Request for help - Staff members wanted

Bror · Post by **Bror** » Fri Aug 16, 2002 8:22 pm

Due to the current situation, we must redistribute our work, so we are looking for help in several positions of the staff. We don’t pay for it, since we don’t earn money with the project.
Before I list the positions, something general.
If you are willing to help, ask yourself the following questions:
1) Will I have enough spare time during the next few years, that you are willing to spend? Are you sure, that you will stay in the game, or is it possible, that you will leave it a few weeks later?
2) Are you willing to do also the work, that isn’t fun, if its connected to your position in the staff?
3) Do you think, you are qualified for the job? A message like “I have many ideas for a game, but I haven’t programmed yet, but I am willing to learn.” Doesn’t make sense for a project that involves a 30.000 lines of code 3 year programming project. Same goes for “I have microsoft paintbrush, can I join the graphics team?”
4) Are you a roleplayer? It doesn’t help if you join the project, but don’t understand what its about and get kicked out of the game after a week.
5) You give your aprooval that we may use your work, even if you leave the project

We often had people who wanted to help and got the following sequence of events with them:
1) gave them work
2) waited for several month for results
3) asked them how far they got
4) got no reply at all or the reply “I am not working on it anymore. I play another game now.”
5) lost several month of project time by this incident
6) started with point 1 with the same effect (for instance three times with the map editor (not actual version), one time with the first story team, several times with graphics, one time with music, one tiem with scripts….)

We certainly don’t need more of these people. About 50% of the people we recruited over the internet was that kind of people. If we get one of them in an important position now, the project can be delayed again for months (or delayed to death)

The positions to distribute are:

A) Server programmer:
--------------------------
- should of course be able to program
- should have experiences with bigger projects (not 2 page programms)
- should have exhaustion, i.e. not quit when the first problem aproaches
- should show interest in roleplaying
- should have time for a long period
- we prefer if you speak german (I think the existing documentation of the server is german)
- there is no global documentation of the server, but Baldur agreed to answer questions (but it may take weeks to get an answer). I can give a general introduction on the basic construction of the server as far as I know it.

B) Server administration
----------------------------
- general Linux configuration and basic work
- install and keep up the webserver
- install and keep up the database (doesn’t include to fill it with data)
- firewall configuration
- several scripts

C) Player punishment, rule monitoring
----------------------------------------
- works with the log files
- IP comparisons
- Linux basic commands
- firewall usage
- should have creativity to combine the information of several data sources to proof rule violations and recognize known troublemakers
- should speak german, since many players speak german (to decide if someone is cussing, talking ooc …)
- should be able to get on with frustrating work… (Right now its not very amusing to see the whole garbeage of humanity that is spawned by the internet. It seems the internet turns up the bad side of many people – just a thought)

D) Forum administrator for one or several forums
--------------------------------------------------------
- check for inapropriate posts, delete them
- move topics to forums where they belong
- keep up certain rules
- answer questions, i.e. speak for the development team on a given part of the board or get another team member to answer. I will not continue to read all the forums I have read so far.
- store important data of the forum in an extra file (like proposals that were done the first time)
- should speak german to understand the many german posts

Maybe GMcFly want’s to continue this job with this enlarged responsibility area, but there can be more people, since threre are several forums to work with.

E) Website administration
-----------------------------
- not responsible for the content, but the layout
- don’t apply if you want to create a fancy website with many rotating, animating, flash-using things that take a lot of time to load. The layout should make the content available, not entertain by itself
- should speak german for the german part of the website

Right now, Alatar seem to get interested more in the website, so maybe he will continue this (he is in holiday right now).

F) Database content and scripts
------------------------------------
- basic Linux knowledge
- must learn the commands of our own script language with no documentation (will recive an introduction by me)
- must be creative, since the command set of the language is limited
- the language is hard to read, since it includes many identification numbers
- errors in the script may lead to a server crash
- create database entrys for item data, monsters, graphics metadata ...
- should prepare the graphics for usage (because the database includes the graphics metadata. This doesn’t include any graphic artists work.)
- should speak german

G) Answer emails for specific topics. We will divide the gods@illarion.de address into several topics like “technical questions”, “rule violations”, “character requests”, “proposals” ….
The same things as for the forum apply.

