As promised.
The following diagram maps the PopLava vision.
What is PopLava?
- PopLava is the umbrella under-which the following efforts will take place.
- Help bring people together to create games and software.
- Make game development faster, cheaper, and easier.
- Bring new developers to BYOND and teach them how to develop games
- Build up a team capable of making software that sells.
Who is PopLava?
- You are, if you join.
- tsfreaks (me) is the primary owner of all things "PopLava" but my contributions and approach will be as a contributor vs. a dictator. I see this as a team effort and I'll do everything I can to minimize the places where I am forced into a solo decision.
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http://www.poplava.com is the domain that will be the web front. The site is empty right now.
- PopLava will build up a team of people who are working together and BYOND will be our home.
How do I join?
- Click the "Join Guild" link on the PopLava homepage on BYOND.
What happens after I become a member?
- By becoming a member right now, your just saying , "I'm interested in what's going on so please keep me posted".
- When the PopLava Project Manager beta is announced, only PopLava members will have exclusive access to see where it all starts along with what comes next. :)
I see non-BYOND things in the diagram like Flash and XNA. Doesn't this conflict with BYOND?
- No, I don't believe that it does. In order to gain access to non-BYOND projects, you will have to be a paying member of BYOND. All projects will lead people back to BYOND even if they are written in another language which is good for BYOND. Non-BYOND games can still require BYOND memberships for exclusive content. PopLava wants BYOND to do very well because it completes a virtuous cycle.
I'm new to programming, can I join?
- You may join PopLava and you may participate in various ways although your opportunities may be limited. As an example, some opportunities may require an artist or an advertiser or possibly a researcher. Some jobs may be reoccurring such as get paid for each site you pasted a PopLava advertisement and etc.
I'm an artist, writer, thinker, manager, or something else. Can I join?
- Sure, you may have to drive your own specialty into a new or existing project. If you see an opportunity, go after it.
Will my ideas be considered?
- Absolutely. The design of PopLava is such that each person can submit any number of proposals and either it will take off or it won't. Ideas can be anything which is fun. You could submit a new game design, a new web service, a needed library, or anything else you can dream up. If it picks up one or more interested people, then your proposal could be carried forward and you will get appropriate credit and compensation.
What are light tools and heavy tools?
- As an example of a light tool. We create a C# based spellchecker and then sell it on downloads.com and any other site that will let us. As an example of a heavy tool... we create a website that allows you to search the web and we earn revenue from advertising. :) Seriously, any tool where we can work together to make money is fair game. Tools can be for games, schools, companies, the world, or whatever. PopLava will do everything it can to make it legit, legal, streamlined, protected, licensed, and etc.
What are my (tsfreaks) personal goals?
- Make sure PopLava succeeds and everyone involved is fat and happy.
- Turn PopLava into an official software company and the farther we go the more my attention will shift in legitimizing our efforts.
- Make money by doing what I love. Thinking and designing is what I love.
What is the time line for all that stuff in the vision?
- Depends on how many contributors we get but it all jump starts with the completion of the PopLava Project Manager. The current plan of action is to get the Project Manager completed as soon as possible.
- I predicted a couple years for the current vision. If you were to add several very capable and motivated individuals, you could probably cut that prediction in half.
What are all the ???'s?
- These are "top secret" projects right now. Each one will be unveiled at an appropriate time (one after the other). These large projects will be broken down into smaller work items and hopefully farmed out to several people. :)
What is the difference between the blue and red tiles in the vision?
- The red ones are side projects which tend to contribute by adding content to existing PopLava projects. Where you see the games path, I have no specific projects in mind for BYOND and none for Flash or XNA. The hope is that we can start playing around in areas with potential.
- The blue ones signify core projects which are primarily infrastructure to PopLava. All the ones down the middle are directly focused on growing the BYOND business.
- Both types have the capability to generate assets and revenue for individuals, PopLava, and BYOND.
What's with the $ symbols?
- Those are all projects which are designed to generate revenue. I held off on the games as you can see. Hopefully, we can design and create games capable of generating revenue in the end but my expectations are set appropriately. :)
Other questions?
- Please post them in the forums. I'd prefer most questions go in the forum so a single question can provide many answers. If you feel your question deserves a personal response, please page or email me at tsfreaks@hotmail.com with it.
