Loryen
Alternately, I would support something just proposed...moving all old characters to a community controlled "experimental server". I am not sure how this would work, WinchGate would have to get creative and create a new GPL variant, testing environments, and rollout system, and probably a community driven proposal, request, and voting system for features...who knows, they might even pave the way for a new system of community-driven game/software development. I could see prospective developers/artists subbing just for the right to get game programming experience and content for their portfolio. Or schools buying "group licences". And of course, WinchGate, as part of the new GPL, would reserve the right to implement anything they liked from the experimental server to the actually "live server". The "live server" would be this new empty server they are now proposing.
I know my last few replies have been harping about the Ryzom Core community. But I'll mention it again.
- Ryzom Core is all of Ryzom minus the level design data (item sheets, NPC locations, etc)
- It is all of the artistic assets (minus some missing ligo bricks.)
- It is always synced with Ryzom's own source code bidirectionally.
I can't speak directly for them but I can say that when features are developed for Ryzom Core we apply them (unless they're radical game-breaking features, then we branch them but keep them.) You have the ability to do this today. There are half a dozen of us running Silan-shards for development. There's one whole new non-Ryzom themed game using Ryzom Core. And everything you develop can be offered to Winch Gate for the live game.
And I'm sure they'd gladly accept any volunteer efforts. I know we would in Ryzom Core.