Hmmm... guess if this game is dying the last man standing would be Nick whining until the curtains go down...
Thought I pop in again and see how things are. Seems Saladin tries to inhale some new life into this dead body, for that I am really thankful.
Whats the state of things from my perspective (and some news) ?
My current job has seeing me learning quite a few new things, and involves more work then ever, cutting back on other things I do. Then comes the ever-strong WoW involvment with my own guild (
http://www.arsmagnabelli.com) that has me running in circles trying to make it the #1 on our server (currently over 60 members and moving into Top-20 ranks)
I did some work on the WOK5 engine, but a full HD crash burned about every little piece of code I had (and nameless mails, documents and other stuff). Now I do make semi-regular backups on another HD, but trying to reconstruct things to get them to a workable level would be quite some effort. Let me put this straight: Im not sure if its worth it. I know I sent Rune a copy of the WOK5 code a while back (hope it was latest version) and I will look to what is saved on my backup drive, but at the moment I have no real will to go throught the painful process to build a new version of it.
Considering the WOK5 player base of under 20 people and its usability as a whole I strongly suggest to tune the site fully towards WOK-ON. Its the only way to "save" the community and bring it towards a healthy future. While WOK5 is a fine and dandy game it will NEVER appeal to the masses, at least not as a play-by-email game. If Chris can make an online version of WOK5 it could save it for the next generations - otherwise stick to WOK-ON and give this more options and features, thats my advice.
We have to admit it: this still is "mom-and-pop" community of wargame friends that hasnt yet achieved the jump into mass-market. We dont employ professionals, but are rather depending on the goodwill (and time, and joy) of fans. Without the great work of people like Chris or Rune we never would have gotten so far, but once those people drop out of the process for whatever reason there is a stagnation - directly leading to problems. Ask yourself: who will update the code of WOK-ON if Chris loses interest ? who will update the technical framework and keep the server running smooth when Rune finds new ways to occupy himself ? Same goes for WOK5 code. The whole thing is just too much dependant on the spare time and will of a few key people.
Solutions ?
- Ill try to assemble what I have in WOK5 code and will offer it to anyone who is (seriously) ready and able to pick up development of an ONLINE VERSION of it
- fully gear the site to promote WOK-ON, help Saladin by becoming editors etc. - show that there is still more activity then the usual "the world is falling down" posts here in the forums
- get a team of technically found people that relaunch the site (make it faster, update all components etc.)
Ill be around to help, its still "my" game after all. I just will not invest the time and effort I used to over the years - life moves on for me too, things change. Quite a few lately.
And dont worry about the future of this site: there should be enough cash to keep it pumped for at least 2 more years (I will update the donations page as soon as I have recovered all the data). By then I hope WOK has a team of dedicated and professional leaders - the potential is there.
cheers all,
ol' AL
