THIS FORUM IS NOW OBSOLETE

THIS FORUM IS NOW OBSOLETE

We have migrated to two new forums. Developers have moved here:

http://forum.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/

If you would like to join the developer team, follow the instructions here:

http://revolutionarygamesstudio.com/get-involved/

Meanwhile, the fans have moved to this forum:

http://thrivegame.freeforums.net/

Don't despair, the project is still very much alive!

Please ignore everything below.


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READ BEFORE POSTING

Welcome new user to the Thrive project! If you are interested in contributing to this daunting project, make sure to introduce yourself and your talents in the following subforum:
https://thrivegame.canadaboard.net/f5-applications
so we get to know you.

Before starting a new thread, make sure you post your suggestion or question on the https://thrivegame.canadaboard.net/t1403-miscellaneous-bugs-and-questions-that-don-t-deserve-their-own-thread-thread -- they can develop to their own threads if need be, but post them there first.

When suggesting new ideas, make sure that they are implementable. Post them with an explanation of how they will be implemented. For example, it is very easy to suggest continental drift and dynamic planet tectonics, but it's important to take into account the context of the stages before and after the feature, the complexity versus the reward of the idea, and how well it would fit into the limitations of the game's engine and the current planet generation and data storage methods. As such, it helps to have experience in game development, or programming, when suggesting new features for the game.

In our time here on the forums, we have developed our own jargon of game related terms. Check https://thrivegame.canadaboard.net/t116-thrive-abbreviations-dictionary for the meanings of these.

Be warned that if you are a guest, you cannot open embedded links.

What is Thrive?

Thrive is a free, open-source game that will see the player evolve from a single cell to a space-faring civilization. We are using the GPL license. For a more detailed synopsis, check out the link to our first wiki below.

How to Get Involved

If you have just joined, you will not be able to post anywhere other than the applications and get involved subforums. To join the team, post an application in the application subforum (i.e. create a new thread introducing yourself and how you can help), and if the mods are happy with it they will move you into the developer usergroup and you will gain regular posting capability. In your application, tell us about yourself and what you can do, as well as any past project experiences you might have had, or show some samples of your work. This would include art as an artist or demo as a coder. Don't panic, we aren't looking for MIT computer science graduates, we just want people who can help make a game in one way or another, as listed below (as opposed to a plethora of useless users, which we have unfortunately had to deal with in the past). If you have applied and we accepted you, and you still cannot post elsewhere, please message one of the mods, because we don't want to have you prevented from posting. Also, if you think we should undo the application system to go back to the way we were before, make sure to post your thoughts in the GET INVOLVED subforum.

Make sure to start at the GET INVOLVED thread ( https://thrivegame.canadaboard.net/t1097-get-involved ) if you would like to join the development. It should guide you to the important threads and subforums you need to be familiar with for your area(s) of contribution. However, don't forget to finish reading this thread first.

If you are thinking of applying, we are looking for people with skills in most fields of game development. These fields include:

• Programming
  
• Modelling
  
• Scripting
  
• Animation
  
• Audio
  
• Composing
  
• Texturing
  
• Project management/Outreach
  
• Science and mathematics (Experienced)
  

If you have experience in one or more of these fields and wish to help, we would be very appreciative, and glad to have you on the team. More talent is always welcome, and there will always be new tasks to do.

For programming, we keep track of our work here:
https://github.com/Revolutionary-Games/Thrive

Unfortunately, if you do not have experience in any field pertaining to the game's development such as those mentioned above, and come as more of an "idea-man", there is little for you to do. Years of existence of this project has resulted in most concepts of the game being planned out. Several game design documents are being developed. Chances are that new ideas which new people want to suggest have already been mentioned. Most importantly, talking takes time away from implementing -- Thrive has dealt with accusations of being vaporware in the past, and the only way to fix that is to make the game.

We understand, of course, that a game as ambitious as Thrive will get people excited. Check out our community forums, or one of our social media outlets below (of which our reddit page is the most active).

