The Battle for Wesnoth Wiki - User contributions [en]

SummerOfCodeProposal jdmunro

2009-03-30T14:23:24Z

Jdmunro: /* Introduction */ Added more info

==Introduction==

'''''Name:''''' James Munro

'''''Age:''''' 21

'''''Education:''''' Final year Games Computing BSc (Hons), progressing to MSc Advanced Games Computing at the University of Lincoln, UK

'''''Wesnoth Forum ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''IRC ID:''''' jmunro

'''''GNA ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''Email Address:''''' james AT jamesdesign.org'''''

===Basics===

I am James Munro, a student at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. I am in the final year of Games Computing BSc (Hons) and after graduation I will be taking the MSc Advanced Games Computing award at the same university and department.

I taught myself to program in C++ before attending university, working on personal projects related to game development. Since attending university my skill set has increased and I have learned to employ many different programming languages for different purposes.

In my spare time I like to contribute to open-source projects (with emphasis on games) when I can by testing, bug-reporting and developing code. Recently I had my first patch accepted on the open-source game Teeworlds. This was a proud moment for me and I am thoroughly looking forward to contributing to more games in the future.

I am applying to GSoC so that I may learn and develop my skills. Specifically, I am looking forward to the opportunity of working closely as part of a team and to benefit the open-source/gaming community.

===Experience===

As previously mentioned, my first accepted patch was for the open-source game Teeworlds. Most of my development time has been focused on university assignments developing a range of game-related implementations. I consider my knowledge of C and C++ to be competent but I am always looking to learn new skills and improve my knowledge of the language.

For my university dissertation I focused on analysing the architecture of open-source game engines, in particular the Quake-series. The practical section consisted on a selection of smaller implementations including bringing concurrency/parallel execution to older engines using OpenMP and also a hard-coded approach. I also investigated enhancing an older engine (Quake II) with modern features such as native 64-bit support.

From this experience I learned a good deal about the architecture of game engines and finding my way around fairly large code bases (approximately 250,000 SLOC). I understand the principles of source/version control systems and have personal experience with SVN and also Git (see http://github.com/jdmunro).

Over the summer of 2008 I worked as a member of the Centre for Research in Open Source Software at my university on the CODEX project. I researched and developed an Ubuntu-based LiveCD for use by university students wishing to develop software for the OLPC XO-1 project and its Sugar interface. The project was successful and subsequently gained mention in the BCS magazine ITNOW and is the subject of a research paper published at The 5th International Conference on Open Source Systems (OSS 2009) in Sweden. Whilst not directly related to games, the CODEX project demonstrates my commitment to open-source and the ability to see a project through from conception to completion.

===Communication skills===

English is my native language and so I will have no problems communicating efficiently. I am also familiar with IRC communication and have used the protocol for many years.

As a game player myself, I am experienced at communicating with fellow gamers and whilst the scope of this project may not require this, it is still a good skill to posses.

I believe that constructive criticism is the key to improving your own skills and abilities. I genuinely enjoy the process of improving my work and gaining feedback is valuable to this process. I would hope to receive feedback from fellow developers and eventually end-user gamers concerning the results of my implementation.

I am happy to be contacted via email at any time and will be on IRC at reasonable GMT hours (9AM to 9/10PM). I would also accept telephone calls however this would probably be on a pre-determined schedule, such as a weekly meeting or summary. In the event of me not being on IRC, I have an IRC bouncer that will take private messages on my behalf (identified by [a] postfix on my nickname).

===Gaming Experience===

I am a huge fan of gaming and games technology and play many games when time permits. I enjoy a diverse range of games on many platforms as I feel it is important to have a wider understanding, rather than just limiting yourself to the games you like. I have played Battle for Wesnoth and enjoyed working through the single-player campaigns. I do not partake in multiplayer matches as I feel that I would lose frequently!

===Example Work===

I am making my best efforts to complete one of the EasyCoding tasks listed on the main GSoC page. Unfortunately I am extremely busy with university work as I am now in my final month before graduation, I'm sure you can appreciate that I'm wrapped up with completion on my dissertation and also exam revision.

