FoFiX 4.0.0 Development Thread

[Borisdsp]

FoFiX please don't die! We still remember you!

[blatz89]

The developers are out working on different things. I mean, I'm sure they wouldn't mind you using the source if you got a team together and let them know and stuff, but as of now, the developers are doing real life stuff. :p

[amak11]

Lets say this, it's still active in a sense. You cant expect them to go in to no life mode and complete the 4.0 development cycle. There is a couple people from what i see working on it. be patient , all it needs is patience

[raynebc]

Git doesn't show any code commits since mid March. Is there someplace else they're updating FoFiX's source code?

[thekiwimaddog]

Git doesn't show any code commits since mid March. Is there someplace else they're updating FoFiX's source code?

For an open-source project it always seemed quite odd to me that so much of the discussion happens behind closed doors. The developers seem to keep to themselves and rarely post their progress for others to see. Not being public with their progress prevents others from joining in the discussion, getting fired up and possibly assisting. This wouldn't be so much of a problem if the code wasn't such a mess.

Someone on the inside needs to write a nice document detailing the main systems of the game and how they all link together. This is exactly what put me off working on FOF 3 years ago. I would go to the IRC Chat Room and none of the developers would help you get your head arround how it all works. I understand that they most likely were sick of people asking for help to add some silly feature with not real interrest in moving the project forward but they need to have some system to allow others to carry on their work.

That said I really do believe that there needs to be people in charge to give the project focus. But I fear this has been handled wrong somewhere along the way when I look at the code. Someone just needs to oversee the code changes to make sure it isn't too messy. Too many people adding little changes without looking at the big picture is surely why the code is in the state it is today. It's strange that even after spending a long time writing my own game and now being quite pleased with it I do still feel a draw to fix up this game a little. I guess I have so much useless knowledge of rhythm games that I just want to get it out of my head in another way. But when I load up the fofix code I still can't get my head around it.

David

[davidsevenfold]

Git doesn't show any code commits since mid March. Is there someplace else they're updating FoFiX's source code?

For an open-source project it always seemed quite odd to me that so much of the discussion happens behind closed doors. The developers seem to keep to themselves and rarely post their progress for others to see. Not being public with their progress prevents others from joining in the discussion, getting fired up and possibly assisting. This wouldn't be so much of a problem if the code wasn't such a mess.

Someone on the inside needs to write a nice document detailing the main systems of the game and how they all link together. This is exactly what put me off working on FOF 3 years ago. I would go to the IRC Chat Room and none of the developers would help you get your head arround how it all works. I understand that they most likely were sick of people asking for help to add some silly feature with not real interrest in moving the project forward but they need to have some system to allow others to carry on their work.

That said I really do believe that there needs to be people in charge to give the project focus. But I fear this has been handled wrong somewhere along the way when I look at the code. Someone just needs to oversee the code changes to make sure it isn't too messy. Too many people adding little changes without looking at the big picture is surely why the code is in the state it is today. It's strange that even after spending a long time writing my own game and now being quite pleased with it I do still feel a draw to fix up this game a little. I guess I have so much useless knowledge of rhythm games that I just want to get it out of my head in another way. But when I load up the fofix code I still can't get my head around it.

David

^

[blazingamer]

Git doesn't show any code commits since mid March. Is there someplace else they're updating FoFiX's source code?

For an open-source project it always seemed quite odd to me that so much of the discussion happens behind closed doors. The developers seem to keep to themselves and rarely post their progress for others to see. Not being public with their progress prevents others from joining in the discussion, getting fired up and possibly assisting. This wouldn't be so much of a problem if the code wasn't such a mess.

Someone on the inside needs to write a nice document detailing the main systems of the game and how they all link together. This is exactly what put me off working on FOF 3 years ago. I would go to the IRC Chat Room and none of the developers would help you get your head arround how it all works. I understand that they most likely were sick of people asking for help to add some silly feature with not real interrest in moving the project forward but they need to have some system to allow others to carry on their work.

That said I really do believe that there needs to be people in charge to give the project focus. But I fear this has been handled wrong somewhere along the way when I look at the code. Someone just needs to oversee the code changes to make sure it isn't too messy. Too many people adding little changes without looking at the big picture is surely why the code is in the state it is today. It's strange that even after spending a long time writing my own game and now being quite pleased with it I do still feel a draw to fix up this game a little. I guess I have so much useless knowledge of rhythm games that I just want to get it out of my head in another way. But when I load up the fofix code I still can't get my head around it.

David

^

It's not even that really. All our discussion really happened on a public IRC, not many attended though and those who were in there regularly were in there usually because they just left their clients open (such as myself, but I fixed that and now just no longer attend). After awhile we got bored of the project or just didn't know what to do next with the code. There's nothing really to say about progress because practically nothing has been done in months. There was a small burst of interest because I decided to poke around at it again for a few days, but after about 2 weeks that died down too. John and I did hang out a few weekends ago, he's been messing around a bit in C and figured out something with audio streaming and distorting that he thinks he might be able to get into FoFiX which'll really improve audio performance and have real-time pitchbending, but that's it.