Downloads

Here is the link to the thread of the official releases of the game.

https://thrivegame.canadaboard.net/t1276-thrive-releases

Official Website

http://revolutionarygamesstudio.com/

Community Forum

This forum is for any fans who can't help develop the game, but would like to share ideas and talk about it.

http://thrivegame.freeforums.net/

Wikis

There are two wikis for the Thrive project. The first one, below, is meant for developer use, and is a more in-depth wiki with details explained to help developers keep tracks and records of implementing systems and ideas into the game. Editing rights to this wiki must be granted, and are only given to higher level developers and mods on the team.
http://thrivegame.wikidot.com/

The second wiki is for fan and community use. It will be most important to keep track of the game's details and information when the game itself has come out. Anyone registered to Wikia can edit this wiki.
http://thrive.wikia.com/wiki/Thrive_Wiki

Forum Rules and Etiquette

Here on the thrive development forums, we take pride in our work, and that means we expect a certain level of respect, professionalism, and effort from our posters. For the most part, these expectations are followed by all members, and rarely does anyone have to reprimand another member of the forums. Nonetheless, there may be some confusion among members as to what is expected of them, so this thread exists to establish guidelines for forum behavior.

General Rules

• Respect other members. This means that any personal attacks are unwelcome, and any language that is purposefully inflammatory or derisive is prohibited.
  
• Stay on topic. Please only post information in threads that that information is pertinent towards, and try to discuss issues tangential tom the thread's main purpose as little as possible.
  
• Act professionally. It's fine to have personality, but we want to run an efficient forum where ideas are exchanged quickly without too much superfluous chit-chat.
  
• Leave the dead to rest. Please don't post in threads that haven't seen any activity in the past year or so. If you want to start discussion on them again, first post about it on this thread.
  
• Think before you post.
  

Things to Remember

• We are a worldwide community. Many of our members speak English as a second or third language, so be accepting of misspellings and imperfect grammar. At the same time, try to keep your own posts as coherent as possible, so that there is minimal misunderstanding between members.
  
• There is a hierarchy of command. When there is a question or dispute, don't be afraid to summon a moderator or team lead to the thread to resolve it.
  
• Thrive has been around for a while. We've had lots of ideas, and lots of those ideas didn't make the cut, or are being put on the back burner to be dealt with at a later date. If we've already thought of your idea, or seem to dismiss it fairly quickly, don't be offended. We've probably seen it before.
  

Social Media

If you want to stay in contact with the development of Thrive, you can keep up with us on our various social media outlets below:

http://www.reddit.com/r/thrive/
https://twitter.com/thrive_game
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Thrive/182887991751358
http://www.moddb.com/games/thrive/#3972672
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCExSTMH-xrTmhv0IWBaTmxA
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/ThriveGame

FAQ

I have a really cool idea! Where do I put it?

Spoiler:

I've checked the FAQs and Wiki, but haven't found an answer to my question. Where should I ask it?

Spoiler:

Newcomers ask these general questions often.

What is Thrive?

Spoiler:

When is the game coming out?

Spoiler:

How much will the game cost?

Spoiler:

What will the game be rated?

Spoiler:

Can I play this on my Mac?

Spoiler:

Is this game like EA/ Maxis's Spore?

Spoiler:

These game concept questions come up a lot.

How do I play the game?

Spoiler:

How do I evolve my species?

Spoiler:

How do I make buildings/ weapons/vehicles?

Spoiler:

Can I play as an aquatic species?

Spoiler:

Can I play as a tree?

Spoiler:

Sometimes our forums can be a little confusing.
What is "Belgium"?

Spoiler:

I don't understand some things that seem to be technical terms- PPG, org, Direct Editing, FP, etc. What are they?

Spoiler:

What does "QFT" mean?

Spoiler:

What are team leads/how do I become one?

Spoiler:

Other questions get asked by newcomers all of the time Here are some particularly memorable ones.

Can I become a civilized species underwater?

Spoiler:

Can I live on a planet without water?

Spoiler:

Can I change physics in the game?

Spoiler:

Can I make new elements/ chemicals?

Spoiler:

You should use Space Engine!

Spoiler:

You should use a kickstarter!

Spoiler:

On creating elements

I actually believe this should be possible. The biome system is based on compounds, and technically for development we will be experimenting with these compounds until life arises, no? I see no reason why a sapient race shouldn't be able to introduce "new" compounds into an environment just to mess with it.

In order to do anything, however, the compound must have some defined reactions with others otherwise it would be no fun!

Just my two cents.

roadkillguy wrote:

On creating elements

I actually believe this should be possible. The biome system is based on compounds, and technically for development we will be experimenting with these compounds until life arises, no? I see no reason why a sapient race shouldn't be able to introduce "new" compounds into an environment just to mess with it.

