Empowerment Open Task List

This might bear looking at: http://todotxt.com/library/todo.sh/

The basic premise is to have the list stored in a text file, then use a shell script to edit it, sort it, etc... To have that done on a shared file on a server somewhere shouldn't be too much of a stretch

Empowerment Manifesto - WHY IS THIS NOT DONE?  Jesus

Afternow Game

Burning Man plan

gencon PAN game (fritz)

This clarifies some things. For the better. I think I have a better ide what to do now regarding what to do later and whe whole general mess of todo.

Todoloo? 

I'm gonna go over the list of accounts on this site, look at profiles, match up open missions and immediate need missions to profiles, contact individuals, and ask them to take the missions on.

Maybe we can pull back in people who wanted to participate but gave up trying to figure out HOW in one fell swoop.   

Maybe each large mission can have it's own google doc which is published to the greater web.  Inside each mission we can just post a list of small tasks that need done with descriptions.  Eventually, of course, those will all be missions on the site.

Then at the bottom of the document we can provide a link to the discussion forum on the site for that individual project.

Not sure how to make it more effective, but it seems like it'll be a good first start. 

I like a lot of what you said,.. though I don't agree with the continued use of droople, its clunky and dysfunctional and would be better suited with a program like PHP BB or PHP nuke for message boarding.. but thats a personal issue,.. I personally hate the program and its interface. Its functions too much like open office and is just not fluid enough for a web site, not to mention i've had too many problems of the site loosing what I type every time I submit and then having to retype it 50 billion times till it finally accepts which is why I don't post very often. I end up wasting too much time fucking around with a bloody post and not enough time getting shit done, which to me is what this site is about.

As it stands I've already typed this message three times on the site and had to retype it because I didn't select some fucking button or option, or god know what the fuck. But I digress..

What is needed FOR ANY PROJECT is first is a goal

Next,.. that goal needs to be broken up into  sub goals, and broken and broken and broken until you have a series of progressions that will reach an end objective which helps towards the end goal. But if your not sure what that end goal is,.. then you'll achieve nothing which is what it appears is the current problem, You each have an Idea of what you want the site, project and business to do, But you don't have the same vision and this can not organize it. The site needs to have the end objective written down, this is why we develop "mission" statements in business. The Mission is the end objective.

The Business plan is the projection and goal written into a concise ideal, that can be followed while also thinking ahead about what potential flaws may arise and how you project to overcome it. While it is not step by step, it is something that can be referenced when needed so as to reevaluate your project when ever you have doubt or a concern about the project in question.

Take the after now project,.. From what I have gathered you as a group have 4 objective within the end goal. Since we know the end goal is to develop a game, the he base objectives would be 1. Create the concept and base line story. 2. Develop a system, 3. Test the system, 4. Release a final product.

Ok thats simple.. but now whats the next step?
From what I'm gathering, it seams to be write the story,.. Well the story is written, the world is created,.. So technically the first step is completed, all thats needed then is to do a little rewrite and modification of the story which already exists and convert it to a system, which is step 2.

But wait,.. didn't I give a system for this? well not entirely a full system,.. The system I handed over is a system I have been developing for over 4 years,.. But its base line is a 300 page text document. which by all intensive purposes has gain,.. like mentioned before a progress pattern which is written as the table of contents and structure,.. (starting to see a pattern here folks). But All thats needed to then to read the system,.. understand its development, and then go one step further and modify it to your needs and then add in the story like a chassis to a car. So whats left?

Step 3 which is testing and step 4.

But here is the problem Im seeing, I don't see any recognition about step one,.. I see a 4 step process without realism. Every project need delegation, either towards other people, or delegation towards oneself. If your taking on a project you need! need! to know what need to be done, and where each piece lays within the foundation of your project. You cant just develop[p a project and not know how its going to develop. Its like trying to build a house with out a blue print. Sure you have an idea in your head,.. but the end house will never be like the one in your head unless you create a map for what it looks like in the end. Currently I don't see this. Which is why I haven't gotten involved. If I don't see some form of delegation or a  progression of achievement,.. I wont get involved with the project. Sure we can create ideals and worlds about our projections, but they have to be written down so that every one involved has a check list to know what needs to be done. even if that check list is 4000 lines deep, its still a pattern of progression and still a goal that can be achieved.