- I understand that failure to complete one of these tasks could mean losing the opportunity to be the chosen student. In this event I would like to say that I'm still very interested in contributing to Battle for Wesnoth (see http://james.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/2009/02/10/contributing-to-open-source-games/ ) and will stick around regardless of the success of my application.

==Project Details==

I would like to implement improvements to the WML system to help decrease overall memory usage by Battle for Wesnoth.

===First Steps===

My first steps would be to identify and understand the process that was used to profile memory usage as identified in this post: http://dave.wesnoth.org/?p=9 in order to replicate the results.

From this starting point I will attempt to identify various areas for optimisation. In addition to WML I will keep my eye out for other potential performance problems (whilst avoiding over-optimisation!) that may have been overlooked.

I may need to spend some time developing my understanding of certain things. In particular I will need to gain better knowledge of the WML component, but also techniques for reducing memory consumption. These are technical areas that I thoroughly enjoy studying, hence the focus on my dissertation.

===Objectives===

The objectives of the implementation are summarised below:

* Identify and understand profiling technique/process.
* Identify and assess any other bottlenecks found in addition to WML.
* Study and understand relevant optimisation/memory reduction techniques.
* Implement optimisation changes into the codebase.
* Assess the impact of the changes (hopefully an improvement).

===Proposed Timeline===

The timeline below is fairly abstract. In the event of my selection I would produce a more detailed timeline with my mentor with regularly scheduled progress meetings (I have found this process to work particularly well in the past)

* Now - Preliminary research.
* April 20th to May 23rd - Community bonding (getting to know the players and developers!).
* May 23rd - Initial development begins - continued research.
* July 6th - Basic work completed for mid-term evaluation.
* August 10th - Aim to finish implementation, begin wrapping up.

During the bonding period I feel that it is really important to get to know the players and developers well, particularly my mentor. Having a good working relationship with a mentor is important to any type of project and can really help give the resultant work the 'x' factor.

===Blog===

During the project I would like to maintain a development log for personal reflection and also feedback purposes. I currently maintain a general student/games development blog (http://james.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk) and would dedicate a section to Wesnoth development. I discovered that blogging was an extremely valuable tool during my work on the CODEX project, particularly for open-source projects.

===Holiday Absence===

Unfortunately I will be unavailable for 2 weeks (13th-27th June) due to a pre-booked family holiday. However, during this time I will have access to both a laptop and internet access and so development work can still continue at a reduced pace.

SummerOfCodeProposal jdmunro

2009-03-30T13:12:57Z

Jdmunro: /* Proposed Timeline */ Now with bullets! D'oh.

==Introduction==

'''''Name:''''' James Munro

'''''Age:''''' 21

'''''Education:''''' Final year Games Computing BSc (Hons), progressing to MSc Advanced Games Computing at the University of Lincoln, UK

'''''Wesnoth Forum ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''IRC ID:''''' jmunro

'''''GNA ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''Email Address:''''' james AT jamesdesign.org'''''

===Basics===

I am James Munro, a student at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. I am in the final year of Games Computing BSc (Hons) and after graduation I will be taking the MSc Advanced Games Computing award at the same university and department.

I taught myself to program in C++ before attending university, working on personal projects related to game development. Since attending university my skill set has increased and I have learned to employ many different programming languages for different purposes.

In my spare time I like to contribute to open-source projects (with emphasis on games) when I can by testing, bug-reporting and developing code. Recently I had my first patch accepted on the open-source game Teeworlds. This was a proud moment for me and I am thoroughly looking forward to contributing to more games in the future.

I am applying to GSoC so that I may learn and develop my skills. Specifically, I am looking forward to the opportunity of working closely as part of a team and to benefit the open-source/gaming community.

===Experience===

As previously mentioned, my first accepted patch was for the open-source game Teeworlds. Most of my development time has been focused on university assignments developing a range of game-related implementations. I consider my knowledge of C and C++ to be competent but I am always looking to learn new skills and improve my knowledge of the language.

For my university dissertation I focused on analysing the architecture of open-source game engines, in particular the Quake-series. The practical section consisted on a selection of smaller implementations including bringing concurrency/parallel execution to older engines using OpenMP and also a hard-coded approach. I also investigated enhancing an older engine (Quake II) with modern features such as native 64-bit support.

