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WILL
22-05-2006, 09:45 PM
STOP LURKING! :P

:lol:

Ok, guys this is starting to get to be a bit of a common routine here. Everybody lurks and doesn't even say boo half the time you visit. So put down your top secret projects that are going to revolutionize the gaming industry for a few secs and post something to show your interest in the community. ;)

The main reason for Pascal getting a bad rap these days is that not many people SHOW an interest, or information is not so widely spread. So stop the visious cycle and lets makes some noise! :twisted:

The 2006 PGD Annual is wrapping up but that doesn't mean that the community is too. We are an all-year-round site with around 500 active members.


Something else to take into consideration; We are one of the last standing 'pillar community' sites for Pascal-based game development. Turbo just shutdown and some few months before it, the Turbo forums on GameDev.net.

That leaves us with:

DelphiGL (http://www.delphigl.com/), the German Delphi & OpenGL community

DelphiDev (http://www.delphidev.de/), the German Delphi & DirectX community

And whatever other IRC channels, mailing lists and small developer and tool/library's forums there are around.


So lets show support for this last great icon in the dessert of non-Pascal game development sites and keep the local PGD community active! ;)

aidave
22-05-2006, 10:58 PM
we just need more emoticons

:!:

Robert Kosek
22-05-2006, 11:49 PM
Tsk, tsk, I never lurk. :P Just... post infrequently. I randomly pop out of the woodwork with a few posts and code though. :D

czar
23-05-2006, 12:51 AM
Most posts made by people never get replies or followed up or discussed. So I guess that tends to kill interest in posting.

The PGD games competition gets people involved.

I think quite a large number of visitors only visit looking for an answer to their own particular problem.

I found with Omega and in a smaller scale with DJX that people working with same components and sharing code and stuff makes for lively and interactive forums. The PGD games competition had a similar effect here.

Robert Kosek
23-05-2006, 01:46 AM
Yes. The lack of interest in roughly 66% of all topics has prompted me to make most my postings elsewhere. Namely Yuriy's site at the present.

cragwolf
23-05-2006, 02:05 AM
I can only speak for myself: the reason I don't post here so regularly is that I'm not a very talkative person at the best of times. Also, I'm only an amateur at programming, so I find myself unable to answer nearly all questions asked here at these forums (or unwilling because I'm unsure of my knowledge). I like these forums, I read them every day, and it would be sad to see them die.

WILL
23-05-2006, 03:51 AM
czar has a very interesting point. :) A community site does need something to draw in interest and incourage interactivity.

Robert, not meanning to pick on you specifically, but you make an interesting point; Because people aren't posting here, you don't post here either... Wow that sounds like a part of the persistant problem we're having here. ;)

I remember the days when DGDev was focused only on Delphi alone and there weren't any articles, a PGD Library or news items for that matter. Yet... at times it was more lively there than here. (Although it had it's quiet times aswell...)

I think we need some dedicated 'Poop Disturbers'. :D People that just come up with the neatest things to engage you with. I think in a short amount of time we should be getting the 'ole site back up to the way it was with the Staff scripts working again. This will then invite fresh material in the form of Library items and Articles fromthe Staff members. This may also be a reason for the crippling of interest here. Half our stuff is down. :?

Robert Kosek
23-05-2006, 04:46 AM
Robert, not meanning to pick on you specifically, but you make an interesting point; Because people aren't posting here, you don't post here either... Wow that sounds like a part of the persistant problem we're having here. ;)It's mainly that sometimes I post and have no discussion or replies, so I don't generally post here. My latest Delphi stuff was an AI experiment. I didn't post it here because I didn't think it'd get any attention or discussion.

WILL
23-05-2006, 04:58 AM
Are you kidding?! I LOVE AI! I woulda been all over it like butter on rice. ;)

Next time post it here. :) Seriously. As the very wise Alimonster once told me a long time ago before I was even a member on DGDev(remember DelphiX was king then?), what he repied to a post on GameDev.net of mine when I said that these forums were too quiet.