Its like making a PBJ. The PBJ is your end desired goal. So to make a PBJ, you first determine what it needs, and how to use what it needs effectively. All I see currently is the desire to achieve a goal. When I ask “Hey where are you at” I get filler. I don't get actual answers, I get “Oh were coming along smoothly” which tells me absolutely nothing. Now what I see with this coming convention, is two things, 1. the project wont get done, (because it started way too late and is way too complex), and 2. any project presented at the con will be something pulled out of an ass which will be completely dysfunctional and probably a catastrophic failure. Both of which are ideals I'm going to avoid. Because 1. I have too many other projects I'm doing and 2. I'd rather accept  that the time crunch to pull a minimum 1000 hour project in 2 weeks is not only nuts but way too difficult for any team that doesn't have a strong ethic and dedication to goal orientation and object oriented skills. If your not focused on each step in advance you will fail, or you will not achieve the end desired goal.

Writing any game as a full comprehensive system takes as much time as it does to write a novel. I personally know many novelists, and to this day I don't know one who can have a strong rough draft in two weeks, let alone a complex multi developing game. Games take the very minimum of a month of development. Part of that dev time is dedicated to a large team of at least 20 people. Now,.. you have two equations here. 1. 1000 hours divided between x people = How long it will take to develop a game. Being a former game developer for Electronic arts and 3DO let me tell you have difficult it was with a team of 20, and being that I wrote the core for the deck system RPG and a few others I can personally tell you that from concept to testable product will not take no fucking two weeks.

Additionally,. This project like any other needs delegation. You and all people involved need to know what steps are needed to achieve each task. You all need to know what your working on vs the other members of the “TEAM”. You also need to see what parts are needed and project, “Project” what your going to do and need to do to achieve the task at hand.
Now To start this mountain, you need to break it down into achievable daily mole hills. You need a planed objective, with a daily task sheet so that each day you can see your progress and know where you stand. Each day you need a To do List, bu that list has to be the micro manged mole hill of the mountain. With out it, your only spinning your wheels,. You also need to have “hashing” sessions,.. in which you and those involved sit and communicate about errors problems and technically difficulties, upon which you rebuild your goals and daily tasks on what was determined in your hashing sessions. Myself, I have them weekly with my team up here, But you may opt for daily or weekly which ever is more efficient. Remember The Empowerment site is all about employing the tasks needed to achieve goals. But if all your doing is thinking, and talking and writing about what you desire to do and no one actually does of knows what to do,.. then you've defeated this sites design and purpose. Motivation comes from having an end gaol and mot importantly knowing how to tackle that obstacle. If you don't try and figure out how to tackle the goal then your wasting your time, energy and lastly your money. You need to use your time and energy wisely, just chatting, typing and talking about this helps, but if thats all your doing then its a waste of time that could be applied to your application and desired goal.

One of the reasons why I don't use the empowerment site is because, I fond myself spending too much time chatting and writing and not enough time actually doing. While sure I agree that this site has value,.. I also believe that you can type till your blue, but nothing gets done unless you actually go out and do something about it.

Every one in this team for this or any project needs to come together and as a group take each of the 4 steps and break it down further so that you can delegate each sub step to various people,.. but technically those sup steps should also be broken down as well till you can have a mapped scale progression of development,.. this way when your stumped you can delegate others to the same task and work as a team. Currently what I see is 4 subgoals, without a target for achieving them. But you also lack a system, you lack structure, you lack a progression. If you have a plan, then you cen delegate to your team members each projects task, and once that task is done, you can redirect their energy to something more effectively. But You don't even seem to have and orchestrated “Todo” list that every one can use and have access to. All you have is a end goal and some simple steps. Which is a good start, but this isn't enough. Every one needs to know what else is needed to be done for this or any project to work. Whom ever is in control needs to have a real assessment of the project and each step so that when asked “What should I do” You can answer correctly and directly without wasting any time.