From this experience I learned a good deal about the architecture of game engines and finding my way around fairly large code bases (approximately 250,000 SLOC). I understand the principles of source/version control systems and have personal experience with SVN and also Git (see http://github.com/jdmunro).

Over the summer of 2008 I worked as a member of the Centre for Research in Open Source Software at my university on the CODEX project. I researched and developed an Ubuntu-based LiveCD for use by university students wishing to develop software for the OLPC XO-1 project and its Sugar interface. The project was successful and subsequently gained mention in the BCS magazine ITNOW and is the subject of a research paper published at The 5th International Conference on Open Source Systems (OSS 2009) in Sweden. Whilst not directly related to games, the CODEX project demonstrates my commitment to open-source and the ability to see a project through from conception to completion.

===Communication skills===

English is my native language and so I will have no problems communicating efficiently. I am also familiar with IRC communication and have used the protocol for many years.

As a game player myself, I am experienced at communicating with fellow gamers and whilst the scope of this project may not require this, it is still a good skill to posses.

I believe that constructive criticism is the key to improving your own skills and abilities. I genuinely enjoy the process of improving my work and gaining feedback is valuable to this process. I would hope to receive feedback from fellow developers and eventually end-user gamers concerning the results of my implementation.

I am happy to be contacted via email at any time and will be on IRC at reasonable GMT hours (9AM to 9/10PM). I would also accept telephone calls however this would probably be on a pre-determined schedule, such as a weekly meeting or summary. In the event of me not being on IRC, I have an IRC bouncer that will take private messages on my behalf (identified by [a] postfix on my nickname).

===Gaming Experience===

I am a huge fan of gaming and games technology and play many games when time permits. I enjoy a diverse range of games on many platforms as I feel it is important to have a wider understanding, rather than just limiting yourself to the games you like. I have played Battle for Wesnoth and enjoyed working through the single-player campaigns. I do not partake in multiplayer matches as I feel that I would lose frequently!

==Project Details==

I would like to implement improvements to the WML system to help decrease overall memory usage by Battle for Wesnoth.

===First Steps===

My first steps would be to identify and understand the process that was used to profile memory usage as identified in this post: http://dave.wesnoth.org/?p=9 in order to replicate the results.

From this starting point I will attempt to identify various areas for optimisation. In addition to WML I will keep my eye out for other potential performance problems (whilst avoiding over-optimisation!) that may have been overlooked.

I may need to spend some time developing my understanding of certain things. In particular I will need to gain better knowledge of the WML component, but also techniques for reducing memory consumption. These are technical areas that I thoroughly enjoy studying, hence the focus on my dissertation.

===Objectives===

The objectives of the implementation are summarised below:

* Identify and understand profiling technique/process.
* Identify and assess any other bottlenecks found in addition to WML.
* Study and understand relevant optimisation/memory reduction techniques.
* Implement optimisation changes into the codebase.
* Assess the impact of the changes (hopefully an improvement).

===Proposed Timeline===

The timeline below is fairly abstract. In the event of my selection I would produce a more detailed timeline with my mentor with regularly scheduled progress meetings (I have found this process to work particularly well in the past)

* Now - Preliminary research.
* April 20th to May 23rd - Community bonding (getting to know the players and developers!).
* May 23rd - Initial development begins - continued research.
* July 6th - Basic work completed for mid-term evaluation.
* August 10th - Aim to finish implementation, begin wrapping up.

During the bonding period I feel that it is really important to get to know the players and developers well, particularly my mentor. Having a good working relationship with a mentor is important to any type of project and can really help give the resultant work the 'x' factor.

===Blog===

During the project I would like to maintain a development log for personal reflection and also feedback purposes. I currently maintain a general student/games development blog (http://james.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk) and would dedicate a section to Wesnoth development. I discovered that blogging was an extremely valuable tool during my work on the CODEX project, particularly for open-source projects.

===Holiday Absence===

Unfortunately I will be unavailable for 2 weeks (13th-27th June) due to a pre-booked family holiday. However, during this time I will have access to both a laptop and internet access and so development work can still continue at a reduced pace.

SummerOfCodeProposal jdmunro

2009-03-30T13:12:18Z

Jdmunro: /* Proposed Timeline */ Filled out the section.

