Platinum Arts Sandbox - Free 3D Game Maker Forum

Well met coders and content creators,

I would like to try my hand at providing some tutorials for the Wiki.

I think a lack of documentation is not such a good thing, and it could put off potential happy users.

My thought is to create some basic beginner tutorials as I go along here learning myself. That way the tutorials are from the perspective of a new user, before I get all jaded and forget what it is like to be searching hard for tidbits of help resources. In other words, apply what I am learning to tutorials designed for the novice user, while I am still an excited new novice user myself.

Now my question(s) is(are) this(these): Do I need special permissions or access to the Wiki to add tutorials? I have contributed to Wikis in the past, but it has been a while. I just want to ascertain the proper procedure for this community. Should I seek a review of the completed content before publishing it to the Wiki, and if so, whom should I submit that to?

Of course, I want any tutorials that I do author to become public domain or the property of The Project. If the case becomes otherwise, I'll publish it on my own domains, but I do not see any reason for that when we have a central location for information related to creation and use of this software.

In other words, the intent is to provide instruction and education, and that is all. Now... how shall I proceed? Please advise.

The main reason I am inquiring now, is so that I can format the tutorial content to fit the Wiki. I am already working on a piece derived from the current RPG Tutorial by Hirato.

Thank you for reading, and responding,
- Tony

Tony wrote:Now my question(s) is(are) this(these): Do I need special permissions or access to the Wiki to add tutorials? I have contributed to Wikis in the past, but it has been a while. I just want to ascertain the proper procedure for this community. Should I seek a review of the completed content before publishing it to the Wiki, and if so, whom should I submit that to?

Our wiki could use a lot of work...
I don't have much say in the operations of the wiki, but I have asked calimer repeatedly to require users to register and validate their emails before they be able to edit (the purpose being to cut down on spam).
IF he's done that, that would basically be the only hard requirement for doing anything on the wiki (excepting the admin-only locked pages).

I want any tutorials that I do author to become public domain or the property of The Project. If the case becomes otherwise, I'll publish it on my own domains

We didn't discuss anything, but it appears calimer has decided that any additions to the wiki are to be licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. If that's cool with you, go nuts

Good enough.

Works for me.

Much thanks.

Tony wrote:Good enough.

Works for me.

Much thanks.

Wanna work together on some of these? I think I might be the only other guy here who really worries about the state of the wiki... and even I haven't really done much for it.

I have one in development now.

It is a derivative of the RPG Tutorial that Hirato did, or rather builds upon it.

I've been playing video games on consoles since Pong, and on PC since before PC used a graphic interface, so It's not like I am new to game playing, but every game and environment has it's unique methods. Some of the methods are not immediately intuitive for everyone, such as the map organization in-game.

I think these tutorials need to be done like an academic course. With the concept of providing the software to schools, I would like to create curriculum type content, rather than just interwebz-script-kiddie type tutorials. That is what I am working on, a curriculum type mini-course. Hopefully it can be distributed to educators whom want to use this software in a class setting. That would be my goal, to provide a curriculum package, and then a teacher edition to supplement that.

I do not know how that will be received by the community, or rather, the managers of the project. I will want to provide some images for the Wiki tutorial, and also the downloadable files for an educational pack and teacher package. So, when I get ready to publish this project, I would like someone to upload my images and downloadable files to the Wiki for me. I would rather have them hosted at the project site, that way if I ever get hit by a bus or part company for any reason, the resources will be available for posterity in and for the community.

Hey, I would be thrilled to work with you on collaborative tutorial content CP.

If you have moderator access to the Wiki, it really could use someone to go in there and organize stuff better. Create a better organization of content, utilize the features of the Wiki to make stuff easier to find.

I am not sure exactly what, but I think something could be done. That may be right up your alley. You seem to have good organizational skills and are good at knowing what is right and good for the community.

I think you and I are on the same page though, about GOOD DOCUMENTATION being so very important. The mark of any great software is how good the documentation is. This is very,very true, it really is. To be taken seriously and to gain respect in the overall community of development, this is a very important thing for the PAS project. It is the difference between a rag-tag bunch of script-kiddies and a true organized project. Especially, especially in regards to getting distributions into educational systems around the country.

I like this project, you guys have a great thing going here. I like the concept, the intent and reason behind it, and I like the software and game engine too. I think it's pretty cool and well worth doing. But it has a long way to go yet, in all aspects.

I am going to attempt to contribute what I can along the way as I hone my own skills with this software. And yeah, CP, if there is anything that we can work together on, I am all for it =)

- Tony

chocolatepie33 wrote:I think I might be the only other guy here who really worries about the state of the wiki... and even I haven't really done much for it.

Besides Leo, Hirato and myself? Yeah.

If you guys could get the Wiki in better shape we would all appreciate it.

For some reason we get a lot of spam on the wiki. Its quite annoying. I usually try to clean most of the spam up.

Cheers,
Matthew

arcones wrote: If you guys could get the Wiki in better shape we would all appreciate it.

Nah, probably not so much me, on that.
My organizational skills sucketh.
And honestly I am totally uninterested in any sort of management type of responsibilities.I'm not here to get into anybody's spot or job, or be a leader or anything of the sort. It looks like there is plenty of leadership here already. I'm not here to take anyone's job, give anyone any orders, or anything like that. I'm not even interested in writing C++ or modifying the software, I leave all of the above to those that are willing and capable.

What I would like to contribute is content. Graphics, icon and texture images, and model textures. Later I'll contribute models and scripts for animations. I would also like to contribute game scripting examples, packages, and content for the games, as well as maps and map elements.

And, I would like to document some of the stuff as I go, so that others may learn from my experiences.

That is what I am about. I'll write tutorial content, scripting chunks, image creation, graphics, skins, textures. And later some models as well.

These are the things that I am going to best at, and comfortable in doing. I'm not really new to any of those things, just been away from it for a few years. And now, I am returning and I plan on picking back up where I left off.

I'm here to make games and content. I would like to contribute any and all of my created assets to the community and provide quality documentation in the form of tutorials. That is what I am about man.

The Wiki needs work I know, but you don't want me in there mucking about with that. You really don't. I'll write content for it though, that, I can do.

- Tony

Tony wrote:What I would like to contribute is content. Graphics, icon and texture images, and model textures. Later I'll contribute models and scripts for animations. I would also like to contribute game scripting examples, packages, and content for the games, as well as maps and map elements.

And, I would like to document some of the stuff as I go, so that others may learn from my experiences.

That is what I am about. I'll write tutorial content, scripting chunks, image creation, graphics, skins, textures. And later some models as well.

These are the things that I am going to best at, and comfortable in doing. I'm not really new to any of those things, just been away from it for a few years. And now, I am returning and I plan on picking back up where I left off.

I'm here to make games and content. I would like to contribute any and all of my created assets to the community and provide quality documentation in the form of tutorials. That is what I am about man.

The Wiki needs work I know, but you don't want me in there mucking about with that. You really don't. I'll write content for it though, that, I can do.

You're starting to sound more and more like me.