Periodic Table of Developmental Epics
This page is meant to work out the structure of the pattern for the creation of the FærieMUD world. It's an attempt to map the process of distributed agile development? onto the developmental algorithm we're using in the game world.
[MG - I'm not quite sure yet what is being distinguished from its surroundings in this Pattern – but perhaps that's because I can't yet see the "end". I have a feeling it's something like "gameplay" or "stories" or something. ]
Periods
| Balance | Name | Description |
| -1 | Pre-natal | Setup |
| 0 | Incorporative | Framework |
Elements
Each of these elements is a proposed Epic, or a story which describes a single milestone (or iteration) for the TracRoadmap. Each of these epics will contain one or more finer-grained stories describing specific tasks to be completed.
The Pre-natal Period
The pre-natal balance's epics aren't listed as milestones because there's nothing to do for them.
Hydrogen Epic – The Desire
As players of other online games, we searched for games which had a high degree of immersiveness and believability, depth of character, and an emphasis on story. We have yet to find one, though some have come close.
Helium Epic – Hubris
We realized that no one's likely to create the game we want for us. Being programmers and game designers ourselves, we decide that the only way we'll ever be able to play the game we want is if we create it ourselves.
HUBRIS: Excessive pride, the sort of thing Zeus zaps you for. Also the quality that makes you write (and maintain) programs that other people won't want to say bad things about. Hence, the third great virtue of a programmer.
– Larry Wall, the inventor of the Perl programming language
Incorporative Period
Lithium Epic – The Ether
As programmers, we need some place to hold the bits that make up the expression of the world, so we create a space in the ether to house our ideas and our implementation of them.
Beryllium Epic - Actuality
As a player, I want a world to exist which I can connect to, so that I can play in it.
Boron Epic - Observation
As a player, I want to be able to observe the world around me, so that I can distinguish between myself and other things.
Carbon Epic - Volition
As a player, I want to be able to cause my character to do things, so that I can interact with the world.
Nitrogen Epic - Stories
As a designer, I want to have an organized story, so that players have a representation of what is happening they can relate to.
As a player, I want my character to remember past events, so I can interact with a growing history.
