Details on the indiegogo campaign

[Ze_PilOt]

I will try to start with "why asking for money ?".


I always put my money where my mouth is. I've said many times in the past that GPGNet was not as good as it could be, and that it was rather easy to do better. So I did it.

You have to understand that I'm not a programmer per se. I do it in my work, but it's not my main job. I do programming because I'm willing too, because it amuses or help me.

FAF was a hobby. The initial roadmap was a 3 years plan. It was a project made for the one that were willing to use it and agree on the initial promise (originally, being able to play 3603 games easily).
Then in the middle of the alpha, GPGNET went down.

People came in FAF not because they want it, but because they have to. That's a very different environment, and it put a lot of pression on us.

While it was great feeling that FAF was used by so much people, it was way too early in the development.
We had to rush things, and from a personal hobby project, it become something people feel they own and deserve.

It was okay before to shut down the server for half a day to work on a feature. It wasn't after. Everything had to work all the time, and it's very hard to achieve that while you are still heavily changing the code.

The initial 3 years plan was finally done in less than 7 months, with 3 more months for finalizing and smooth some corners. I hopefully had the help of great programmers like Raging and Thygrrr, but you can imagine the amount of work that was pulled off in such short timing. But overall a really great experience with a really great ending (thanks to Gowerly

But it exhausted me, and I've promised myself to just maintain FAF after the release, dropping further plans (like GW). I couldn't manage it.
Even maintaining it is a lot of work. A lot of people have requests, problems, questions, it's a lot of work that I can't even keep up.
If I don't answer you in private, I'm not ignoring you, it's just that I don't have the time. You can always PM the moderators or post in the forum, it will be more effective.

I know that some people left because they didn't felt listened to, or didn't think it was going in the direction they want. Fact is that I'm glad they've left. I'm trying to please the majority of you, it's impossible to please some minorities on top of that. That would end up in promises I can't keep.

So why do you want to code GW ?

It's not that I don't want to not do it. But I don't want to do it in the same conditions that FAF was finished.

I want to keep my free time as my free time (and a part of it is still in FAF) I need it.
And if GW is going to be up, it must be on my work time.
Sadly the bills are not paying themselves, and that's why I've asked for that amount of money.

That's also a moral contract with you : You are paying me to do it, so I have to do it the best way possible.
You have to trust my on my capability to do it (as you do on any kickstarter-like project), and FAF is the proof that I can do it.

So, thanks for your support, nothing would have been possible without you !

[Ze_PilOt]

Now, the details.

The campaign is on a flexible plan. Whatever the final result is, it will end up in something for you.

If the goal is reach, GW will happen for sure.

If it's not, some others features, or maybe a simplier GW will see the light.

At the end of the campaign, I will do a list of most-wanted requests from users, and you will be able to vote on them and propose more.
Of course, if you were a contributor to the campaign, your vote will count more than any others

There are two separate list. The first one if a list of 'must-do' features :
- Fixing some server overhaul, causing some lock-up. It's probably something in the code, I must spend time to debug it and fix it.
- Adding an avatars manager. For now it's all manual, take too much time to upload and manage. It need to be easier than that.
- Adding a Featured Mods manager. So modders don't have to rely on me to release new versions. Also will be easier to add new ones.

Then, for the additional features, some exemples :
- CPU benchmark/indicator. There is a long thread for that.
- Vote up/down for ladder maps.
- Mixing featured mods : Being able to play phantom with Black Ops for example.
- "Do not want to play with"/"foes" function.
- Replay vault (depend of raging_squirrel willing too, I don't want to wipe all his work if he wants to continue).
- 2vs2 ladder.
- ?

Of course, GW and these lists are not mutually exclusive. It will depend of the final result.

If the campaign reach and go further than the goal, new game modes and functions for GW can be developed over time.

For the reward : The planet proposal is not only a name : it's also the choice of the pool of maps, and probably gametype !