1. Math guys look into something called PECOTA - it's a sabermetric analytical tool for predicting the performance of baseball players by comparing them to previous players and generating similarity scores - i.e. predict the trajectory of a player's career by their existing data. It strikes me that this is quite similar to what we want to do.
If the game could analyze data and figure out which initial non-primary factors are most highly correlated with future success, we could generate expected development curves for each player which predicts their behavior. This is a semi-solution to the new player problem.
2. As the semester gets started again it would be nice to have a regular meeting data/time - please post availability.
3. An idea related to initialization - presumably the game designers know how their game is supposed to play, so what if we used their data as the seed? i.e. attempt to have the system build teams which play similarly to how dev teams played.
4. I believe windowing/historical weighting still isn't implemented, but it really needs to be.
5. I'm going to generate a document summarizing the current situation in the computer games industry, specifically trends in PC multiplayer gaming. I'll try to have something done by Sunday.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Walking? Just Walking.
We need to accelerate the rate at which tasks are done. A summary by Topic.
// BOARD MEETING I WILL BE HELD TENTATIVELY ON SUNDAY 10 AUGUST @ NOON AT OUR JERSEY CITY OUTPOST.
Rajesh - welcome back, You need to be briefed and assigned. Your communication is horrible - fix this, and you'll be back on track.
1. Incorporation - Zimbardo has arranged the legal incorporation, which is in Delaware, and we will have the opening Board meeting on Saturday or Sunday of this week which will formalize the company's bylaws and operating agreement. Cesar, Eliseo or Cipta - you are not required to come, but are obviously welcome - please e-mail me if you do want to attend. I'll know the definite date and time by Thursday.
2. Provisional Patent Application - Zhe and I continue to work on this, and Zhe has completed about 50% of the necessary technical workup so far, including the flowcharts essential to software patents. I predict completion within 10 days; that is, we should have a recognized provisional by then. Kudos to Zhe for efficiency on this, but as we discussed - please be sure to annotate the flowchart with numbers and corresponding captions. The requirement is that it be an instruction manual for a similarly skilled person to recreate.
There will be an $85 fee, which our current funds cover.
3. Business Plan, Financials, Pitch - Zimbardo has completed most of the business plan, but I have not been updated explicitly on the percentage of completion. This should be completed in the next 14 days at most, minus some technical necessities.
Xiao has created a primary draft of the financial projections based on estimates provided by myself, and some assumptions as is always the case in such things.
This document should be available on the Acrobat.com site soon - Xiao please post Version 2 here after the first Board Meeting if any changes result, otherwise just post the current Version...
I have roughly estimated startUp costs c. $500K for 1 year - this will be our target Round 1 financing goal.
The Executive summary is VERY important and should be brutally edited and revised such that it's flawless. Zimbardo, Xiao, and Robert I think would handle this best -but either way, it needs to happen.
The Presentation and Pitch are under my purview and Bin and Xiao are assigned currently to developing them with me - if for some reason you're free - please involve yourself, otherwise you'll comment after draft 1 is operational. This should coincide with patent completion.
4. Please visit www.acrobat.com and Login as the following: Admin@gsd.vg//columbia
You will find our online document repository. I have not yet uploaded everything - but it is WIP. Uploads are a bit slow on the software, but otherwise I think it's excellent for viewing and we have 5GB.
Particularly our newer members, please leaf through here to study our archives.
5. Designer Contacts - I have e-mailed 7 designers (Excel sheet is on the Acrobat.com page) with 1 respondee which claimed his work is not really related to game design. The other 6 are noshow, though I should mention two of them did not post e-mails and were contacted through social networking sites... so perhaps our ratio is actually a bit better.
I have halted all e-mails pending a review of the e-mail itself and some discussion at Board Meeting I. I will decide after this how exactly to move forward, But rest assured, the contact outreach will resume immediately on Sunday.
The plan of course, is to obtain a single endorsing voice. This will trigger the approach to investors, which, in fact, is a much easier, solved problem.
6. Investors - the New York Angels Group is a likely first target of our approach. It is a consortium of Angel investors in NYC. Bin is responsible for coordinating this effort, and should RESEARCH this area appropriately such as to serve as our resident expert on the process.
7. Website - While we have a functional website @ www.gsd.vg it does leave much to be desired. I have with pen/paper sketched a rough concept for a newer, full website, but I have as of yet not found the necessary personnel.
Reuben has claimed he would be able to technically assemble the website so long as someone else created the art, etc.
Our art people have been extremely unrealiable thus far, and have yet to produce a single piece of working digital content.