==Introduction==

'''''Name:''''' James Munro

'''''Age:''''' 21

'''''Education:''''' Final year Games Computing BSc (Hons), progressing to MSc Advanced Games Computing at the University of Lincoln, UK

'''''Wesnoth Forum ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''IRC ID:''''' jmunro

'''''GNA ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''Email Address:''''' james AT jamesdesign.org'''''

===Basics===

I am James Munro, a student at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. I am in the final year of Games Computing BSc (Hons) and after graduation I will be taking the MSc Advanced Games Computing award at the same university and department.

I taught myself to program in C++ before attending university, working on personal projects related to game development. Since attending university my skill set has increased and I have learned to employ many different programming languages for different purposes.

In my spare time I like to contribute to open-source projects (with emphasis on games) when I can by testing, bug-reporting and developing code. Recently I had my first patch accepted on the open-source game Teeworlds. This was a proud moment for me and I am thoroughly looking forward to contributing to more games in the future.

I am applying to GSoC so that I may learn and develop my skills. Specifically, I am looking forward to the opportunity of working closely as part of a team and to benefit the open-source/gaming community.

===Experience===

As previously mentioned, my first accepted patch was for the open-source game Teeworlds. Most of my development time has been focused on university assignments developing a range of game-related implementations. I consider my knowledge of C and C++ to be competent but I am always looking to learn new skills and improve my knowledge of the language.

For my university dissertation I focused on analysing the architecture of open-source game engines, in particular the Quake-series. The practical section consisted on a selection of smaller implementations including bringing concurrency/parallel execution to older engines using OpenMP and also a hard-coded approach. I also investigated enhancing an older engine (Quake II) with modern features such as native 64-bit support.

From this experience I learned a good deal about the architecture of game engines and finding my way around fairly large code bases (approximately 250,000 SLOC). I understand the principles of source/version control systems and have personal experience with SVN and also Git (see http://github.com/jdmunro).

Over the summer of 2008 I worked as a member of the Centre for Research in Open Source Software at my university on the CODEX project. I researched and developed an Ubuntu-based LiveCD for use by university students wishing to develop software for the OLPC XO-1 project and its Sugar interface. The project was successful and subsequently gained mention in the BCS magazine ITNOW and is the subject of a research paper published at The 5th International Conference on Open Source Systems (OSS 2009) in Sweden. Whilst not directly related to games, the CODEX project demonstrates my commitment to open-source and the ability to see a project through from conception to completion.

===Communication skills===

English is my native language and so I will have no problems communicating efficiently. I am also familiar with IRC communication and have used the protocol for many years.

As a game player myself, I am experienced at communicating with fellow gamers and whilst the scope of this project may not require this, it is still a good skill to posses.

I believe that constructive criticism is the key to improving your own skills and abilities. I genuinely enjoy the process of improving my work and gaining feedback is valuable to this process. I would hope to receive feedback from fellow developers and eventually end-user gamers concerning the results of my implementation.

I am happy to be contacted via email at any time and will be on IRC at reasonable GMT hours (9AM to 9/10PM). I would also accept telephone calls however this would probably be on a pre-determined schedule, such as a weekly meeting or summary. In the event of me not being on IRC, I have an IRC bouncer that will take private messages on my behalf (identified by [a] postfix on my nickname).

===Gaming Experience===

I am a huge fan of gaming and games technology and play many games when time permits. I enjoy a diverse range of games on many platforms as I feel it is important to have a wider understanding, rather than just limiting yourself to the games you like. I have played Battle for Wesnoth and enjoyed working through the single-player campaigns. I do not partake in multiplayer matches as I feel that I would lose frequently!

==Project Details==

I would like to implement improvements to the WML system to help decrease overall memory usage by Battle for Wesnoth.

===First Steps===

My first steps would be to identify and understand the process that was used to profile memory usage as identified in this post: http://dave.wesnoth.org/?p=9 in order to replicate the results.

From this starting point I will attempt to identify various areas for optimisation. In addition to WML I will keep my eye out for other potential performance problems (whilst avoiding over-optimisation!) that may have been overlooked.

