The Ur-Quan Masters Discussion Forum

about five thousand will do.

and i think they should all be named "eh steve!"

What are the draconians doing in the list anyway? Aren't they good guys nowadays? After all, the gods have left...

Don't get started with your moral relativism. The Draconians are as evil as the Meev; they're just better at explaining away their actions.

i just need someone who knows computer code
game design wise

Hmmm... I must have missed the Meev, wher're are they from? i just know that Draconians, such as Kang&Co. always seemed to be  a reasonabel lot to me. More interested in realities and morals then sides. Not like those kenders, I wouldn't trust them...

the names i came up with like the meev
the draconians are from doctor who but i guess i can get rid of there name and come up with something else
but the rest i came up with
the meev do look neat as the rest of my art work

Our point was, why are you asking someone to make a game about a large number of species about which you have said nothing but their names?
If you want to get anyone to do something long and difficult with you, like program a game, an important step is to impress them with coherence, creativity, an understanding of priorities, and persistence. Otherwise the project will be doomed, and they will know it.

Anyway, why do you want to start a new highly complicated game just like this one which isn't finished yet?

I haven't chimed in my 2 cents on this subject because I knew if I got on my soapbox and ranted that I'd be at it all day.

Disclaimer before I go on. These comments are not directed towards one person, not even the original poster of this thread. This just happens to be a pet peeve of mine from my childhood.

Check it out.

If you want someone to go throught the difficult and laborious process of programming you game for you because you don't have the programming skills and are too lazy to be bothered learning them, then expect noone to take your request seriously. You want to recruit people to your project. Then make a demo, do an animation, write a script, and I mean the whole dang script, not just some loosely concieved ideas on a half a napkin written around the maranara sauce you wiped from your mouth.

In other words, if you want someone to put forth effort for you, put forth effort to make them want to.

Programming is a intensive thing. Even if you were smart enough to be a programmer you can't just expect to whip out a game in a week or so in your spare time. Professional games take 2 years or more of a team of full time programmers working on it. Even the suckiest of one-man projects has taken the dedication of hours to the project.

So don't say, "I've got a great idea." SHOW me. Actually put forth the effort to make some cleaned up, finished work. A completed script or novelization. Some completed, colored artwork. Some animations, 2-d or 3-d. Or even better, learn to program, download a complier (Borland Builder has a ton of free stuff if you know where to look. MSVC is also free) and PRODUCE something. Anything cleaned up enough that can stand on it's own might even be marketable.

And I think if every 'idea guy' actually took the time to focus on developing something with their ideas in this way, instead of just spamming every wet dream they have, alot more would go "nevermind, it wasn't that good an idea to begin with," and the rest of us would have to find something else to rant about.

Instead, what happens is someone comes up and says, "I want someone to do my work for me, here's what I thought of...." Then every other idea man ends up posting, "cool idea man, I'm worthless, but I hope someone else will do it for you," thus boosting the ego of the original idea making them think that it's actually worth someone else taking the time to develop it, neither realizing that, in reality, it's not.
Stepping off my soapbox now and taking a nap. Me tired.

And people say I'm harsh.... Still, good points. Show us a full/near completed idea, and we'll react in a completely different way.

EDIT: Hmmm, something seems oddly missing in this thread,,,,

Yeah, what happened to the first post on this one?
I'm afraid CK may have deleted it because of my post.
Again, it's not personal, guy! I'm just one loud-mouth on a soapbox, yo.