In order to do anything, however, the compound must have some defined reactions with others otherwise it would be no fun!

Just my two cents.

Using some existing substances (not all gazillion of them) would be okay, I think the point is we can’t create new elements because they all have been discovered*, and so know any other is impossible. Simulating all the discovered elements would inherently mean programming pretty much all of known physics into the game. Using predefined substances means we can define how they work, and so avoid going over the top with how much we’re asking the computer to do. Note the question does say 'can I make new (as in, non-existent/fantastical) elements & compounds’. We can still define the major properties of a few existing ones, including reactions.

*Well, predicted, but through very, very intelligent predictions. The only reason they aren’t all discovered is because making them would be a waste of time because we know** they exist and don’t really need them.

**Are very, very, very, very, very, very certain.

roadkillguy wrote:

On creating elements

I actually believe this should be possible. The biome system is based on compounds, and technically for development we will be experimenting with these compounds until life arises, no? I see no reason why a sapient race shouldn't be able to introduce "new" compounds into an environment just to mess with it.

In order to do anything, however, the compound must have some defined reactions with others otherwise it would be no fun!

Just my two cents.

We need to talk about the biome system and nutrients soon, because I really want to classify all of our nutrient compounds.

~sciocont wrote:

roadkillguy wrote:

On creating elements

I actually believe this should be possible. The biome system is based on compounds, and technically for development we will be experimenting with these compounds until life arises, no? I see no reason why a sapient race shouldn't be able to introduce "new" compounds into an environment just to mess with it.

In order to do anything, however, the compound must have some defined reactions with others otherwise it would be no fun!

Just my two cents.

We need to talk about the biome system and nutrients soon, because I really want to classify all of our nutrient compounds.

Shall we do it now, since not much else is going on? It’s probably best we do is while we’re still doing the background stuff for planets, this will probably be a fairly important part of their design.

I know you said it wasn't up for debate but what if your species evolved like Semi-Aquatic Mammal/Reptile then could you be sentient underwater?

Sentient_Cats wrote:

I know you said it wasn't up for debate but what if your species evolved like Semi-Aquatic Mammal/Reptile then could you be sentient underwater?

You can become sentient underwater, you just wouldn't be able to develop advanced technology, since you'd have no access to fire. If you are semi-aquatic, or amphibious, then you can leave to the sea and so use fire.

The Uteen wrote:

Sentient_Cats wrote:

I know you said it wasn't up for debate but what if your species evolved like Semi-Aquatic Mammal/Reptile then could you be sentient underwater?

You can become sentient underwater, you just wouldn't be able to develop advanced technology, since you'd have no access to fire. If you are semi-aquatic, or amphibious, then you can leave to sea and so use fire.

But being Amphibious with fire can cause them to dry-up and die of dehydration so like Semi-Aquatic Mammals/Reptiles like Marine Iguanas or the Platypus would work better. (I forget the plural)

Sentient_Cats wrote:

The Uteen wrote:

Sentient_Cats wrote:

I know you said it wasn't up for debate but what if your species evolved like Semi-Aquatic Mammal/Reptile then could you be sentient underwater?

You can become sentient underwater, you just wouldn't be able to develop advanced technology, since you'd have no access to fire. If you are semi-aquatic, or amphibious, then you can leave to sea and so use fire.

But being Amphibious with fire can cause them to dry-up and die of dehydration so like Semi-Aquatic Mammals/Reptiles like Marine Iguanas or the Platypus would work better. (I forget the plural)

There is no plural for the word platypus.

~sciocont wrote:

Sentient_Cats wrote:

The Uteen wrote:

Sentient_Cats wrote:

I know you said it wasn't up for debate but what if your species evolved like Semi-Aquatic Mammal/Reptile then could you be sentient underwater?

You can become sentient underwater, you just wouldn't be able to develop advanced technology, since you'd have no access to fire. If you are semi-aquatic, or amphibious, then you can leave to sea and so use fire.

But being Amphibious with fire can cause them to dry-up and die of dehydration so like Semi-Aquatic Mammals/Reptiles like Marine Iguanas or the Platypus would work better. (I forget the plural)

There is no plural for the word platypus.

There isn't
Did I figure out a way for underwater sentience? (probably not)

~sciocont wrote:

There is no plural for the word platypus.

