Date: Tuesday 28 October 2008 Time: 6:00-9:00pm (presentation and panel discussion from 6-8pm followed by drinks/networking until 9pm)
Location:
01zero-one
Westminster Kingsway College
Hopkins Street
London
W1F 0HS Book now
Independent games developers adapting open source technology and finding new ways of publishing their games are still perceived as bedroom programmers having fun rather than as serious contenders for big business. In fact, the established games makers are making headlines as leading opponents of illicit file-sharing citing heavy losses through piracy as serious threat to their business. But will their recent successes in court and ever more sophisticated technical developments in digital rights management prevent them from having to adapt to the realities of the digital age? Do innovative methods in technology and rights management currently developed by enthusiastic entrepreneurs provide the clue to the future of the games industry or are they really just a minority with idealistic ideas that don’t have any commercial value for the sector.
Own-it in cooperation with Open Rights Group have invited a panel of independent and corporate video games developers, joined by a specialist lawyer, who will discuss alternative business models based on open source technology and whether or not they could influence the future of the games industry.
In an effort to become a better player in the open source community, jMonkeyEngine is tweaking it’s contribution policies. Our goal is to make it easier for community members to contribute to the jME code base while maintaining the level of quality jME is known for.
The key change is that anyone who requests write access to the 2.0 code repository will be approved. However, they will be on a probationary period where this access will be revoked if any issues arise. This system will make allow users to get bug fixes and new features in place without having to rely on a Developer.
This system will work in the following way:
A user will request write access to the repository (they will then be given the Contributor title).
The user will post on the forum any changes they wish to contribute back to the code base.
If after 1 day there are no disagreements of the change, the user can then submit the change into the repository.
If any item is contributed that is contested by another user or developer, that user will immediately lose write access while the contribution is investigated. If it is deemed to not be worth losing contributor title over, it will be granted again.
This system requires self governing of the community, but the community is one of jME’s strongest attributes. I believe that this will prevent stagnation of the code base and give the community a chance to help build the best engine in Java.
This system will be tweaked over the coming months as issues arise.
If you are interested in becoming a Contributor email info@jmonkeyengine.com with your desire.
We have created a new web-site for the MonkeyWorld3D project. It can be found at http://mw3d.org
It is not necessary to register on this site, because this is only for presentation purposes.
If you want to participate, or if you have any question or suggestion, our new forum is the right place for that: So register here: http://mw3d.org/forum
Update your bookmark, register with our forum and help us create the best game editor tool platform for the jMonkeyEngine
jME User nymon has announced Scene Monitor for jMonkey Engine. Scene Monitor allows a user to visibly explore the structure of a scene graph while the application is running. A tree model captures all elements of the jME scene graph and allows for easy visual inspection.
An information pane is also included to allow the user to see the state of each element of the scene graph.
jME user Neakor has announced version 1.1.1 of the MD5Importer. The Importer supports the MD5 model format, id software’s model format used in Doom 3, including skeletal animation (with blending between animations) and texturing. The system supports both jME 1.0 and jME 2.0.
NCsoft, leading MMO developer, demonstrated their toolset for an unannounced project. The video gives a glimpse into what is possible with the jMonkey Engine.
Josh “Renanse” Slack and Rikard “MrCoder” Herlitz represented jME at JavaOne this year. They gave a well received presentation on Java and Gaming. Josh also presented during the KeyNote as well as participated on a gaming BOF. They did a fantastic job of building excitement around jME and getting the word out!