Andriel · Post by **Andriel** » Sat Aug 17, 2002 1:21 am

Hm I'm not sure if I "live long enough in Illarion", but if I'm able to I'd like to help with part G: Answer E-mails..
So if you think I could manage it and you need help with answering mails, please write a mail or sth. like this and then we'll see what happens

Greetings
Andriel (or whoever :biggrin: )

Echnaton · Post by **Echnaton** » Sat Aug 17, 2002 1:58 am

Hello Bror!

Have you considered turning Illarion into a freesoftware project?
It would certainly improve the chances of getting some programming work done.
I mean opensource projects do work , while - as you have pointed out - you are trying to get a map editor done for years now...
After all - as far as I know - you are not planning to go commercial with it, so what speaks against it?

I believe freesoftware would have one important postive aspect considering Illarion: a project under the GPL is legally safe and defined. Anyone helping out there knows that it (practically) belongs to the public then.
Under what sort of license does Illarion stand? Do you want the copyright of new server source code transferred to you?

Moreover it would probably be a good idea to post some more information about the server implementation (like programming language, database system,libraries used ..) , where your responsibilites will be in the future (or you want them to be) and some general things. (like something about the new/current? server, internet connection ..)

Serpardum · Post by **Serpardum** » Sat Aug 17, 2002 3:45 am

I have had previous experience with C, Player Punishment in another game in Beta that went commercial, until I wasn't needed anymore.

I was Taz the Archon in NexusTK, an RPG, but it was not a strict RP game.

I dealt with a lot of player crime, and dealt a lot of punishment (jail time, etc...) and to be honest, I can not think of a single player whom I punished who ever stayed mad at me. In fact, a few of them are very good online friends.

Even if you don't want my services in this, perhaps I can give some insight and pointers into what it takes for this kind of position without getting the entire game mad at you for doing something you thought you should do, yet still do it effectively.

I have some Linux experience, including installing various versions of Linux (RedHat, Slackware, Debian) and configuring both for myself and professionally.

I'm an older player, and am a professional Programmer/Analyst, NT Administrator, SQL Administrator, PC Support, etc.. so know my way around a command line very well.

The thing that I think would mean I can't do this position is: I don't speak a word of German. But, as stated, I would be willing to help anyone you do give this role to if asked.

Bror · Post by **Bror** » Sat Aug 17, 2002 12:49 pm

I have deleted (and will continue to do so) the posts of the people who basicaly say "The points needed for the job are not met by me, but I would do it anyway."
Thanks for the help offers, bet we specified what we need and are sure about it.
This thread is too important for Illarions future to let it go off topic and have postings with no substance in it.

@Andriel: Do you speak german?

@Echnaton: Yes, we have concidered and decided against it.
I haven't posted much server specification, since this is not very important to me. You can learn to use a new language in two weeks, you can learn about a library in a day etc. What we need are programmers, that can handle a big project, no matter what language in. This is something you certainly can't learn within a week.
Anyway: C++, Linux, Postgress SQL.

@Serpardum: So you might be someone to administrate the server. No german language needed there.

Andriel · Post by **Andriel** » Sat Aug 17, 2002 1:31 pm

Hi Bror!
Ja ich kann Deutsch...

Gruß,
Andriel

GMcFly · Post by **GMcFly** » Sun Aug 18, 2002 1:31 pm

I make the job on the board in the future.
Alot of the GM´s are helping, by the deleting and the question.
Untill now it was a good teamwork from all on the board.

If someone can teach me in the server adimistration, i can help here too, then i can configure my server here and can use it for Illarion.

Alatar_ · Post by **Alatar_** » Sun Aug 18, 2002 5:36 pm

E) Website administration
-----------------------------

...