I may need to spend some time developing my understanding of certain things. In particular I will need to gain better knowledge of the WML component, but also techniques for reducing memory consumption. These are technical areas that I thoroughly enjoy studying, hence the focus on my dissertation.

===Objectives===

The objectives of the implementation are summarised below:

* Identify and understand profiling technique/process.
* Identify and assess any other bottlenecks found in addition to WML.
* Study and understand relevant optimisation/memory reduction techniques.
* Implement optimisation changes into the codebase.
* Assess the impact of the changes (hopefully an improvement).

===Proposed Timeline===

The timeline below is fairly abstract. In the event of my selection I would produce a more detailed timeline with my mentor with regularly scheduled progress meetings (I have found this process to work particularly well in the past)

Now - Preliminary research.
April 20th to May 23rd - Community bonding (getting to know the players and developers!).
May 23rd - Initial development begins - continued research.
July 6th - Basic work completed for mid-term evaluation.
August 10th - Aim to finish implementation, begin wrapping up.

During the bonding period I feel that it is really important to get to know the players and developers well, particularly my mentor. Having a good working relationship with a mentor is important to any type of project and can really help give the resultant work the 'x' factor.

===Blog===

During the project I would like to maintain a development log for personal reflection and also feedback purposes. I currently maintain a general student/games development blog (http://james.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk) and would dedicate a section to Wesnoth development. I discovered that blogging was an extremely valuable tool during my work on the CODEX project, particularly for open-source projects.

===Holiday Absence===

Unfortunately I will be unavailable for 2 weeks (13th-27th June) due to a pre-booked family holiday. However, during this time I will have access to both a laptop and internet access and so development work can still continue at a reduced pace.

SummerOfCodeProposal jdmunro

2009-03-25T11:55:32Z

Jdmunro: /* Project Details */ Added proposed timeline skeleton - to flesh out

==Introduction==

'''''Name:''''' James Munro

'''''Age:''''' 21

'''''Education:''''' Final year Games Computing BSc (Hons), progressing to MSc Advanced Games Computing at the University of Lincoln, UK

'''''Wesnoth Forum ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''IRC ID:''''' jmunro

'''''GNA ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''Email Address:''''' james AT jamesdesign.org'''''

===Basics===

I am James Munro, a student at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. I am in the final year of Games Computing BSc (Hons) and after graduation I will be taking the MSc Advanced Games Computing award at the same university and department.

I taught myself to program in C++ before attending university, working on personal projects related to game development. Since attending university my skill set has increased and I have learned to employ many different programming languages for different purposes.

In my spare time I like to contribute to open-source projects (with emphasis on games) when I can by testing, bug-reporting and developing code. Recently I had my first patch accepted on the open-source game Teeworlds. This was a proud moment for me and I am thoroughly looking forward to contributing to more games in the future.

I am applying to GSoC so that I may learn and develop my skills. Specifically, I am looking forward to the opportunity of working closely as part of a team and to benefit the open-source/gaming community.

===Experience===

As previously mentioned, my first accepted patch was for the open-source game Teeworlds. Most of my development time has been focused on university assignments developing a range of game-related implementations. I consider my knowledge of C and C++ to be competent but I am always looking to learn new skills and improve my knowledge of the language.

For my university dissertation I focused on analysing the architecture of open-source game engines, in particular the Quake-series. The practical section consisted on a selection of smaller implementations including bringing concurrency/parallel execution to older engines using OpenMP and also a hard-coded approach. I also investigated enhancing an older engine (Quake II) with modern features such as native 64-bit support.

From this experience I learned a good deal about the architecture of game engines and finding my way around fairly large code bases (approximately 250,000 SLOC). I understand the principles of source/version control systems and have personal experience with SVN and also Git (see http://github.com/jdmunro).

Over the summer of 2008 I worked as a member of the Centre for Research in Open Source Software at my university on the CODEX project. I researched and developed an Ubuntu-based LiveCD for use by university students wishing to develop software for the OLPC XO-1 project and its Sugar interface. The project was successful and subsequently gained mention in the BCS magazine ITNOW and is the subject of a research paper published at The 5th International Conference on Open Source Systems (OSS 2009) in Sweden. Whilst not directly related to games, the CODEX project demonstrates my commitment to open-source and the ability to see a project through from conception to completion.

