Share the Collaborative Spirit

It has been over four years since the first public release of Sauerbraten, during which time Cube Engine 2 technology has evolved significantly. Not only is it a platform for building games in a new and exciting way, but working with it is in and of itself an artform. We have plenty of neat features to play with, and amazing eyecandy effects done efficiently and cleanly, which makes it a great choice for anyone looking to make their own games quickly in today's market using open source software.

I myself, started modding with the original Cube Engine quite some time ago, creating fun little things with my friends in Coop-Edit and tweaking the interface with it, but it wasn't until a few years ago I decided I needed to do something more constructive with this knowledge. Joining in with the community, through the forums, Quadropolis, and on IRC, I started a project to give Sauerbraten bots, which soon snowballed into an effort to enhance the game with things that both myself and the community wanted, which was later known as SauerMod. While this was a fun and educational experience, I was inherently limited in my ability to push the boundaries of what we could do with the engine due to the fact I was trying to maintain compatibility with the original.

Fortunately, I worked very openly in the community helping others with their own things (when they'd demonstrated to me they were serious and productive of course), which is how I met Tony Cord, my current partner in the Blood Frontier project. We have worked for over a year together building a totally new game from the Cube Engine, helping people reevaluate their view of what can be done, and just how good things can look with some TLC. During all my development efforts, I have always tried to maintain a presence in the community and fostering the open source collaborative "spirit", and that is exactly what I hope to accomplish in this blog, with everyone.

One thing I have found during my time in the community, is that quite alot of people using the engine are cut off from each other communicatively, apart from the Cube Engine forums and Quadropolis. While I have been trying to foster this spirit in the community, it hasn't been as good or as easy as it could be. Hopefully, this blog can serve as a central hub for Cube Engine modders, developers, arists, and supporters; where sharing information and and the bits we learn along the way is paramount. Together we can help further our knowledge of what can be done with this amazing technology, while sharing that with the rest of the world, and it would be great if you would all join me in this effort.

Here, I will try to cover all areas of Cube Engine development, from working with the source code and adding your own stuff, to the web development of the forums and Quadropolis, with open discussions on future endeavours, and who knows, maybe I can coax others to do the same along the way.