Last Minute Art

I just wanted to say that the Clan Lord community has some great artists.

Not only will these artists take last-minute requests, but they will deliver it in time for the update packaging.

I am really excited for the upcoming update.  Too bad that most of the content is still in testing.  But it will look great.

Noodlin' and Doodlin'

I spent a small portion of today noodling around with some Clan Lord areas, but it otherwise was a very unproductive day development-wise.

I fussed around with a couple of new areas, and I invested a little time in reviewing some new content from a new helper.  But otherwise I spent the day watching bad television and half-heartedly playing video games.  I had envisioned myself being more productive than I was.  I have a heap of scripting to do before the v819 deadline.

The Trial Run

The past several days have been busy for me IRL, but I still make time each day for Clan Lord projects.  In fact, I spent some time yesterday creating illustrated instructions for my newest helper, as I am (arguably unfairly) throwing him into a new, challenging project.

Under typical circumstances, a new helper would be assigned some easy-to-do introductory projects in an effort to acclimate the helper with design processes of Clan Lord.  The learning curve varies from person to person, as does the attention span.  After discussing the conceptual project mechanics with the helper, he understood right away what I was trying to achieve (which partially concerns me, because sometimes I don't understand what I am trying to achieve).  I then gave him the unglamorous assignment of entering the data tables for the project – and there is a lot of data for this project.  And this assignment is just for the test project – a smaller, trial run version of the real project.

While he's doing that, I can turn my attention to finishing the rewrite of my silly quest.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

I have taken a new helper, and I think that he may be smarter than I.

While we are waiting for the set-up dust to settle, I have given him a small task to perform: write some jokes that will make me laugh.  We shall see if he is also funnier than I!

I am excited and hopeful that this new helper can bring some fresh perspectives to my growing list of projects.  Moreover, I am hopeful that we now have a chance to actually finish these projects!

Much Obliged

A helper recently submitted some content to me.  I could not open the file.  I advised the helper to resend the material to me, but to compress the file before sending it.  The helper obliged.  I opened the file and imported the content.  I found a mistake.  I advised the helper to correct the mistake.  The helper obliged, and sent the updated material to me.  I found another mistake in the updated material.  I advised the helper to correct the new mistake.  The helper obliged, and sent the updated material to me.  I could not open the file.  I advised the helper to resend the material to me, but to compress the file before sending it.  The helper obliged.

This is pretty much how the development process goes.

Silent Service

My personal submissions for V669 consisted of several minor bug fixes, and there were no more than half of a dozen of these fixes.  The real heroes of this update were the helpers with whom I work: they supplied lots of content for multiple projects under development, and their content is, in a word, great.  I am grateful that they were able to remain productive in my absence.

A lot of thanks is owed to these silent assistants.  Their efforts are just as valued as those of the GMs.

The Teardown

I spent this evening reorganizing, redesigning, and basically rewriting the Helper Assistant NPC script.

As previously stated, the development of this script was unplanned.  It started as a couple of notes which morphed into a stream-of-conscious script, and now that I have reread it I see plainly that the design of the script was improvised.  For some inexplicable reason I created one small main routine and numerous supporting functions.  I guess that I had really enjoyed creating functions on the day that I wrote this script!  I have revised the script by eliminating these cluttered functions and incorporated a simplified version of them into the main body of the script.

Another problem that I see with the script is the scope of its purpose.  The script helps manage quest data, and initially I had tried to support multiple data fields for multiple quests.  I have revised the scope so that each NPC focuses on one data field of one quest.  This simplification was made primarily so that I may have the script ready for V669.  I can always expand upon this feature in the future.

The new version of the script is forming well.  It's a large effort to develop a script for a handful of people, but if those handful use it in turn to develop better quests for Clan Lord, then it is an effort well placed.

Memory Shortage

I met with a helper today.  Our conversation went something like this:

Helper: Have you completed work on the Helper Assistant NPC?
Me: Ummm...
Helper: You had mentioned that you were developing a Helper Assistant NPC, and that NPC would be very helpful for my project.
Me: Errr...
Helper: The Helper Assistant NPC is vaporware, isn't it.
Me: Uhhh...

In truth, I had developed a Helper Assistant NPC, but my script had required redesign and simplification.  I placed it aside and promptly forgot about it.  And because this was a side-project, I never placed this script on my punch list.  Now that I have been reminded of it, I am definitely putting it on my "to do" list, and because there is a need for this script, I am placing it high on my priority list.

I can't believe that I forgot about this project.  I think that my brain needs a memory upgrade.

The Eviction Of Yappy

One of my helpers recently contacted me to resume a project on which he had been working.  He wished to confirm that he still had ownership to the group of areas that I had assigned to him earlier in the year.  I told him plainly that those areas belonged to him, and I felt that there was no need to discuss nor investigate the matter any further.

Earlier today I received a submission from that helper.  Whilst importing the areas into my editor, I immediately recognized one of the area assignment numbers: I recognized this number because it was one of the areas on which I had been working.  Moreover, all of his submitted areas occupied the same areas that I had been using for my own project.  There was a conflict: both the helper and I were using the same areas.  If I were to import the helper's areas, then they would completely overwrite my areas.