Well, I'm back from holiday and continue the work at the new Illarion homepage.

Alatar

(Edited by Alatar at 10:31 pm on Aug. 18, 2002)

Serpardum · Post by **Serpardum** » Sun Aug 18, 2002 8:56 pm

Server administration... hmm.. well, sure, I can do that.

:me dusts off his manuals on Mastering Linux, Red Hat Linux Unleashed and Linux Programming

What flavor of Linux is it running on?

Falk vom Wald · Post by **Falk vom Wald** » Sun Aug 18, 2002 11:58 pm

Da meine Programmierkenntnisse für Eure Server-Probleme unzureichend sind, kann ich meine Hilfe nur für eine der Positionen C- G anbieten.
Falls Interesse besteht, bitte ich um entsprechende Detailanfrage unter meiner Emailadresse, damit ich dann gezielt über eventuell erforderliche Vorkenntnisse etc. Auskunft geben kann.

Bror · Post by **Bror** » Mon Aug 19, 2002 8:04 pm

Once again: The job requirements are there for a reason! If we decline your offer, its not, that we don't like you, it is that you have said yourself, that you don't meet the requirements.
For instance most threads that are posted on one of the forums are either german (not so many) or contain some postings that are german only (a lot of the not pure german postings). It makes no sense to administrate a board, where you can't fully understand 90 % of the threads. Using a computer translater doesn't make you understand the posting (maybe it makes you believe that, since you don't know what its really about).

Tatonka Bearpaw · Post by **Tatonka Bearpaw** » Mon Aug 19, 2002 8:12 pm

I'd like to take part as forum administrator, since I often am on the boards and got enough spare time, I wouldn't mind doing it, if it helps Illarion. I'm able to talk/write/read german and english, enough to understand most of the posts. I hope I'll be a help.

Sir Aragonius · Post by **Sir Aragonius** » Sat Aug 24, 2002 1:25 pm

D) Forum administrator for one or several forums

Hallo Bror,

ich könnte mir ebenso wie Tatonka die Mitarbeit als Forenadministrator vorstellen. Da ich seit mittlerweile einem dreiviertel Jahr mehrmals am Tag das RPG- und das Main-Board lese, bin ich mit der bereits Aufgabenstellung vertraut.
Die Zusammenarbeit mit GMcFly könnte ich mir gut vorstellen, da ich ihn vom zweiten RL-Treffen kenne.

Bei weiteren Fragen einfach an:

aragonius@gmx.net mailen, die bei der Erstellung des Char "aragonius" angegebene Adresse funktioniert nicht mehr, da der Provider seine AGB's geändert hat.

MfG "ara2"

D) Forum administrator for one or several forums
--------------------------------------------------------
- check for inapropriate posts, delete them
- move topics to forums where they belong
- keep up certain rules
- answer questions, i.e. speak for the development team on a given part of the board or get another team member to answer. I will not continue to read all the forums I have read so far.
- store important data of the forum in an extra file (like proposals that were done the first time)
- should speak german to understand the many german posts

Maybe GMcFly want’s to continue this job with this enlarged responsibility area, but there can be more people, since threre are several forums to work with.

Serpardum · Post by **Serpardum** » Thu Aug 29, 2002 4:43 am

@Bror: I sent you an e-mail.

Dyluck · Post by **Dyluck** » Thu Aug 29, 2002 6:16 am

I think that it's time you find more GMs again, since obviously most of the GMs are inactive at least temporarily or are rarely ever online. This is of course not nearly as important as finding someone to program the server, but nonetheless Illarion gets better when there are GMs online sometimes instead of when there are never any GMs to help out at all.

Bror · Post by **Bror** » Thu Aug 29, 2002 6:49 pm

The reason why we do not distribute jobs right now is, that there is still no one that will do the server programming. Before this job isn't taken, we will wait with the distribution of the tasks.
There was only one person applying for the server programmer, but he also told (in game) that he would hack the player and get the server out of order.