The "spamming every wet dream they have" part was a little harsh, but I agree with guesst.  I would have put it a lot nicer, but I cannot tell you how many projects just in the Star Control community I've seen started with half-assed enthusiasm or not knowing what they'd get themselves into and it is never finished.  The news on PNF is riddled with them.  Its almost an "archived list" of things that never got finished.  Thats my cynical rant for the day.  Well, here, at least ;)

Thats why this project is exciting.  It seems like it might actually get completed.  I was hoping Timewarp might get completed, but the status report theard over there has turned into people giving their opinions on why everything fell apart.  :-/

Timewarp might still get completed. It's gone through patches of "no developement" problems from time to time. Then some awesome programmer picks up the pieces, moves it light years forwards before dropping it again. I still think Orz has something up his sleeve and we haven't seen the last of TW yet.

i got part of a story wrote for  a game like star control
and find someone to help make it but i think ill just give up
and im going to dump my alien art work in the trash
and im going to grow up because star control is starting to suck
and im starting to hate star control 3 too because the game clock make it go to fast or to slow everything else is fine
thanks accolade >:( >:( >:(

also ships in trash and the rest of art work >:( >:( >:( >:(

plus im not dumb i had a stroke in 1989
i could come out with a game if i could
i just cant do math any more
im just amazed i wrote a story

.... umm.

Okay. Public, sincere appology follows.

CK, and anyone who will read this in the future. My comments are not personal and I am deeply sorry that my words are sometimes tactlessly harsh. I feel even worse when those words are taken personal. I appologize that I am unable to express my sometimes outspoken viewpoints tactfully. I am working on it. Changing behavior is a hard thing, but I am determined not to let myself get in the way of future interactions with other, vaulable humans, like yourself CK.

Keep dreaming. Keep writing stories. I meant my comments to encourage you to do more with them. The fact that you have drawings of the aliens you had listed is a great start. Why don't you scan them in and show us? Then draw more.

I never meant to say that you were dumb. I never meant to imply that you couldn't do anything. I am of the firm belief that you can overcome or get around even physical limitations with enough time and effort. I realize that, in your case for example CK, a stroke is often accompanied by depression, making it's limitations seem insurmountable, but don't believe it for a second.

Don't everyone think I waffle. I still stand by what I said before. I don't, when I hear a pittiful story, turn around, hold the hand of the teller, and promise to make all their hopes and dreams come true. You've started something. Don't let some insensitive words stop you. If you want to see this thing finished, finish it. Don't let me stop you.

What ARE you saying then? "If you can't\won't do it yourself, don't tell others about it!"?

I enjoy hearing other people's ideas and I enjoy talking about them even if they're not feasable. When I say: "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we could play Star Control with virual reality boots?" I don't mean "Hey you! Go make Star Control compatible with VR boots!", nor do I expect anyone to do so. I HOPE someone does and if they don't, so be it. Persenoly, I tried to learn progaming, but it was just so boring, so I shouldn't suggest anymore ideas?

*Sigh*

No, no. And you're right. Yes, go ahead and post your ideas for a game. I know I've got a ton of them myself. If I see one on the boards I have been known to comment on them myself.

I've been on the boards and the timewarp boards before that and I've seen more than a few "I've got a great idea, if only I could get a programmer, poor little old me," and it kinda wore into a pet-peeve with me. As this threads title (even tho the inital post was delete, which sad effect I never intended) suggest, this thread was one of those and I snapped.

I was out of line.

I realize now I should have expounded the good points of the initial idea, which has become completely lost, before I ripped into CK, or anyone else for that matter, and if there were not good points I should have said nothing at all and let this thread die off the end of the page. I know I had a good point, but I chose the preciesly worst moment to express it.

I've taken enough flak about the subject that I will now and forever back off on it. If you want to post a game idea, I'm more than willing to read and comment on it. If you're asking for help, I will bite my tounge and say nothing about how a loosly concieved blurb is as effective in making your "great idea" come about as a fan letter to [insert pop star of your choice] is to get him/her in bed with you. I'm done. If you don't get the point, I'm tired of trying to make it.

If you want to just bounce ideas around, however, hey, I'm totally cool with that. That's what these boards and infact the internet is about. I'd be happy if CK re-posted his initial idea so it could continue to be bounced around. Just don't ask anyone to make it into a game for you and I'll be happy. As stated before, tho, if you do, I promise no to say a thing.

I would like to point out that the 'idea', as posted, had virtually no content.
Captain Kirk -- I understand that there is content to your ideas -- you mentioned images, and I bet there's species information beyond the names.
THAT is what we'd like to see.