I was confused.  My initial thought was that the helper accidentally used my areas, but I then recalled his diligent letter of area ownership, and I felt that sinking feeling that one feels when one realizes that they are the cause of a mistake.  A quick review of our email conversations from earlier in the year revealed, indeed, that the areas in question were assigned to him and that he rightfully held ownership to those areas.

This situation is my own fault.  When areas are assigned to me by UpdateGM, then they are marked as "Yappy."  In turn, when I assign these areas to helpers, I mark them with the helper's name.  I failed to do the latter in this situation, and if I had, then I would not be in this situation.

So now I begin the process of evicting myself from the helper's areas.  I await for an assignment of new areas from UpdateGM; once I receive these new areas, I may then begin the process of transferring my areas from the helper's areas.  This procedure includes a thorough cleaning of my project areas, ensuring that none of my other areas accidentally lead to the helper's areas.

While I am waiting for assignment of my new areas, I think that I shall go train some Mentus.  Clearly my current method of area management – "I-don't-need-to-write-it-down-because-I-can-remember-it-just-fine" – ain't working too well for me.

Won't You Please, Please Help Me

The mannequin script continues to torment me.  I opted to throw away my changes and start over.  I benefited from this decision, as the script has been updated since I started working upon it.  I am now able to incorporate my changes to a more efficient version of the script.

I spent very little time working on the mannequin script today, as a good portion of my day was spent meeting with one of the CL Helpers.  Together we power-debugged one of the scripts for a new area, and I found the experience sufficiently humbling:

Helper: I want the script to perform a specific task.
Me: I have an idea on how we should handle that.
We try my idea and it does not work.
Helper: How about if we try it my way?
Me: Let's try to debug my way first.
We try debugging and continue to experience problems.
Helper: I think my way will work.
Me: Okay.  Let's try it.
The Helper adds one line of code and the script works flawlessly.

Moreover, the Helper's solution was a method that I would never have thought of doing.  It was simple, straightforward and elegant.  If I continue to experience problems with the mannequin script, then perhaps I should ask the Helper for help!

The Deep End of the Pool

I have been developing several tools for helpers.  One specific tool has been the focus of my attention as of late, and as I have been working on the script and the tool's functionality I have realized with a sense of uneasiness that I may have undertaken an overly ambitious project.

I am feeling very much like the boy standing poolside watching the other boys and girls jump off from the diving board into the water.  "I can jump off from that board too," I think to myself, and as I leap and plummet towards the water I ask myself a question I should have asked earlier: what happens after entering the water?  I can't swim.

Perhaps I should master the shallow wading pool before entering the deep waters of Clan Lord data management.

The Fixx

I am working with a helper who is developing some quests, and today I spent time creating a made-it-from-scratch NPC assistant to aid in the helper's development:



Isn't she helpful?

I had not intended to spend the time that I had spent on this NPC.  This is update week, and I wanted to work on getting my own quests completed for V654.  This NPC started as an idea, which became a scribbled "reminder" note, which in turn became a note plus some ideas on functionality, which in turn grew into an outline of the script, which became a basic "proof of concept" script... and one thing leads to another.

Helping the Helper

A portion of today was spent upgrading one of the quest scripts.  I had the idea for some variations on this particular quest, and I have been slowly making modifications.  I hope to have a couple of new quests using the upgraded script for V645.

In other news, I have impulsively agreed to assist a Helper with his project.  It is quite an ambitious area and there is some exciting potential with a new hunting environment.  After reading his quest proposals I realized that there is a lot of work involved in this area, but I'm okay with that because the helper will be doing all of the work!  I'll just put my feet up on the desk and smoke a cigar.

It will be interesting to see how this area develops and how players will react to it.

Musings: Open Source Quests

I have been considering compiling a list of syntax for some quests and releasing this information to helpers.

I have been approached by some helpers who wish to help develop content and who have had some great ideas for quests.  The problem has been that personal spare time has been dwindling for me, so some of these quests have been languishing "on the list."  However, if I were to give some instructions to the helpers on how to create a quest, then they could do the majority of the labor.

And so that I am clear: I would not be releasing the actual scripts, but just the basic options for the quest.  For example, one quest that I have been using as an introduction to quest writing is the package delivery quest found within the Puddleby Post Office.  It's a simple quest with simple options.  Just fill in the blanks and we have a quest!

The hard part is finding time to debug the submissions.  If the submission has spelling errors or requires a little more polishing, then I can always send it back to the submitter and request a fix.  Assuming that the quest passes muster, then it would be my responsibility to assign rewards and any other back-end script support to the quest.  I can't just release quest information without owning responsibility to handling subsequent questions and organizing submissions.  And that's the part that requires more thought.  How am I going to manage time that I don't have?

Redaction Action

Today was spent undertaking a project that I had not planned on undertaking: I updated the image list for the Helpers.

Helpers get a "lite" version of the world editor, and it includes pretty much nothing.  It doesn't even include instructions!  Helpers may view the CL image file, but the images are unlabeled.  This is a problem in that if I were to ask a helper "please create a forest area, using only pine trees" then the helper would need to sort through images manually/visually and note which images are pine trees.  This is a massive waste of time and resources.

The full version of the editor includes tags for each image, but some of the information needs to remain private.  I spent the afternoon going through the list line by line – 4,741 lines to be precise – and redacted any information that could be considered as private or as a spoiler.

It was a good use of time, and it really needed to be done.  The last update to this list was 2005.