RFC: Public Task Board
Do you know those public task boards in RPGs where adventurers can take jobs on behalf of clients? They're usually posted in a tavern and are very cliche, but they're a neat concept.
I was talking with Thorbjørn last night about some of the organizational issues across The Mana World, such as no one wanting to self-host the wiki so the pages could be renamed en masse. I feel the issue mainly stems from the free-form nature of TMW (and possibly Manasource as a whole, though I can't be certain there) as a volunteer project, where everyone contributes to what interests them the most. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does lead to a certain kind of workflow where aspects of the game can suffer.
So, I'd like to make a proposition: a Public Task Board that lists the major areas of the game that needs work. And I do mean major, as each entry would be a massive undertaking if done alone, but they would need to be done eventually. Some examples would be:
- Client Updates
- Quest Log Migrations
- Wiki Maintenance
- etc.
The task board wouldn't have any concrete elements to it, but would just link to the hubs for each topic, such as this page for the quest log. It would be on the wiki, so anyone could log in and edit it as needed, and it could have an "Adventurers For Hire" section where people could post their handles and areas of interest, if someone wanted to contact an expert on some issue. It would also be useful to show how many people are active in the development, which is good for getting an idea of how things are going.
Before diving in blind, I wanted to get feedback from others about their opinions on this idea, and what areas could be added to it. I don't know if this would work out, as the development has progressed on its own accord for I-don't-know how long, and if this idea fades into obscurity, so be it. But, if it turns out to be a positive for the community, then all the better.
A final note: I don't want this to be dictatorial, and I'm not looking to shake things up - instead, I want to describe the lay of the land as it is, in a way that everyone can agree is accurate. C&C welcome!