How about a Gamedevelopers.ie Wiki

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

Just been thinking, is there a demand for a GameDevelopers.ie Wiki?

It could comprise a wealth of tutorials, written by the community.

Introductions to C++, Photoshop, Max, Maya, whatever.

Also FAQ’s like "Setting up Visual Studio" or "Exporting .x files from Max" could be up there for everyone to help and add too.

I know this maybe a bit altruistic, but there’s a wealth of knowledge (at least I’d like to think so) on this forum, so maybe we should think about it?

Yes? No?

B.

[Anonymous]

Personally I don’t believe it would further the mission of gd.ie. I’d say that our main goal is to create a community by bringing together game developers across Ireland and raising awareness of game development on the island. Therefore surely everything we do should be to work towards that goal. I don’t think having a knowledge base fits into that. Other websites will focus on those areas and do a better job of it too. That said, it’s a good suggestion and it’ll be interesting to see what others think.

[Anonymous]

I think personally it would be a good idea. There has been so much helpful stuff posted in the forums and without a search function (one that I can’t find anyway) all of that information is pretty much lost unless you feel like trawling through a couple of hundred pages of forum posts…………then again maybe I’m advocating a forum search rather than a wiki!

[Anonymous]

I think it’s a good idea. GD.ie already forms a focal point for many students and the like looking to get more information on the industry. I think having a knowledge base would further cement that. I think if it is held to a high standard it could be an invaluable resource to students.
Who knows if there is a visible example of the talent and knowledge from Ireland available on the web perhaps it might raise the profile of the country a little in the eye’s of developers. Optimistic I know, but if your not in you cant win and all that jazz.

[Anonymous]

It’s a great idea. How about going a step further and also organising a blog with people who work in the industry in Ireland? It would help to promote the idea of an Irish gaming community, highlight what’s going on in the industry in Ireland and promote projects and individuals online.

This should also give students looking to get into gaming a more realistic view of what it’s like to work in gaming.

[Anonymous]

Well its good to see some encouragement on this idea.

I know it would take a while, but I reckon there’s enough people involved in this forum to the point where we could knock out C++ tutorials from Console to Windows to Direct3D in no time.

I’m sure there would be arguments about Macros, and singletons and globals, but for the most part, it would be worthwhile (at least in my opinion.)

Yes, the I acknowledge that there is a wealth of material online, but why not pool it, for the "locals" (write the tutorials in Irish if you want!!!) and then we can rant and rave at each other’s additions at the monthly meet-ups (not that I’ve made it to one yet, but I’m working on it…)

Any more votes in favour???

[Anonymous]

I like the idea of blogs or something similar, would likely focus the forums on more specific topics. Reinventing the wheel in terms of programming tutorials doesnt seem wothwhile though, and isnt really the focus of the site either.

Unless we can have Dustin sing them that is.

Dave

[Anonymous]

I tend to agree that the site is a community site and posting items on the best way to do…should be kept to the a sites focussed on that particular technology, after all we hope the experts are already on the radar for the subject area. It might be a good to have a "Topics area" (hey looks like we have that already) and the useful sites associated, with a small explanation on that subject. (It drives me nuts when I see posts on the forums that are simply links to another site with little or no explanation….). For a Wiki to work it will require a lot of maintenance to keep SPAM out. Also people working in games companies may be compromising their contract of employment. For me the site ‘as is’ provides a lot of whats needed, maybe I’m just too long in the tooth for re-posting information from one site to another. Lets be careful before attempting to turn gamedevelopers.ie into a Game Development Web 3.0 Online Learning Environment, which is essentially whats being asked.

I would however welcome the use of RSS a bit more.

[Anonymous]

Despite a wiki on generic topics like "how to go about becoming a games programmer" or "ways to become a 3d artist" with links to blender/max/visual studio express and very general stuff like that I am against it.

The reason is it draws focus away from the main core of what I think the site is about and basically there are a tonne of sites that are way more established and better at it already.

[Aphra K]

I am also not sure about a wiki or blog…open to being persuaded.

For a long time we have talked about developing a resources section – but the content for this would be more targeted to the Irish game development community rather than general game dev topics. As you can see we have not had the time or bodies to develop this section yet. Might be a useful intern/work experience type project if I can find someone. Pm me if you are interested.

Even a FAQ for those regular questions on which course, where to study, what to study etc….might help…and dig out all the useful comments and replies already provided by members but which are now buried deep in the forums.

Aphra.

[Author]

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