Project64 author zilmar has just posted a thread regarding <a href=http://www.pj64.net>Project64's</a> future in <a href=http://www.emutalk.net/project64/29570-project64-s-future.html>this thread</a>:
<font class=post_quote>As you might know the Project64 team mostly have busy lives these days. Improvements, fixes and new features still get added to PJ64 behind closed doors. We've always tended not to talk about what's going on, it probably seems like PJ64 happens only every few years, but really its more like a continuous process; sped up around releases and at many other times with no public sign. We always try to maintain a high quality complete release, so even if a nice feature is added it will not be public until everything else is complete. You've probably noticed public PJ64 releases are irregular, and they are difficult due to a natural reluctance to release – it's risky and actually takes time away from dev., and because everyone needs free time at the same time.
Where are we going with this? Well, no we're not planning a major change to our public release schedule, it works for us and we've been going for a long time. We once ran a program where if you donated money then we would be able to help beta test. We are considering doing something similar again, some type of donated subscription where you get access to all the latest test builds, bug tracking information, latest news of what the different team members are planning to do, what we are doing. This might even include just saying we are too busy with real life and we will be back on such-and-such a date. That way you could see whenever you want exactly what is happening.
This idea and point of this is that it allows you to show real practical support to the PJ64 team (who are btw, not rich). Firstly, it would let you thank us for all the work we've done over the 5+ years, if you just wanted to do that. Secondly, it would be a real way for anyone to improve the prospects for next few years of Project64. In the short term, it will give you access to all new features and fixes, and more as they appear. It would also give users who subscribed more voice and what should be added/fixed with PJ64, for we would like to set up some private forum for these people (unlike the public forum which has always had a 'no requests' policy). We cannot promise to do everything that people want, Project64 will still be a free hobby project, but if someone is supporting us of course we would like to support them too. Subscribers would be viewed as partners, not customers, with certain things expected (e.g. not leaking builds), although the amount you participate would be up to you. To be blunt, the support we do or don't get with this setup, if we went ahead with it, would likely have big effect on the future of Project64. We've long passed the point where we've done everything we set out to do for ourselves - future progress is dependent on motivation, from in and outside the current team to take things further.
Any suggestions or comments? This is only something we're thinking about at the moment.</font>
Leave your suggestions and comments <a href=http://www.emutalk.net/project64/29570-project64-s-future.html>here</a>!
<font class=post_quote>As you might know the Project64 team mostly have busy lives these days. Improvements, fixes and new features still get added to PJ64 behind closed doors. We've always tended not to talk about what's going on, it probably seems like PJ64 happens only every few years, but really its more like a continuous process; sped up around releases and at many other times with no public sign. We always try to maintain a high quality complete release, so even if a nice feature is added it will not be public until everything else is complete. You've probably noticed public PJ64 releases are irregular, and they are difficult due to a natural reluctance to release – it's risky and actually takes time away from dev., and because everyone needs free time at the same time.
Where are we going with this? Well, no we're not planning a major change to our public release schedule, it works for us and we've been going for a long time. We once ran a program where if you donated money then we would be able to help beta test. We are considering doing something similar again, some type of donated subscription where you get access to all the latest test builds, bug tracking information, latest news of what the different team members are planning to do, what we are doing. This might even include just saying we are too busy with real life and we will be back on such-and-such a date. That way you could see whenever you want exactly what is happening.
This idea and point of this is that it allows you to show real practical support to the PJ64 team (who are btw, not rich). Firstly, it would let you thank us for all the work we've done over the 5+ years, if you just wanted to do that. Secondly, it would be a real way for anyone to improve the prospects for next few years of Project64. In the short term, it will give you access to all new features and fixes, and more as they appear. It would also give users who subscribed more voice and what should be added/fixed with PJ64, for we would like to set up some private forum for these people (unlike the public forum which has always had a 'no requests' policy). We cannot promise to do everything that people want, Project64 will still be a free hobby project, but if someone is supporting us of course we would like to support them too. Subscribers would be viewed as partners, not customers, with certain things expected (e.g. not leaking builds), although the amount you participate would be up to you. To be blunt, the support we do or don't get with this setup, if we went ahead with it, would likely have big effect on the future of Project64. We've long passed the point where we've done everything we set out to do for ourselves - future progress is dependent on motivation, from in and outside the current team to take things further.
Any suggestions or comments? This is only something we're thinking about at the moment.</font>
Leave your suggestions and comments <a href=http://www.emutalk.net/project64/29570-project64-s-future.html>here</a>!
