Idea: being a mod consultant
DOOManiac
Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">What do you think?</div>Hey guys, I've been toying with an idea I've had in my head for a bit.
As you may or may not know, I've been involved with quite a few mod teams in the past (as both on the dev team and as just a tester), and I was thinking of using this experience to help other mod people. Perhaps being a Mod Consultant of sorts, offering my experience and advice on improving how your mod development process is being run (not on the mod design itself). That sorta thing.
Does anybody think this is something worth pursuing? getting a web site set up and all would be about all i had to do to get started heh. I'm not out to get 8000 mods wanting my help or anything, just trying to be a help to the 3 or 4 that want it.
I mentioned this on IRC with mostly positive feedback. Thought I'd post here for more opinions as well.
As you may or may not know, I've been involved with quite a few mod teams in the past (as both on the dev team and as just a tester), and I was thinking of using this experience to help other mod people. Perhaps being a Mod Consultant of sorts, offering my experience and advice on improving how your mod development process is being run (not on the mod design itself). That sorta thing.
Does anybody think this is something worth pursuing? getting a web site set up and all would be about all i had to do to get started heh. I'm not out to get 8000 mods wanting my help or anything, just trying to be a help to the 3 or 4 that want it.
I mentioned this on IRC with mostly positive feedback. Thought I'd post here for more opinions as well.
Comments
What I said in IRC:
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if you did that, you would have people who dont know to how make mods, and are pretty much newbies, always coming to you asking for help. And I disagree with fam(in a few lines above Fam said there were not enough mods to do it/make it popular), there are sooooooo many HL mods out there made by people who dont know what they are doing. so DOOM -- for the most poart you would be helping a mod, then the mod would probably die 2 months later <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I am still uncertain of what you would accualty be doing. Does a mod really need a consultant? What would you say to them "Mod leader, tell your mod what to do. Mod staff, listen to mod leader." I am foggy on what you would be doing to help them.
This doesn't have to mean that it isn't a great idea, just keep in mind that about 75% of your effort will be futile.
another area would be how to run FTPs, manage bugs, find hosts. Basically everything I could to help the mod develop better.
I mean I'm no god of mod making. Nobody has to do a single thing I suggest if they feel its not the right thing for the mod. I'm not always right either, I'm the first person in the world to admit that. :P Hell, I learn new things all the time. I learned a TON just from watching how Flayra and Monse handle their beta testing, and I plan to incorporate it into the stuff I do on my own from now on as well, as its just very good things. All I'll ask is that they are open minded to listen to my ideas, because if they aren't, then why waste my time?
Also, this is solely to help out the development process, not at all in regards to the content of the mod (weapons, direction they should take, how the models/maps look, anything like that). Its stuff like how to manage bug tracking better, ways to get the latest builds to your testers, how to pick your testers (and how many), that sort of thing. Its stuff that there is no real right and wrong answer, as it all works, but there are more productive ways of doing them than others, so its a way to optimize your development time and hopefully get the mod out a little faster and have it be a little more polished and whatnot.
Mainly I'm thinking I'll have 2 different things:
1) Public site, where I post articles about stuff like where to get good beta testers, how to distribute their builds, etc.
2) Private (optionally confidential) consulting, where I look at the team's internal stuff the public doesn't see on the inside, like how their tests are being ran and whatnot. I'll point out things that I think could be improved and whatnot.
Example: Mod ABC has 3 or 4 team members uploading different crap to their FTP and its a hard time for the testers to sort out what goes with what, also their testers aren't clear on exactly what to get. I would suggest things like packing the latest build into one archive (whatever format you want, preferably password protected), moving old things to an "old builds" section of the FTP for archiving, and sending out an email to the testers linking them to the exact files they need. This is a bit minimalistic, for the purpose of example (read: i'm too lazy now to think of a complex example), as basic tips like this will be on the articles section of the page, but you get the jist...
Pretty simple things really, but you'd be suprised how even simple ideas that one person just doesn't think of that another might have can really help things. And in the end this is to be about helping the mods, not anything for myself (cause really I'd be just as fine idling in #ns and playing warcraft3 heh)
If I could suggest a few things, it would be that you read up on project management and maybe even personel mangement. It also wouldn't hurt to get some real-world (offline) experience working with people and maybe even managing them.
Maybe you should try posting on a few different forums and wait for feedback. Flayra would probably be the best one here to answer your questions. Hmm. That's makes me wonder why I responded....
/me goes back to sleep
No mean to be crude but this sounds like a cheap way to be a beta tester :-D
hell, i'm testing NS, its the only HL mod i even care about anymore :P nothing else i'd even care to test hehe.