A community is what you make of it. If you want it to succeed, you have to help make it happen.


Now why there are people pocketing to all these other mini-neich sites to discuss these matters, eludes me. DelphiGameDev, Afterwarp Interactive and DelphiSancuary seem to come up often and I never see any of these guys coming here. It's as if members there ignore this site. I have yet to understand this.

czar
23-05-2006, 06:05 AM
@Will

I have to say that from my point of view it is easy to understand the attraction of dedicated forums.

For example, I have tried getting people here interested in DJX and have faced stoney silence.

So in my case I prefer to post what I am working on within the DJX forum as I get great response and extra feedback and stimulation.

Huehnerschaender
23-05-2006, 06:15 AM
Same to me...

I am doing my latest projects with Asphyre eXtreme and so I am posting my "problems" and offer my help on afterwarp.net, because the Aspyhre thread on this site died some months ago. We still have the thread here, but no one posts in it. So why should I when I reach Asphyre users (the ones who can help me and the ones I can help) on Afterwarp.net?

And last but not least. I was busy with tanx the last few months. Atm I am busy doing a little game for my job which can be played by telephone (imagine those gameshows where you can call and play a game on TV with your fixed net telephone). It's a little soccer game with bears and hippos playing against each other. But again, I am using Asphyre to develop the prototype. And I can hardly believe that there are much people here who can help me with it (actually I didn't need any help with it yet). Maybe I post some screenshots here when it's development state proceeds. But I think I don't help anyone with this :)

But maybe this could open a thread about simple ball physics or something like this. Lets wait and see.

Greetings,
Dirk

EDIT:
Forgot to justify my LURKING ^^
I am still waiting on any response to stage 6 compo entrys. So thats why I am lurking here, using every free minute to take a look at the results, but nothing happens there... So stay tuned to see me lurking further on :lol:

Chebmaster
23-05-2006, 06:53 AM
put down your top secret projects that are going to revolutionize the gaming industry for a few secs and post something to show your interest in the community.
I tried, using my top secret project, to revolutionize the world and shake the foundations - that would be my contribution to the community.

Unfortunately, as it turned out, it was too complex for me to implement :oops:, so no revolution, sorry. :(

In short, I think, I'm not the one to speak until I have at least a technical demo running. I just humbly listen to others.

Firlefanz
23-05-2006, 07:53 AM
Hey,

I am looking here quite often, just right now I haven't anything interesting to tell. But that will change in a few weeks, then I'll show my secret project :wink:

It's not really secret but not much done to show.

Sometimes I have lots of questions or stuff to show, then again for a few weeks not much, that's the point 8)

Firle

Nitrogen
23-05-2006, 08:20 AM
I'm still around.. Dont post as much as I should I suppose...

I normally find a good response to anything that I post (within given limits of course ie. delphi & opengl)

I know some people are set in their ways when it comes to graphics api's and thats probably why you dont get much of a response when posting about directx (one of the major drawbacks, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that there is no official/semi-official directX pascal libraries. Are there??? I still havent found any easy, simple libraries which will just give me the basic interface) But I'd like to think that I have an open mind and woudnt mind learning DX (I actually have to sooner or later)

So maybe give us some dx libraries for pascal/delphi!

<shameless plug>Oh and Will, I guess this will come out sooner or later: I have a brand new website!, and if you want to know when I've updated it, I now have a RSS feed, you could stick some announcements on the front page when I've done something new if you need content for this site! :)</shameless plug>

Robert Kosek
23-05-2006, 01:24 PM
I might just have to post it then, since the project seems to defy classification in my mind. I can't quite decide what sort of AI the thing is, but it works well and learns fast. (Imagine that!) :)

While I do understand what you're saying Will, I don't know all that much about programming and game design. I help where I can with code and problems and whatnot, but in the end it still isn't much.

