I feel like there isn't as much development going on as there could (should?) be on GameDev.net.
We're a game developer community, but I don't see a lot of focus on actual game projects or projects relating to games. There are a lot of members here on GameDev, but not many of them seem to actively post and not many seem to be posting about their projects.
So the point of this thread is to brainstorm for ideas on how to increase the amount of developing we do, as a community and as individuals.
If discussion-type threads aren't supposed to go in the CSI forum, then this should probably be moved, because I'm not trying to make this thread focus solely on my own suggestions.
Anyway, here are some of my ideas.
Disclaimer: I don't consider myself a game development expert and I'm not experienced with web development well enough to understand if these are hopeless ideas or not. These aren't refined and polished, they're just 'ideas' to help start a discussion.
For the 'as a community' part:
I see big benefits to developing as a team. You can learn a lot and you can make games faster and with more creativity when there are extra people helping out the project. However, you can also waste people's time and make a bad reputation for yourself if your project crashes and burns into a miserable clump of failure.
I'd like to work with people to develop my own projects, but I don't have any method of paying people for it, and if I were to promise royalties, then I'd have to figure out how to release the game somewhere where it'd get attention and can be sold, and work out the necessary contracts for sharing royalties. I don't know how to do that stuff. Not a lot of people will, but I think there are a lot of people on these forums with the capability of working together to produce good results.
Is there any way that GameDev can help here? Maybe to "ease the pain" of managing and starting team projects?
Maybe we could allow the selling of games on the Marketplace, and incorporate revenue-sharing plans into the Classifieds. The Classifieds could be used as a method of managing a project (instead of just advertising it), and the project leader could organize how much of the sales profits each member gets. When a game project is finished, it is put up for sale on the Marketplace and any profits are automatically split between members of the project (by a percentage that's determined by the project leader).
We're a big community; if a project leader is offering unreasonably low percentages of profits to certain members of the team, then certainly someone will call them out on it.
For the "as individuals" part...
Journals don't seem to get much of a showcase. They have the potential of being a very good way for the developers to get some followers of their game that may be willing to play/buy it when it's released, and for the viewers to learn about the development process.
I talked a bit about some relevant stuff in this post in a discussion in The Lounge about the Image of the Day. I'll say it again, because I don't think I was very clear in that post...
I think Journals should be changed to "Projects", and GameDev should put more focus on these Projects. Every Project has its own updates posted about the progress, a discussion section where GameDev members can ask questions and offer suggestions, slideshows of screenshots and concept art, and a spacious place to describe the project in detail, which is something I think the Journals especially lack right now.
I also think this should be incorporated into the front page somehow. Perhaps by showing recently posted images and updates from "Projects".
Anyway, I'm going to shut up now. I hope to hear some other people's opinions on these matters. I might think up some more to say now, but it feels like I've been writing this post for 2 hours now, so I'm going to let it sit for a bit and (hopefully) read some other people's opinions before I ramble on anymore.