Let's Build a Game (LBAG) is a project to allow gamers, developers, designers and interested people to build a game together.
LBAG aims to create a user-friendly collaborative environment, so technical and non-technical people alike can collaborate and build together and in harmony.
Even though many open source projects exist today, newcomers find it hard to collaborate. They feel intimidated or confused about the complex workflow of the software. LBAG wants to lessen this "collaboration curve" and bring new people to open source software development. We also want to increase the interest of young men and women on Computer Science.
LBAG's first game is an ambitious project called Hacker Experience 2 (HE2). Just like LBAG, Hacker Experience 2 wants to bring more people to Computer Science by teaching, in a fun way, concepts of network, security, software development and more.
Our in-house team built core concepts about HE2, including base game mechanics, what it will be like and what to expect. From these concepts, contributors will expand and shape the final version of the game. Those concepts are simple and very flexible, it's just a way to make sure the game keeps on its intended direction.
The first step is to have an optimistic and inclusive mindset. We can't achieve anything with gratuitous negativity or by inhibiting collaborations.
The next step is to keep ourselves organized (as individuals and as a community). To achieve that, we have a comprehensible contribution guideline, as well as a friendly code of conduct. The purpose of these documents is not to complicate or block progress, but to provide a clear way to improving the project while staying organized.
Finally, we need a workflow. Roughly, our workflow consists of 6 well-defined phases. They help us track progress and enable a constant feedback loop. You can find a high-level description of our workflow at the next section.
Hacker Experience 2 will follow the AGPLv3 License, an FSF-approved license that gives you the freedom to copy, modify, study and redistribute the software.
Note that the word free, in free software, has the same meaning as "freedom", not necessarily as in "free beer"/gratis.
You will be able to play Hacker Experience 2 for free (gratis) by downloading and installing both the client and server software. Then, you can invite as many friends as you'd like to play with you.
We will do our best to have an easy-to-install server software, but it probably will require a powerful machine (4G+ RAM, 4+ core CPU) and Linux OS (may run on Windows/OS X with VM software).
Neoart Labs, the company who created Hacker Experience 1 and is sponsoring the in-house team of Hacker Experience 2, will offer an online hosted ad-free version of the game for a small monthly subscription. Read more about HE2 and Neoart Labs' principles.