Most people tend to stay at the site where there is a community of users who can discuss the componentry and get help or advice. At Afterwarp you would be amazed at some of the things people will throw together just to answer a question. Not often do somethings get answered here with a full project or well written sample.

jdarling
23-05-2006, 02:20 PM
I don't lurk!
Though I do have to admit that since Chance came my time to play has lessened greatly. I have posted up about my project, just no replies to it :(. Still work goes on and the engine is comming close to complete. If only I could finish the GUI elements I could go back and complete my PGD entry :).

fragle
23-05-2006, 03:45 PM
I can only speak for myself: the reason I don't post here so regularly is that I'm not a very talkative person at the best of times. Also, I'm only an amateur at programming, so I find myself unable to answer nearly all questions asked here at these forums (or unwilling because I'm unsure of my knowledge). I like these forums, I read them every day, and it would be sad to see them die.Pretty much all of what cragwolf said applies to me as well, so i just quoted everything ;)

On top of that, it seems that quite a bit of the stuff i do seems to be non-game related and this is a game programming site, hence i refrain from posting anything.

There, my excuse for lurking ;)

idee_fixe
23-05-2006, 06:16 PM
I have something shameful to admit - I'm not a Pascal programmer. I don't use Delphi. I - I am an artist, and a designer. I suggest things and get people who are better programmers than me somehow figure out how to do it. I deal with ideas and theory, and that's what I like to discuss.

I think as long as this site remains (or as fragle points out, is thought of as) a strictly programming site there will not be long, thoughtful discussions here in the community. Frankly there is not much to talk about in programming except for "I have a problem, do you know how to solve it?".

I would like to encourage members of this community to bring their non-programming discussions here. Let's talk about AI, let's talk about design, about ethics in gaming, or whatever topic people are thinking about. By engaging in these sorts of discussions this community will attract new members with greatly varying interests, expanding and diversifying it.

I personally had never heard of PGD until aidave told me about this year's contest and got me involved in Blocked. Now that I am here I do check the site every day, partly to see if the scores are in, but mostly see to if there are any new discussions here in the forums that I can add my two cents to. I intend to keep coming back and to keep posting as long as there are interesting discussions taking place!

czar
23-05-2006, 06:17 PM
A Major hassle with PGD is that it is very difficult to post code and files. The fact that it cannot be done directly an dthat you have to link to another site is reason enough not to bother.

The lack of code snippets and source code for programs is a major downside to this website.

Even posting images is annoying as the image storage site is often down or at least times out.

I guess what I am saying is that PGD is not user friendly.

aidave
23-05-2006, 07:06 PM
Id like a bigger text entry box.

ITs toooo small!

NecroDOME
23-05-2006, 08:48 PM
You can also type is in notepad and paste it inside the little box :P

for the part of code snippets - it would be nice if you could upload/download code pieces (and maybe images and small projects).

Currently I'm only improving my engine and completing .S.C.A.G., but in the past I made some games like packman, pong etc. Not verry interesting.

Also I made 2 nice games in c++.
1. NecroTANK, just like worms, but with tanks :P
2. Revenge of the Vegtables, Side scrolling mario-style action game with a carrot.

In Delphi I made a school project called Insanity a few years ago, a crappy 3D shooter. It has some cool features like bullettime and crappy static/dynamic lighning using UnDelphiX and includes a map editor. It more a multiplayer game.
You may take a look at it on my site. (please do not post this game in the frontpage.... it's to crappy)

i'm getting a bit off topic :P

User137
24-05-2006, 02:19 AM
/me lurked into this thread :P It drew me like a magnet.

Well i have and will answer questions i find suitable but otherwise World of Warcraft gets most attention...

jdarling
24-05-2006, 02:23 AM
I have something shameful to admit - I'm not a Pascal programmer. I don't use Delphi. I - I am an artist, and a designer. I suggest things and get people who are better programmers than me somehow figure out how to do it. I deal with ideas and theory, and that's what I like to discuss.

I think as long as this site remains (or as fragle points out, is thought of as) a strictly programming site there will not be long, thoughtful discussions here in the community. Frankly there is not much to talk about in programming except for "I have a problem, do you know how to solve it?".

