
                  software development houses inevitably go through are considered
                  cumbersome, more work than the coding itself, when they are
                  implemented from the get-go by a company. The irony is that whether
                  or not they are documented and actively managed, the development
                  -will- go through these steps. If not documented and managed, there
                  is exponentially more 'waste' development than there would be
                  overhead from those processes if they had been defined initially,
                  and the project has a much greater chance of being completed on time
                  and on budget.
                  
                  I would enjoy exploring if there are parallels between the effort
                  that Game Developer magazine is undertaking and the management
                  techniques developed in some of the knowledge houses like PMI, SEI,
                  and SEL.
                  
                  -Brian
                • • R&D Koster, Raph
                  • • R&D Ron Gabbard
                    • R&D Amanda Walker
                    • R&D Frank Crowell
              • R&D Dave Rickey
              • • R&D Brian Bilek
              • R&D Matt Mihaly
              • • R&D Dave Rickey
            • R&D Richard Aihoshi aka Jonric
    • R&D Jessica Mulligan
    • R&D Damion Schubert
• Conversation logs? Robert Zubek
• • Conversation logs? Rudy Fink
  • • Conversation logs? Vincent Archer
  • Conversation logs? Shane Gough
• DGN: Elastic Advancement in MUDs? Jeff Lindsey
• • DGN: Elastic Advancement in MUDs? David B. Held
• Building histories off civilizations automatically adam Martin
• ADMIN: Virii and mail forgeries J C Lawrence
• Hi from the Dragon Empire's CLM Peter Tyson
• Linux gaming ( was Apple WWDC? ) Kevin Mack
• [TECH] Preferred LPC replacement? Jeff Bachtel
• • [TECH] Preferred LPC replacement? Damion Schubert
• Who `owns' conversation logs? Joshua Judson Rosen
• The Online Gaming Life for Me! Michael Tresca
• Boredom Ben Chambers
• • Boredom Michael Tresca
  • Boredom Matt Chatterley
• Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility [was Boredom] Ron Gabbard
• • Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility [was Boredom] Caliban Tiresias Darklock
• "MMOG" Bible Brian 'Psychochild' Green
• • "MMOG" Bible David Kennerly
• TECH: Single process v.s. multi process? Philip Mak
• • TECH: Single process v.s. multi process? Smith, David {Lynchburg}
  • TECH: Single process v.s. multi process? Bruce Mitchener
  • • TECH: Single process v.s. multi process? Bruce Mitchener
• In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Clay
• • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] apollyon
  • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Caliban Tiresias Darklock
  • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishi ng Marginal Utility] Koster, Raph
  • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Jeff Cole
    • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Damion Schubert
    • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] John Buehler
    • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] amanda@alfar.com
      • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] John Buehler
  • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Michael Tresca
  • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Paul Schwanz
    • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Martin C. Martin
    • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Dave Rickey
      • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Vincent Archer
      • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Sanvean
      • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Matt Mihaly
      • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] F. Randall Farmer
        • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Matt Mihaly
      • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Michael Tresca
  • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Kwon Ekstrom
  • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Marian Griffith
    • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Yannick Jean
      • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Marian Griffith
  • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Ron Gabbard
  • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Sean Kelly
    • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Ron Gabbard
      • • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Sean Kelly
        • In defense of "soloability" [was Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility] Matt Mihaly
• Game shows Peter Tyson
• What keeps people interested in social muds? Martin C. Martin
• • What keeps people interested in social muds? Rudy Fink
  • • What keeps people interested in social muds? Martin C. Martin
    • • What keeps people interested in social muds? Joshua Judson Rosen
  • What keeps people interested in social muds? Ron Gabbard
  • What keeps people interested in social muds? Marc Bowden
  • What keeps people interested in social muds? Joshua Judson Rosen
  • • What keeps people interested in social muds? Matt Owen
  • What keeps people interested in social muds? lynx@lynx.purrsia.com
  • What keeps people interested in social muds? Richard A. Bartle
  • • What keeps people interested in social muds? Martin C. Martin
  • What keeps people interested in social muds? Richard A. Bartle
• New Beginings Drylar Levre
• • New Beginings Acius
  • New Beginings ceo@grexengine.com
  • • New Beginings Bruce Mitchener
    • New Beginings David B. Held
    • • New Beginings Kwon Ekstrom
      • • New Beginings David B. Held
        • • New Beginings Kwon Ekstrom
          • New Beginings Sean Kelly
      • New Beginings Lars Duening
      • • New Beginings David B. Held
        • • New Beginings Lars Duening
      • New Beginings Bruce Mitchener
      • • New Beginings David B. Held
        • • New Beginings Kwon Ekstrom
          • New Beginings Paul Schwanz
          • • New Beginings Zach Collins {Siege}
          • New Beginings Miroslav Silovic
        • New Beginings David B. Held
  • New Beginings Draymoor a Vin il'Rogina
  • New Beginings David B. Held
  • • New Beginings Kwon Ekstrom
    • New Beginings Bruce Mitchener
• [DGN] Creating a MUD Richard Krush
• • [DGN] Creating a MUD Acius
  • [DGN] Creating a MUD Caliban Tiresias Darklock
  • • [DGN] Creating a MUD Edward Glowacki
    • • [DGN] Creating a MUD Kwon Ekstrom
  • [DGN] Creating a MUD Edward Glowacki
  • • [DGN] Creating a MUD Fred Clift
    • • [DGN] Creating a MUD David Bennett
      • • [DGN] Creating a MUD fred@clift.org
  • [DGN] Creating a MUD Damion Schubert
  • • [DGN] Creating a MUD Taylor
  • [DGN] Creating a MUD Matt Mihaly
  • • [DGN] Creating a MUD Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
• On the creation of constructive/social behaviours in online games! Marc Demesel
• [DGN] MUD Books James Edward Gray II
• • [DGN] MUD Books Scion Altera
  • [DGN] MUD Books Jeremy Noetzelman
  • [DGN] MUD Books Tand'a-ur
• Positive reinforcement for socializing [was In de fense of "soloability" ] Jeff Lindsey
• Character skill distribution and trade-offs Ron Gabbard
• • Character skill distribution and trade-offs Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
  • • Character skill distribution and trade-offs Vincent Archer
    • • Character skill distribution and trade-offs Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
    • Character skill distribution and trade-offs John Buehler
    • Character skill distribution and trade-offs Sean Kelly
    • • Character skill distribution and trade-offs Ron Gabbard
      • • Character skill distribution and trade-offs Travis Casey
        • Character skill distribution and trade-offs Rayzam
• Space partitioning, R-Trees? Dread Quixadhal
• • Space partitioning, R-Trees? Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
  • • Space partitioning, R-Trees? Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
  • Space partitioning, R-Trees? Crosbie Fitch