Additionally, for the most part we were all new to the code as well. If you would ask us for help with understanding the code you weren't going to get very far because we didn't really understand it much ourselves. For the most part when I was working on the rockmeter system, to figure out how to render stuff and where it would be called I manually went through the code, placing print lines for myself and followed method calls to know where exactly to put everything. It was a lot of work and a pain in the but, but now that I work on more and more large projects I realize that's not so much a problem with me but the code itself. It loops upon itself way to much and is structurally way too coupled in places that could be nicely separated.

What makes the program even worse is that the entire thing is in one src folder instead of being logically separated into packages/namespaces. This makes it even harder to find and understand stuff because it's all in one large dump instead of separated by function. Then there are .py files with 5 different classes and menus in them when really it should be 5 different .py files in a package. Overall the project it just a huge mess. We'd really love to help and get help, but there's just so much about the project that needs cleaning that it's just too much of a burden for any of us to really want to keep working on it.

[L0fka]

blazingamer, about what exactly source-files organization you said? Split them to core, logic, resource parsers and draw mind-map of project for better understanding?
I think that's had been missed on developing stage...

[amak11]

Lets just say this, FoFiX has been a mess since Alarian. I dont blame Stump or Blazingamer or anyone else who's new on it. It's hard to program something when you have little clue on how it works. I've had about 4 or 5 teachers say this "Comment comment comment!". I really hope someone picks up the game and at least does something with it.

I was working on a forced hopo system then it pretty much went wayward when i got lost in the files :/

[L0fka]

Huh, I was interested how to split project files to a subfolders, now I've got a separate sources by type. All files(except: modules on C and FoFix.py, setup.py) are lay in special folders in src/fofix
I want to fix encoding problems, some input issues, refactor effect system(RB3 pushed me to this) and so on.

I'll be glad if some one else picks up the game and realize messed up features\port it to android\fix all fat bugs\done lan coop\will help me with Theme Studio.(easy visual theme creation tool)

*(my english not so good, but i think you will understand me)

[zotastas]

Well hey,

actually this is ... was one of my favorite games. But if the code is really that messy, maybe it is a better idea to rebuild the whole program from scratch. At work, I currently have to clean up some super messy code. There are something around 200.000 lines of code. I think I'll need maybe half a year to get it ... well readable.

Some time ago, I started to develop a game with a friend using unity3D. Actually, I think this would be a quite good idea to use the code available in frets on fire and modify it so we can reuse it ... well some parts of it though. Next to the current possibilities of the game (playing downloaded frets) I think it would be an idea to implement a random frets generator ... you load a sing and it creates some frets to it. There are still some ideas. However, I don't think I can make all this on my own. I'll need some helping hands. If there are still some guys out there thinking the same way, answer to this thread.

If we are ... let's say 5 boys or girls developing, this could quite fast be done. But if there is noone who want to help, I don't think it's worth the time.

We don't just need developers. Actually we need guys which can
- create the graphics
- make some sound effects we may use
- writing a tutorial
- make the whole project public again
- write translations
- --> REUPLOAD EXISTING FRETS

There are so much things which can be done. I'm starting and hopefully there is someone thinking he same way and who can somehow help.

some ideas:
- create an random fret generator
- create a connection to a central frets-repo where you can search and download the frets from inside the app
- extend the program to use more then just 5 keys but up to 10 or something
- add support for GuitarPro files.
- as already mentioned above: lan/internet coop
- download lyrics on the fly to show when singing a song

It's up to you:

- help me and together we're getting the whole thing done and outrace frets on fire in its best times or
- stay and wait for a miracle to happen.

greetz

Zota

[amak11]

So, let me understand this.. you want to basically redevelop FoFiX?

Yeah no (and I know people will hate on me for this), there is a certain thing you have look at, FoF is based on a GPL license. Which FoFiX is based on the same thing, GPL. Unity3D is not, which makes it an unfeasible development platform for a free game.

[zotastas]

Thank you for your answer =)

Well, yeah ... I think, the basic development should be quite simple (without the ratings etc. - just to play the song and play some simple frets) but it seems that you can correct me if I'm wrong ;D

I don't think the license thing should be a big problem. In fact, I don't think it is necessary to rewrite unity. As far as I know, Unity is free as long as your budget is lower than 100.000$ per year. Because we don't have any money at all, it will stay free. Next, Unity will not change the license of our code which means, we still can provide our code via GPL. OK I have to admit, we would need some kind of tutorial to show newbies how to start programming. I don't think this should be a big problem though.

I just thought it would save much time. Because it (hey we still need a new name xD FoF MkII ??? =P) is a community project, I think we should talk about the technology all together. I would volunteer to write with unity3d to clarify whether or not we can use it with GPL.

What engine would you suggest?

Zota

[amak11]

The development is quite... complex. When you get the nitty gritty, this i know as i did work with a developer on a currently cancelled game that is similar. In the end, it is up to the Lead dev to decide the direction he wants FoFiX to go in. I personally believe FoFiX can be salvaged from it's current state. 4.0 was shaping up to quite the beautiful thing.

[weirdpeople]

Unity, no please just no.

Yeah fofix its a horrid mess in places. Just as blazingamer said we don't understand it in a lot of those places.

kiwi brought up some very good points.

My best reasoning for the code being in the current state is the huge amount of developers working on it all at once that never really bothered to think about organization or anything.

I started to rewrite fofix once but didn't get all that far what i did do though is on github. Though after messing around with some other projects lately i would do some things a bit differently. Basically i had a very basic framework that was basically a clone of the very general structure of fofix with a few improvements.