While I suspect we may yet create another stopgap website - it's my belief that once we possess funding, we will seek professional design services.
We have no tangible product to display (shoes eg) so our website is the only real thing anyone will ever see. Hence it is imperative that it is dressed impressively. Again, we'll do what we can for now - then go back later with some money.
The creation of content for the website was also dismal, and I was required to hastily step in and produce text for it, which was not properly formatted due to time constraints, and while somewhat informative, reads as a hodgepodge of discrete and vague promises that rivals the sermon on the mount.
Clean up will need to be actuated at some point.
8. OUTSTANDING TASKS
A. Research. I need to be able to count on people to know their assigned areas. I cannot know everything myself, nor should I have to.
The following people are assigned research assignments. They are general in nature, and I provide suggestions. If others feel these assignments are unnecessary or unproductive, please state so with your suggestions. I maintain however that I require reliable information in the following areas, if only to be breifed before official presentations to withstand what will be withering fusillades of questions from investors and the like.
These are not empty assignments - when we require information on the topic at hand - our expert should be able to either answer or at least quickly recover said information.
Bin - Process involved in Business Agreements with Investors, Exit strategies, Equity assignments, and a versed knowledge of presentation and pitch delivery. I know you have your own methods of research, so I decline suggestion.
Crone - Current market state of the Games industry overall, both financially and structually. Our two major focuses. What is the history or current debate about socially based matchmaking and skill-based gaming? What is the current dogma on Game balancing methodologies and the expenses, etc. involved therein? Where is our best opportunity for breakthrough and envelopment? I suggest the industry standards Gamasutra.com, and gamesindustry.biz. Feel free to look wherever you like as well, but be ready to provide last minute emergency information.
Zimbardo - Financial options regarding corporate structure and governance, proper and recommended options relating to investor relations and the timeline of events overall. Some basic legal facts, and our potential link to a lawyer should likely be handled by you.
Robert - for now, just trademarks.
B. Logo - supposedly will have in 2-3 weeks, if Zhe is able after he's done with Patenting, he has said he could digitize our logo for us (we have it in pen sketch)
C. Business Cards - Robert you are responsible for this, and I've already donated full authority on the matter to him. If you have suggestions, feel free to tell him, but don't let them interfere with what you're actually supposed to be working on for us.
D. Resumes - I want A GSD specific resume from everyone which strips your address, your GPA, any courses you might have listed, and anything else that emphasizes your collegiate status. Please list your position at GSD, and your basic tasks. Honors are not required unless you want to include them, and a guiding statement should be included - ZIMBARDO has designed this already and will help you - please do this soon.
E. Operation Zen - will be discussed at Meeting, no comments now.
F. CU has agreed to a Paper IP claim waver. If I don't need to micromanage, I should be able to get this next week.
G. Opposition Intelligence gathering.
// BOARD MEETING I WILL BE HELD TENTATIVELY ON SUNDAY 10 AUGUST @ NOON AT OUR JERSEY CITY OUTPOST.
Rajesh - welcome back, You need to be briefed and assigned. Your communication is horrible - fix this, and you'll be back on track.
1. Incorporation - Zimbardo has arranged the legal incorporation, which is in Delaware, and we will have the opening Board meeting on Saturday or Sunday of this week which will formalize the company's bylaws and operating agreement. Cesar, Eliseo or Cipta - you are not required to come, but are obviously welcome - please e-mail me if you do want to attend. I'll know the definite date and time by Thursday.
2. Provisional Patent Application - Zhe and I continue to work on this, and Zhe has completed about 50% of the necessary technical workup so far, including the flowcharts essential to software patents. I predict completion within 10 days; that is, we should have a recognized provisional by then. Kudos to Zhe for efficiency on this, but as we discussed - please be sure to annotate the flowchart with numbers and corresponding captions. The requirement is that it be an instruction manual for a similarly skilled person to recreate.
There will be an $85 fee, which our current funds cover.
3. Business Plan, Financials, Pitch - Zimbardo has completed most of the business plan, but I have not been updated explicitly on the percentage of completion. This should be completed in the next 14 days at most, minus some technical necessities.
Xiao has created a primary draft of the financial projections based on estimates provided by myself, and some assumptions as is always the case in such things.
This document should be available on the Acrobat.com site soon - Xiao please post Version 2 here after the first Board Meeting if any changes result, otherwise just post the current Version...
I have roughly estimated startUp costs c. $500K for 1 year - this will be our target Round 1 financing goal.
The Executive summary is VERY important and should be brutally edited and revised such that it's flawless. Zimbardo, Xiao, and Robert I think would handle this best -but either way, it needs to happen.
