Hello Thrive devs!

Hi everyone!

I found thrive via indiedb a while back, and it looks like just my sort of game (both in terms of playing and developing). I've spent the last few hours reading various threads on this forum, and it looks like you've made great progress cracking some interesting challenges. I'd very much like to get involved and help out where I can, so I'll simply let you know what I can do and see where I can help:

I'm a biologist, mathematician, and theoretical ecologist (I study, and model, how organisms interact and ecosystems behave using mathematics). I'm also a programmer (proficient in c++ and c#). However I have fairly little free time to dedicate to something like this right now, which means that while I'm happy to help with the science, and help code some specific aspects of the design, I can't commit to being a general programmer.

Seregon wrote:

Hi everyone!

I found thrive via indiedb a while back, and it looks like just my sort of game (both in terms of playing and developing). I've spent the last few hours reading various threads on this forum, and it looks like you've made great progress cracking some interesting challenges. I'd very much like to get involved and help out where I can, so I'll simply let you know what I can do and see where I can help:

I'm a biologist, mathematician, and theoretical ecologist (I study, and model, how organisms interact and ecosystems behave using mathematics). I'm also a programmer (proficient in c++ and c#). However I have fairly little free time to dedicate to something like this right now, which means that while I'm happy to help with the science, and help code some specific aspects of the design, I can't commit to being a general programmer.

You''re a theoretical ecologist? And you can program? That's brilliant. I'm in charge around here, along with US of Alaska, and it's great to have you on board. How exactly does one get into theoretical ecology? It sounds like something I'd love doing for a living.

Let me be the first person to say Welcome on Board!

Its no problem if you cant help out very much. But if you can find some spare time you could be a huge help at programming. We have recently decided we have to at least finish one part of the Game(cell stage) so this project can go anywhere and at the same time we have a huge shortage of programmers so ....meh.

(looks like scio was faster :D)

Hello fellow programmer! Right now roadkillguy and I are the only programmers, so any help is great. Right now we're still working on the engine (OpenGL / SDL in C++), and the hg repo is available at https://sourceforge.net/p/thrivegame/code/ci/dfdc7979ab678e7f20abdd703c5888b18a382f80/tree/ (I'm apparently not allowed to post links ). Unfortunately, roadkillguy is the only one who can push to it afaik, so I'm trying to straighten it out. It's not the most up to date version because of that, but it should get fixed soon enough. Welcome!

You should be able to post them. I fixed that one for you.

Welcome to the forums!
That is all

Thanks for the welcome all!

@~sciocont
The only way I know of working on thoeretical ecology is in academia (I'm a PhD student), and even there it's a fairly new, and very small, field. As far as earning a living is concerned, I need to figure out how I'm going to do that myself next year. It's certainly very interesting though, and if you like I'll explain futher some time.

I'll certainly try and help where I can with the coding, in what time I do have free. I've had a look at the repository and whats there so far looks straightforwards enough, though it's worth pointing out that my knowledge of OpenGL and SDL are very basic, so while I'm happy to code backend stuff I probably won't be much use for anything graphical just yet.

Do we have an IRC or some other way of talking to eachother directly? Judging by what I've read on the forum over the last few hours some things have been discussed in more detail elsewhere and summarised here?

Hahaha you're perfect! Theoretical ecology... that's exactly what were trying to do. Given that you know c++, you can help at least clarify the general ideas of the public into a programmatical flow. (Details are often overlooked.)

I wrote that code this morning (GMT) and I definitely didn't expect it to be checked out already. I've made some changes (Actual implementation of the State Engine), and I will push them soon.

IRC is on the portal.

roadkillguy wrote:

Hahaha you're perfect! Theoretical ecology... that's exactly what were trying to do. Given that you know c++, you can help at least clarify the general ideas of the public into a programmatical flow. (Details are often overlooked.)

I wrote that code this morning (GMT) and I definitely didn't expect it to be checked out already. I've made some changes (Actual implementation of the State Engine), and I will push them soon.

Heh, thanks. I'd guessed that one of the most useful things I'd be able to do would probably be helping translate between science and code. I'm also happy to get more actively involved in the code when possible, if we have a list of things which need doing?

I'll carry on looking through the recent threads and see where I can contribute, unless there are some specific threads I should be looking at?

Seregon wrote:

roadkillguy wrote:

Hahaha you're perfect! Theoretical ecology... that's exactly what were trying to do. Given that you know c++, you can help at least clarify the general ideas of the public into a programmatical flow. (Details are often overlooked.)

I wrote that code this morning (GMT) and I definitely didn't expect it to be checked out already. I've made some changes (Actual implementation of the State Engine), and I will push them soon.

Heh, thanks. I'd guessed that one of the most useful things I'd be able to do would probably be helping translate between science and code. I'm also happy to get more actively involved in the code when possible, if we have a list of things which need doing?

I'll carry on looking through the recent threads and see where I can contribute, unless there are some specific threads I should be looking at?

If you could look through our Auto-Evo procedure, that would be good. We're also discussing how to manage food webs in biomes right now.