===Communication skills===

English is my native language and so I will have no problems communicating efficiently. I am also familiar with IRC communication and have used the protocol for many years.

As a game player myself, I am experienced at communicating with fellow gamers and whilst the scope of this project may not require this, it is still a good skill to posses.

I believe that constructive criticism is the key to improving your own skills and abilities. I genuinely enjoy the process of improving my work and gaining feedback is valuable to this process. I would hope to receive feedback from fellow developers and eventually end-user gamers concerning the results of my implementation.

I am happy to be contacted via email at any time and will be on IRC at reasonable GMT hours (9AM to 9/10PM). I would also accept telephone calls however this would probably be on a pre-determined schedule, such as a weekly meeting or summary. In the event of me not being on IRC, I have an IRC bouncer that will take private messages on my behalf (identified by [a] postfix on my nickname).

===Gaming Experience===

I am a huge fan of gaming and games technology and play many games when time permits. I enjoy a diverse range of games on many platforms as I feel it is important to have a wider understanding, rather than just limiting yourself to the games you like. I have played Battle for Wesnoth and enjoyed working through the single-player campaigns. I do not partake in multiplayer matches as I feel that I would lose frequently!

==Project Details==

I would like to implement improvements to the WML system to help decrease overall memory usage by Battle for Wesnoth.

===First Steps===

My first steps would be to identify and understand the process that was used to profile memory usage as identified in this post: http://dave.wesnoth.org/?p=9 in order to replicate the results.

From this starting point I will attempt to identify various areas for optimisation. In addition to WML I will keep my eye out for other potential performance problems (whilst avoiding over-optimisation!) that may have been overlooked.

I may need to spend some time developing my understanding of certain things. In particular I will need to gain better knowledge of the WML component, but also techniques for reducing memory consumption. These are technical areas that I thoroughly enjoy studying, hence the focus on my dissertation.

===Objectives===

The objectives of the implementation are summarised below:

* Identify and understand profiling technique/process.
* Identify and assess any other bottlenecks found in addition to WML.
* Study and understand relevant optimisation/memory reduction techniques.
* Implement optimisation changes into the codebase.
* Assess the impact of the changes (hopefully an improvement).

===Proposed Timeline===

T.B.C.

===Blog===

During the project I would like to maintain a development log for personal reflection and also feedback purposes. I currently maintain a general student/games development blog (http://james.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk) and would dedicate a section to Wesnoth development. I discovered that blogging was an extremely valuable tool during my work on the CODEX project, particularly for open-source projects.

===Holiday Absence===

Unfortunately I will be unavailable for 2 weeks (13th-27th June) due to a pre-booked family holiday. However, during this time I will have access to both a laptop and internet access and so development work can still continue at a reduced pace.

SummerOfCodeIdeas

2009-03-24T16:05:42Z

Jdmunro: /* Optimize implementation of WML for memory usage */ Added my page.

This is a compilation of ideas from ML. Needs to be refined (more detailed description, deliverables, workload estimation?):

== I want to be one of your Google Summer of Code students, what should I do... ==

Here is a quick list of things to do to get you started
* Create an account on gna.org
* Create an account on the wesnoth forum, and tell an admin on the IRC channel to mark is as a GSoC Student account (Admins are boucman, Ivanovic, mordante, Shadow_Master, Sirp and Turuk)
* Join the irc channel (#wesnoth-dev on irc.freenode.net) and introduce yourself. We will not give formal interviews, but we will clearly favor people we have learned to know during the selection process (basically communication via IRC is mandatory for our project! it is the main way of "every day communication" for Wesnoth. For the same reason, it's also a good idea to regularly read the [http://wesnoth.debian.net/?C=M;O=A IRC logs].).

* Start a wiki page about your idea, add a link on the bottom of this page and add this information on it:
** List your account names (gna, forum, irc nick) so that we can recognize you
** Fill the questionnaire on this page: [[SoC_Information_for_Google#Does_your_organization_have_an_application_template_you_would_like_to_see_students_use.3F_If_so.2C_please_provide_it_now.| List of questions to answer]]
** Detail your idea as much as possible, look at other students pages, and please give milestones and studies you've done
** Add a link to the page at the bottom of this page

* Though not mandatory, it is highly advisable to go to the [[EasyCoding]] and [[NotSoEasyCoding]] pages and implement one of these ideas (or any idea of similar scope) so we have an idea how you work. Be sure to use your gna account when submitting these patches so we know who it is coming from. You can also implement some features from our feature request database at gna. When you implement something, also list it on your own page with a reference to the patch.