The Presentation and Pitch are under my purview and Bin and Xiao are assigned currently to developing them with me - if for some reason you're free - please involve yourself, otherwise you'll comment after draft 1 is operational. This should coincide with patent completion.
4. Please visit www.acrobat.com and Login as the following: Admin@gsd.vg//columbia
You will find our online document repository. I have not yet uploaded everything - but it is WIP. Uploads are a bit slow on the software, but otherwise I think it's excellent for viewing and we have 5GB.
Particularly our newer members, please leaf through here to study our archives.
5. Designer Contacts - I have e-mailed 7 designers (Excel sheet is on the Acrobat.com page) with 1 respondee which claimed his work is not really related to game design. The other 6 are noshow, though I should mention two of them did not post e-mails and were contacted through social networking sites... so perhaps our ratio is actually a bit better.
I have halted all e-mails pending a review of the e-mail itself and some discussion at Board Meeting I. I will decide after this how exactly to move forward, But rest assured, the contact outreach will resume immediately on Sunday.
The plan of course, is to obtain a single endorsing voice. This will trigger the approach to investors, which, in fact, is a much easier, solved problem.
6. Investors - the New York Angels Group is a likely first target of our approach. It is a consortium of Angel investors in NYC. Bin is responsible for coordinating this effort, and should RESEARCH this area appropriately such as to serve as our resident expert on the process.
7. Website - While we have a functional website @ www.gsd.vg it does leave much to be desired. I have with pen/paper sketched a rough concept for a newer, full website, but I have as of yet not found the necessary personnel.
Reuben has claimed he would be able to technically assemble the website so long as someone else created the art, etc.
Our art people have been extremely unrealiable thus far, and have yet to produce a single piece of working digital content.
While I suspect we may yet create another stopgap website - it's my belief that once we possess funding, we will seek professional design services.
We have no tangible product to display (shoes eg) so our website is the only real thing anyone will ever see. Hence it is imperative that it is dressed impressively. Again, we'll do what we can for now - then go back later with some money.
The creation of content for the website was also dismal, and I was required to hastily step in and produce text for it, which was not properly formatted due to time constraints, and while somewhat informative, reads as a hodgepodge of discrete and vague promises that rivals the sermon on the mount.
Clean up will need to be actuated at some point.
8. OUTSTANDING TASKS
A. Research. I need to be able to count on people to know their assigned areas. I cannot know everything myself, nor should I have to.
The following people are assigned research assignments. They are general in nature, and I provide suggestions. If others feel these assignments are unnecessary or unproductive, please state so with your suggestions. I maintain however that I require reliable information in the following areas, if only to be breifed before official presentations to withstand what will be withering fusillades of questions from investors and the like.
These are not empty assignments - when we require information on the topic at hand - our expert should be able to either answer or at least quickly recover said information.
Bin - Process involved in Business Agreements with Investors, Exit strategies, Equity assignments, and a versed knowledge of presentation and pitch delivery. I know you have your own methods of research, so I decline suggestion.
Crone - Current market state of the Games industry overall, both financially and structually. Our two major focuses. What is the history or current debate about socially based matchmaking and skill-based gaming? What is the current dogma on Game balancing methodologies and the expenses, etc. involved therein? Where is our best opportunity for breakthrough and envelopment? I suggest the industry standards Gamasutra.com, and gamesindustry.biz. Feel free to look wherever you like as well, but be ready to provide last minute emergency information.
Zimbardo - Financial options regarding corporate structure and governance, proper and recommended options relating to investor relations and the timeline of events overall. Some basic legal facts, and our potential link to a lawyer should likely be handled by you.
Robert - for now, just trademarks.
B. Logo - supposedly will have in 2-3 weeks, if Zhe is able after he's done with Patenting, he has said he could digitize our logo for us (we have it in pen sketch)
C. Business Cards - Robert you are responsible for this, and I've already donated full authority on the matter to him. If you have suggestions, feel free to tell him, but don't let them interfere with what you're actually supposed to be working on for us.
D. Resumes - I want A GSD specific resume from everyone which strips your address, your GPA, any courses you might have listed, and anything else that emphasizes your collegiate status. Please list your position at GSD, and your basic tasks. Honors are not required unless you want to include them, and a guiding statement should be included - ZIMBARDO has designed this already and will help you - please do this soon.
E. Operation Zen - will be discussed at Meeting, no comments now.
F. CU has agreed to a Paper IP claim waver. If I don't need to micromanage, I should be able to get this next week.
G. Opposition Intelligence gathering.
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