Seregon wrote:

I'm a biologist, mathematician, and theoretical ecologist (I study, and model, how organisms interact and ecosystems behave using mathematics). I'm also a programmer (proficient in c++ and c#). However I have fairly little free time to dedicate to something like this right now, which means that while I'm happy to help with the science, and help code some specific aspects of the design, I can't commit to being a general programmer.

It's like you're a combination of me and scio... except better, because neither of us can program our way out of a paper box. Are you sure you're not related to us?

Anyhow, welcome to thrive - I'm Calli and I'm an environmental science/archaeology major who got dragged in here last year because they needed someone who'd had at least one class on ecology. I'm the one currently working on how we will program biomes. Awesome of you to join us.

Theoretical ecologist? Programmer? Good god, this man is the Thrive messiah! Heheh, promise we won't put too much pressure on you, though. I definitely think you'll be a great help, though.

Also, welcome to the team! It seems Scio has directed you to all the relevant pages.

Welcome! Sorry I'm late... I've been mostly lying in bed and getting headaches in a house in the rain by the beach for a week with no wifi. My opinion -> But I'm back now. And I have a week of podcasts to watch.

...
Welcome, possible relative of the Sciolligraphers!
Possibly a long-lost cousin who went to live under the sea years ago and only now has returned with the powers of the ocean at your command... Or a coincidence.

Welcome! You know science and maths and programming... Do you realise what this means? This means you are... The chosen one! Please note this status does not provide any extra privileges or merit. It just draws the attention of many garden gnomes and sea urchins. Do not be afraid, they only attack the chosen ones when they are over 50 years old... If you are over 50, then do be afraid. Be very afraid.

Thanks again all! Hopefully I can live up to some of those expectations in whatever time I do have available.

I'm away for the next week, and unfortunately won't have any internet access for most of that time. Afterwards however I should have a somewhat reduced workload for a while, so may be of more use.

You'll be available just in time. We've pretty much finished the menu and GameStates. We might be able to add a loading screen or something, but other than that we should be good to go for cell stage (definitely by then).

Hello again everyone, I spent a few weeks here last year getting involved in Thrive's development. While I really rather enjoyed it, work got in the way, and after being unable to contribute any time to the project for a few weeks I gave up and left.

Ever since I've been mulling over some of the discussion I had here, and I've spent the last several months lurking on the forums and exploring some of the concepts developed here for myself. Now I'd like to come back and actively contribute to the development again.

I have various ideas and developments I'll be posting over the next several days, but for now I simply wanted to say hello again, so I'll leave it at that.

roadkillguy wrote:

You'll be available just in time. We've pretty much finished the menu and GameStates. We might be able to add a loading screen or something, but other than that we should be good to go for cell stage (definitely by then).

How soon will ready the stage?

You came back just in time. I'd focus more on programming if I were you, since roadkillguy's ditched us, if you hadn't found out already.

Doggit - the post you quoted is almost a year old, please check the timestamp before responding to something. The stage in question is still in progress, we don't know when it'll be done.

Brennus - I will be doing some programming, which I'll post more about on Monday. Also, RoadKill hasn't "ditched" us, he's fed up, and understandably so.

I won't be on over the weekend, so will start posting the ideas I mentioned either late Sunday or on Monday.

Seregon wrote:

Also, RoadKill hasn't "ditched" us, he's fed up, and understandably so.

I'm here to confirm that neither I nor Roadkill have ascended to a different plane of being. There are several factors to my periodic absences, I'm sure there's plenty of stuff outside of Thrive that Roadkill has responsibilities for as well. In my case, the absences are only temporary, and last I heard from Roadkill his absence was directly tied to the lack of available programmers, and the fact that it would take months, if not years, to turn more forumgoers into useful members of the programming team.

Mysterious_Calligrapher wrote:

I'm here to confirm that neither I nor Roadkill have ascended to a different plane of being. There are several factors to my periodic absences, I'm sure there's plenty of stuff outside of Thrive that Roadkill has responsibilities for as well. In my case, the absences are only temporary, and last I heard from Roadkill his absence was directly tied to the lack of available programmers, and the fact that it would take months, if not years, to turn more forumgoers into useful members of the programming team.

We actually know have a pretty decent programmer team thanks to a reddit post on Thrive. Hopefully their work and efforts will ease his frustration of being the only programmer for so long...

But seriously they are a good bunch they work together really well.

NickTheNick wrote:

Mysterious_Calligrapher wrote:

I'm here to confirm that neither I nor Roadkill have ascended to a different plane of being. There are several factors to my periodic absences, I'm sure there's plenty of stuff outside of Thrive that Roadkill has responsibilities for as well. In my case, the absences are only temporary, and last I heard from Roadkill his absence was directly tied to the lack of available programmers, and the fact that it would take months, if not years, to turn more forumgoers into useful members of the programming team.

We actually know have a pretty decent programmer team thanks to a reddit post on Thrive. Hopefully their work and efforts will ease his frustration of being the only programmer for so long...

But seriously they are a good bunch they work together really well.

Scio mentioned something of the sort when he suggested that I hadn't been here in a while.