Given its apparent latin roots, wouldn't it be platypi?

Tenebrarum wrote:

~sciocont wrote:

There is no plural for the word platypus.

Given its apparent latin roots, wouldn't it be platypi?

You'd think that, but it isn't. There is no accepted plural for the word. When speaking of more than one platypus, you must use the phrase "a platypus and x others".

~sciocont wrote:

Tenebrarum wrote:

~sciocont wrote:

There is no plural for the word platypus.

Given its apparent latin roots, wouldn't it be platypi?

You'd think that, but it isn't. There is no accepted plural for the word. When speaking of more than one platypus, you must use the phrase "a platypus and x others".

I'm pretty sure the plural is "platypodes", just like the plural for octopus is "octopodes".

Reign Dance wrote:

~sciocont wrote:

Tenebrarum wrote:

~sciocont wrote:

There is no plural for the word platypus.

Given its apparent latin roots, wouldn't it be platypi?

You'd think that, but it isn't. There is no accepted plural for the word. When speaking of more than one platypus, you must use the phrase "a platypus and x others".

I'm pretty sure the plural is "platypodes", just like the plural for octopus is "octopodes".

WAT. That's definitely not right.

Reign Dance wrote:

I'm pretty sure the plural is "platypodes", just like the plural for octopus is "octopodes".

Okay.

*Rolls up sleeves*

Here we go.

This is a lie. It would be true had octopus and platypus come from Greek, but they did not, they came from Latin. Both words in /Latin/ come from Greek roots (oktopodes) but the words themselves are Latin and therefore follow the basic forms of that language, with "us" being the ending for a 2nd declension nominative singular, and "i" being a 2nd declension nominative plural.

This myth largely results from the two-step etymology. Don't let it fool you though, we speak these words because they are Latin, not Greek (Latin being heavily spoken in England until the 1700s). Therefore they should be treated as Latin words and not Greek ones.

Tenebrarum wrote:

Reign Dance wrote:

I'm pretty sure the plural is "platypodes", just like the plural for octopus is "octopodes".

Okay.

*Rolls up sleeves*

Here we go.

This is a lie. It would be true had octopus and platypus come from Greek, but they did not, they came from Latin. Both words in /Latin/ come from Greek roots (oktopodes) but the words themselves are Latin and therefore follow the basic forms of that language, with "us" being the ending for a 2nd declension nominative singular, and "i" being a 2nd declension nominative plural.

This myth largely results from the two-step etymology. Don't let it fool you though, we speak these words because they are Latin, not Greek (Latin being heavily spoken in England until the 1700s). Therefore they should be treated as Latin words and not Greek ones.

BOOM. Etymology.

Adding to useless semantic discussion, "octopi" is an accepted form. Platypi is not, primarily because of linguistic (i.e. this sounds weird) reasons. Possibly also because they're unusual. "Hippotomi" also follows this rule.

Latin one, huzzah.

In the release answer, it is said that it will be released in parts. Well, when will the first part be released?

Halowraith1 wrote:

In the release answer, it is said that it will be released in parts. Well, when will the first part be released?

Probably within the year.

JUst to be sure, this Year right?

yes.

~sciocont wrote:

Halowraith1 wrote:

In the release answer, it is said that it will be released in parts. Well, when will the first part be released?

Probably within the year.

Wait, this year? Wow, i'm kinda lost for words... What will the camera be like when you're a land creature? Third person?

Halowraith1 wrote:

~sciocont wrote:

Halowraith1 wrote:

In the release answer, it is said that it will be released in parts. Well, when will the first part be released?

Probably within the year.

Wait, this year? Wow, i'm kinda lost for words... What will the camera be like when you're a land creature? Third person?

Yes this year

Halowraith1 wrote:

~sciocont wrote:

Halowraith1 wrote:

In the release answer, it is said that it will be released in parts. Well, when will the first part be released?

Probably within the year.

Wait, this year? Wow, i'm kinda lost for words... What will the camera be like when you're a land creature? Third person?

You can read about cameras and controls here. I'm going to quote myself from another threead:

Quote :

Current concept
You will be able to play in 1st and 3rd person. 1st will be defined by a "camera" you place somewhere on your creature. 3rd will operate like spore's 3rd person camera. In first person, your senses will correlate to your actual creature's senses (we've discussed different render methods for different senses somewhere)