Free software games (LP09)

Talk and discussion led by Lori Nagel (notes Rob Myers )

Problems with proprietary and free games

proprietary games won't do what people want them to do and can't be changed to do it

the joke about free software games - there's tux racer and dependency hunt and wesnoth and dependency hunt and...

libraries, graphics drivers need installing to play games. newbies will just go back to windows.

lots of people want to write games but finished games seem rare

www.wograld.org, uses code from Crossfire

ui usability in games is important, lots of little stats boxes all next to each other on a single screen aren't usable

what features does wograld.org want? - more like a virtual world

There's not enough artists? (So how to get more?)

Fast-moving targets with graphics drivers and opengl?

script dependency installs

synchronize with the development cycle of a major distro, so there's a target for the versions of libraries to develop against

A framework/library for levels or skills

develop more abstractions for games, more frameworks

locate and talk to games packaging teams for distros. share information on how to package & get games accepted.

libraries of routines & assets for games to build mods on without coding ability

build moddability affordances into games

--robmyers 15:30, 22 March 2009 (EDT)