I would like to encourage members of this community to bring their non-programming discussions here. Let's talk about AI, let's talk about design, about ethics in gaming, or whatever topic people are thinking about. By engaging in these sorts of discussions this community will attract new members with greatly varying interests, expanding and diversifying it.

I personally had never heard of PGD until aidave told me about this year's contest and got me involved in Blocked. Now that I am here I do check the site every day, partly to see if the scores are in, but mostly see to if there are any new discussions here in the forums that I can add my two cents to. I intend to keep coming back and to keep posting as long as there are interesting discussions taking place!

Great, then answer some of our posts about getting some non-programmer graphics :). I know I've posted enough questions on GameDev about graphics simply because I've only had one graphics request answered here :).

Clootie
24-05-2006, 05:30 AM
...one of the major drawbacks, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that there is no official/semi-official directX pascal libraries. Are there??? I still havent found any easy, simple libraries which will just give me the basic interface) But I'd like to think that I have an open mind and woudnt mind learning DX (I actually have to sooner or later)

So maybe give us some dx libraries for pascal/delphi!
I'm sorry, but have you tried using Google? For example: http://www.google.com/search?q=delphi+directx.
Shameless plug: Delphi DirectX SDK: headers and bunch of examples (http://www.clootie.ru/delphi/download_dx92.html)

savage
24-05-2006, 09:10 AM
<shameless plug>I now have a RSS feed, </shameless plug>

Hi Michael,
I wanted to mention that if you want people to easily add RSS feeds to their RSS readers or if you want Firefox to display the RSS Icon in the URL bar you need to add something like...
<]http://www.sulaco.co.za/nitrogen/rss.asp"[/url] type="application/rss+xml" title="rss" />
in your HTML header ( <head> ) section of each page.

Nitrogen
24-05-2006, 10:10 AM
Clootie: Thanks, I'll have a look at those!

Savage: I originally had the rss link only on the news page. I'll add it to the rest of the pages for more exposure...

WILL
24-05-2006, 10:34 AM
fragle: Well don't let that stop you. If you ever wanted an experienced Pascal programmer's help, this is the place to get it. :) You can't take the programming part out of 'game programming' and 'game development'. It just fits

Also, not everyone is ever 100% sure of the entire scope of their knowlage, I think it was said somewhere that even the great minds like Einstien and Newton were just taking random ideas and shooting in the dark until something came from it. Did you know that Alexander Graham Bell got the light bulb wrong thousands of times (I think it was around 10,000 or so wasn't it?) before he finally got it right. Worst case scenario, just ask a lot of questions and eventually you'll get what you need to know in the end.

idee_fixe: Well don't sweat one single drop my friend! ;) You are most welcome here. We don't ALL have to besive programmers. PGD is an all inclusive community, not an exclusive one. If we had more artists and musician types that would be awesome! :) Game art is and will be a huge topic here so I'm quite sure you'll find lots of content there that will suit you.

User137: Hmm... perhaps someone should make a MMOOOPRAD(Massively Multi-player Online Object Oriented Programming Rapid Application Development) game/RAD tool then. :twisted:

Clootie: Well it's hard to have shame in being the top DirectX Header guy for the entire Pascal world. :P

Nitrogen: Thanks, drop me a PM when you want me to make the BIG announcement. ;)


You know... I don't know if it's my prodding or what, but 'Be careful what you wish for' comes to mind. :P Nice to see the site picking up it's pace. ;)

jdarling
24-05-2006, 12:57 PM
Did you know that Alexander Graham Bell got the light bulb wrong thousands of times (I think it was around 10,000 or so wasn't it?) before he finally got it right.

That must be real news to Thomas A. Edison (considering it was one of his students that discovered it). Of course, at the time, Edison took the credit as most inventors do when their students actually come up with the idea. I think its the birth place of upper management :).

WILL
24-05-2006, 11:51 PM
Eeek! You're right, it was Edison. :lol: Sorry, I listened to a podcast about how Edison and Bell fought over the telephone markets. And then eventually decided to collaborate in the end. :P There's history for ya huh?