Haven Cooperative Concept

Teodric Abstract: This document is one of a series of documents describing the Haven project. The document introduces some ideas about how to manage and drive forward the Haven project. Haven is a project aiming to produce tools for creating multiplayer games and for creating such games themselves.
Copyright notes, author information etc can be found via a link at the bottom of the page.

Availability: Public

Abstract - Contents - Project Background - Project Goal - Sample - Encouraging Participation - Copyright

Project Background

The Haven project is a project by and for volunteers and enthusiasts. The aim is to explore the process of creating computer games and the future of digital entertainment. Within the project there is room for discussion and implementation in all areas related to computer games - tools, designs, actual games, art, fiction or research. All contributions are welcome, and any contributor is welcome.

From the beginning, this is my project - Olof Ekström's project. For a very long time, I have worked toward my own goals and been satisfied with doing so on my own. There have been other contributors, and the project and the vision have changed many times. However, by now I am convinced it will be more fruitful to try harder to seek out and join others who might be interested. For this reason, the cooperative concept was created. The intention is that this will make prospective participants interested in joining and contributing.

For more information in the various parts of the project see the Haven document list. For more information about what is driving my own (Olof Ekström's, a.k.a. Teodric) work, see the Credo .

Project Goal

The ultimate goal of the project is beyond the scope of any single game development project, namely to explore the future of digital entertainment and to find out how to create digital content that can carry on the evolution of human narrative into the future.

Along the way, many different ideas and projects will evolve and develop. While most of them will doubtless never become finished products released to the public, it is not impossible that some may be. Indeed, it is the intention to bring any project that is deemed worthy of it to reality, and use it to help further the main goals of the project and the project's participants.

What is Needed

With my background - computer programmer with a heavy interest in graphics, simulation and games - it is not surprising that I choose to start at the architectural issues of computer games, and that I choose the most complicated applications possible, namely massively online persistent worlds. The bulk of work done so far is oriented toward such games. While my interests stretches across many different disciplines that are relevant in the Haven project, there are many areas where my skills are far too inadequate. There is also the important factor of time, and the fact that two people can achieve more than one, not to mention they'll probably have more fun doing it.

What do I have to show for all my work so far? Several hundred pages of specifications and drafts (some, but not all of it, is available within these pages). Many thousand lines of code. The beginnings of a workable server architecture and client for a generic network game based on license free code. Many many ideas that have grown over more than 10 years, and many ideas for what I want to do in the end. No, I don't have playable demos. It would be easier and more correct to think that I had nothing at all.

So I need help - see the Cooperation Needs document.

Contributions

I have an outline of a scheme for adding media contributions to the project. The project does not at this time have any budget to make purchases of media. The need for different types of media is large. This includes graphics (mainly textures and interface), models (structures, items, creatures and characters), animation data (motion capture for creatures and characters), audio effects and music as well as background art, storyline material and very general design concepts.
For all these types of material, the following may work:

anyone can submit material to the project
the project will make available some lists of specific items that are needed (for example, the project may list it needs textures for a bronze age settlement, but that the need for starship data is limited)
any data that is received is placed in one of two categories; immediately useful for data that fits well with the current needs of the project, or stand by for other data.
all data submitted must be the original work of the submitter. The person/company submitting the data must state in a binding fashion that he/she/it is the holder of any intellectual property rights pertaining to the works. The project cannot assume reliability to check these things.
the submitter retains these property rights.
the project gains the rights to use the submitted material, provided some conditions are met
once/if the project gains funding and/or commercial status, all data is purchased according to some scheme which will need to be established in advance. At the time of this purchase, any intellectual property rights may or may not be transferred as in any ordinary media purchase.
should the project dissolve or not have reached the status outlined above before some date, all rights are returned to the original submitter.
during the period between submitting the material and it's use in a commercial sense, the submitter still has the right to use the material
the rights to use submitted material cannot be sold, given, lent or leased. Should the project be acquired by a third party or something similar happen, any media rights will have to be re-negotiated. This clause exists to protect the submitter from the project or someone connected to it frauding or stealing these properties.

The intent is that any submitted and used data is to be duly rewarded, eventually. The goal of this setup is to make it possible and attractive for students and amateurs to make art and media and get it used in an "official" context. It should be very useful for those who need to get firsts in a CV or portfolio. At the same time, it aims to provide the project with some decent quality media at low cost and with the possible benefits of eventually rewarding those contributing to the project and making it worthwhile to engage to a larger extent. At the time the project reaches commercial status, this scheme should be terminated and any deals made within it be converted to ordinary business practice. Note that there is no guarantee regarding this ever happening, nor of the size of rewards should it happen.

Links

(No links)

Copyright

This text was written in its entirety by Olof Ekström. For more information about the author of this page, see Olof Ekström's personal information in the Project Profiles document.

Bälinge/Uppsala, Sweden, July 2001