My sincerest apologies. To be honest, this unfinished project plagues my mind every few days. I'll wake up at 3 or 4am thinking about it and get up and work on it for a couple hours. I hate unfinished projects.
As you've seen I've had to slow down for a while. But now, as I've stabilized a few things. I have a plan to get this out. It's ridiculous that it has taken so long.
I do wish I had just a little help.
The reality is ... I've been busy. I co-founded and launched a startup not too long ago. I also recently joined one of the top largest companies in the world as a lead software architect in the CTO's office. It's a big commitment. And, I am also working on a non-profit organization that I hope will save many lives in the future. It's in the legal stages right now.
I love modding. I love community projects (I have a few on GitHub). And, I love Civ. I know what it's like to have developers drop out without a word. And even though it is unpaid work, there should always be a sense of some responsibility towards the community by either finishing your work, getting it to a stable point with proper documentation so that anyone could take over, or performing a proper hand-off. This is all just my opinion.
So, having said all that,
I am re-committing to this project. I hope that some of you will help. I will list the things I need. If I don't ask, I won't get.
I have started such a daunting task to get so much out at once that
I have created a monster. I should know better. I would never do this--design or recommend or architect--in a professional setting.
It's so ridiculous that I had started such an outrageous timeline for the mod. Let me give you an example of my insanity:
Code:
TRIASSIC
JURASSIC
CRETACEOUS
PALEOGENE (*F = Friendlier Name)
PALEOCENE (*F)
EOCENE (*F)
OLIGOCENE (*F)
NEOGENE (*F)
MIOCENE (*F)
PLIOCENE (*F)
LOWER_PALEOLITHIC
MIDDLE_PALEOLITHIC
UPPER_PALEOLITHIC
Transition: EPIPALEOLITHIC (*F)
MESOLITHIC
NEOLITHIC
COPPER_AGE
BRONZE_AGE
CLASSICAL
DARK
* SCHIZM *
FEUDAL
CALIPHATE (religion) ABASSID
DYNASTY
NOMADIC
MEDIEVAL
CRUSADES
RENAISSANCE
? REFORMATION
DISCOVERY
EXPLORATION
COLONIAL
= IMPERIAL
= ENLIGHTENMENT
? THOUGHT
INDUSTRIAL
----------- * POSSIBLE SPLIT TO _______
? IMPERIAL
WORLD TREATY / TREATISE
FLIGHT
EMANCIPATION /
ATOMIC
WAR / EXPANSION /
CORPORATE
DIGITAL
INFORMATION
DIPLOMACY
RESEARCH
GLOBALIZATION
BIO & ENVIRONMENTALISM
ROBOTICS
* SINGULARITY EVENT
GENETIC / BIOENGINEERING
MECHANICA
NANO
COLLAPSE
NOOTROPIC [humans take back]
QUANTUM
DYSTOPIA
* RIFT *
SUBTERRA | EXTRA_TERRA
TRANS-HUMAN | PROPE-GALACTUS
UNBINDING (ENRGY) | RECOLONIZATION
RECLUDAM (latin)
LIBERUM (latin)
TRIFECTA | DISENTANGLEMENT
EMBRYONIC | GALACTIC
* FIRST CONTACT *
PRIMOGENITOR | ?
PROVENANCE | ?
COALESCENCE | ASCENSION
COADUNATION
...
...
...
- coadunate - united by growth
I had/have this grand vision of starting from the
JURASSIC (or even before--the first lifeforms) period and taking man very, very far (and hopefully integrating into the upcoming release). My "vision" was to take it even further. Man would get to the "
SINGULARITY" point in which things started to get screwy. Eventually (
NOOTROPIC) they take back what is theirs from the "machines". But a
DYSTOPIA develops and the
GREAT RIFT happens:the separation of basic ideals--physiology, even. Some, because of the dying earth, move underground to find their ancestral beginnings, and to learn and be re-born. Others leave. They take to the stars and re-conolize--begin again. They both eventually reach
FIRST CONTACT, the former with the "first lifeforms" (surprise spoiler) and the latter with the first "alien" intelligence. Over time they both learn from the paths and
COALESCE or
ASCEND. Then the
COADUNATION happens and they reunite, different beings with the same origins.
I have notes and outlines for a continuation of this timeline, but I haven't created the in-game techs, bonuses, etc. So, I won't list them. And maybe I'll keep that as a secret for next year. Let's just say, that I am taking some current real-world physics theories and making them truth. Even at the
COADUNATION "man" has still not explorer
I haven't finished. And yes, I've created all the listed techs and
some (15) of the units. Man, did I get off-track.
So, I've taken a step back. I've forked my code from an earlier stage and I've committed to release a stable version--one that a "few" of you can test for me. Some things will be unfinished and have no impact on the game (a building that does nothing). Some will be fully functional. The zero-impact items would be: buildings, two improvements, and 2-3 resources. I will replace my early resource,
SOCIETY, with
GOLD. There as no gold, but at least I can get this released.
With your (the community's) feedback on the semi- or fully-functional items, I will finish and stabilize this next less-ambitious version.
WHAT I NEED
- artist: iconography
- artist: 3d (or teach me a few things that I can't seem to get from the tutorials--some specific unit re-skins, re-mesh, etc.)
- artist: scene
- audio: voice
- environment
- artist: 3d buildings and improvements and resources -- both re-defines and new
- lua coder: I have very well defined modules and features that I need
- lua coder: events: two events I need help with
- xml: reviewer
- xml: buildings
- xml: finish unit progression and power line
- game: test individual pieces (before even releasing the 'test' version)
- game: gameplay and mechanics: suggestions, review, test, or edits
- game: balance testing
- xml: wonders: define what they do -- I have about 20+ with a few that needed defining. They are not too powerful.
- tech tree: one small glitch left where one tech is "disconnected"
- code: a place to store either an invisible city or something to that effect.
- xml: improvement: debug
. Please let me know if I missed anything!