Author Topic: Oculus/VR Support Fundraiser  (Read 6602 times)

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Re: Oculus/VR Support Fundraiser
Well, at least I got a conversation going about all this. I would give funds to a patreon. However, isn't the whole point of this discussion to obtain funding for developments of the project that would not normally be financially feasible? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that Goober5000 was advocating a project-wide patreon. Only warning that incentivizing certain "flashy" development directions could divert focus from less glamorous aspects of the project. It seems to me that a project-wide patreon might introduce even more complications and potential for drama. For example: How and where do funds get allocated? How would that be any better from a drama standpoint?

VR implementation is already something that SCP members have said they would like to do, but they lack the necessary hardware. I can't see the harm in providing them with that tool.

I've been reading some of the other threads that Swifty has been posting on and it seems like he's working on the renderer, which would need to be in a stable state before oculus support could be considered. Is that correct? If he's the primary guy working on this and he also has as much interest in oculus implementation as it seems, I'd certainly help sponsor his acquisition of an oculus CV1.

Yeah that's a really good point. I kind of wonder if maybe a project-wide Patreon is worth considering? Then SCP members can make acquisition requests based on the funds available?
That is something I would definitely support.

Maybe with a disclaimer stating that anyone waving around their contribution efforts ("I'm a major backer! Listen to me or I'll take my marbles and go home!") will be banned for a month.  :lol:  Shouldn't be a problem with most people, but there's always bound to come a few rotten tomatoes.

What I meant was, wouldn't a project wide pool of funds cause squabbling among SCP members for funding. Wouldn't it cause drama if a developer, not a contributer, felt that their development goals weren't being funded adequately while other people's goals were being funded? Would there be perceived favoritism/censorship?

If there is sponsorship in the form of buying tools (like the oculus) for interested developers. I don't feel that there would be these kinds of problems. It would empower SCP developers to pursue their own goals when they coincide with player interest.

If SCP developers communicate clearly their priorities and personal objectives time-frame wise, then those goals could be supported with hardware purchases by informed contributers. I'm in no way saying that SCP developers should then be accountable to their contributors. That doesn't seem necessary or reasonable with a patreon or sponsorship structure.

Having funds to purchase a VR headset would probably be the most likely way to see support for them, honestly; given that we're all volunteers doing this because we enjoy the game, if we had the hardware, we'd want to be able to use it with FSO. Buying a headset or two would also be cheaper than the bounty value, so if people were willing to give a few thousand dollars to see VR support, it would be more cost-efficient to just make sure devs had the hardware, than to try to hold it out as a reward for whoever implemented it first.

This!
« Last Edit: July 05, 2016, 03:32:35 am by RAddison »

 

Offline AdmiralRalwood

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Re: Oculus/VR Support Fundraiser
What I meant was, wouldn't that cause squabbling among SCP members for funding. Wouldn't it cause drama if a developer, not a contributer, felt that their development goals weren't being funded adequately while other people's goals were being funded? Would there be perceived favoritism/censorship?
...Well, my development goals are currently receiving $0 and I don't feel they're not being adequately funded, for whatever that's worth.

But really, we have a project lead for a reason, and it's not because "project lead" sounds like a spiffy title.
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(the very next day)
<MageKing17> this ****ing code did it to me again
<MageKing17> "That doesn't really make sense to me, but I'll assume it was being done for a reason."
<MageKing17> **** ME
<MageKing17> THE REASON IS PEOPLE ARE STUPID
<MageKing17> ESPECIALLY ME

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<MjnMixael> 2 hours later... "God damn, how did this ever work at all?!"
(...)
<MageKing17> so
<MageKing17> more than two hours
<MageKing17> but once again we have reached the inevitable conclusion
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