* For working on Wesnoth you have to be able to compile trunk. To do so you should have a look at the [[WesnothSVN|page about svn]] and afterwards [[CompilingWesnoth|compile Wesnoth svn]].

* Once you have everything done here and think your idea is okay, go to [http://groups.google.com/group/google-summer-of-code-announce/web/guide-to-the-gsoc-web-app-for-student-applicants page at google] to submit your application. You have to submit it before '''Date to be supplied later''' or you have no chance to get in!

== List of Ideas for the Project (Suggestions from the wesnoth developers) ==

Here is only a short description of possible Ideas we have, each has a page of its own with a more detailed version on it.

=== Optimize implementation of WML for memory usage ===

Based on this idea: [http://dave.wesnoth.org/?p=9] optimize WML to minimize its memory usage. High memory usage has been a problem for Wesnoth, and this project will aim to reduce it.

=== Implement campaign statistics reports on stats.wesnoth.org ===

Wesnoth has an infrastructure which records details of campaigns that players play into a centralized MySQL database. However, we only have rudimentary reports based on this MySQL database available at this time, at [http://stats.wesnoth.org].

This project would involve writing a stats reporting web site which would take the data from the MySQL database and produce reports in chart and table form. Campaign designers would be able to use these reports to gather feedback on their campaigns and get ideas for improvements.

A student could largely make their choice of infrastructure for creating the Website -- whether they prefer Python, Perl, Ruby, PHP, etc. This is a great opportunity for someone who doesn't want to dive into hardcore C++ to make a valuable contribution to Wesnoth.

[[SoC Ideas Stats Server]] - Full Version of the idea, with detailed information

=== Extending the Multiplayer server ===

Our multiplayer community is generally strong and healthy, but we believe its growth is limited by some problems in the interface of the multiplayer lobby.

[[SoC Ideas Multiplayer server]] - Full version of the idea, with detailed information

=== Addon server ===
Wesnoth has an addon server which offers users to upload user
made content (UMC). This allows all other users of Wesnoth
to easily download and install this content. The server was
originally written for user-made campaigns but contains a lot
more types of addons nowadays. Both the server side and the
client side need to be improved.

[[SoC Ideas Addon Server]] - Full version of the idea, with detailed information

=== WML validation schemes ===
Wesnoth uses WML as basic data structure. Over the years
this language has evolved and got more complex. At the
moment the WML is validated at runtime and in case of a
problem the engine stops. With schemes these problems can
be validated when loading the WML, making it easier to find
problems before running into them.

[[SoC Ideas Schemes]] - Full version of the idea, with detailed information

=== Write a primitive library for Formula AI ===

Wesnoth has always had a simple C++ based AI. David (our lead developer) has been working on a simple language to write AI in Wesnoth: [[FormulaAI]]

The Wesnoth AI is used as an opponent in most campaigns, and as such is an important piece of code for the Wesnoth project. Unfortunately, because the skills required to understand and modify it are rather arcane, it is also one of the most neglected parts of the Wesnoth code. This is a place where a lot of research and useful work could be done. But keep in mind that [[WhyWritingAWesnothAIIsHard|writing an AI for Wesnoth is difficult]].

Writing a whole AI is so complicated that we believe it can't be done in a single Summer of code. All proposals should keep that in mind and try to identify an interesting subset that would be workable in the limited time of a summer of code

[[SoC Ideas FormulaAI]] - Full version of the idea, with detailed information

=== Savegame reorganization ===
The savegame formats of Wesnoth for single player campaigns
and multiplayer differ from each other. And they are processed
differently as well. Now there is an additional request coming
up: Multiplayer campaigns. The task will be to unify the savegames
for all types of scenarios in order to provide a maintainable code
again.

[[SoC Ideas Savegame]] - Full version of the idea, with detailed information

=== Other possible ideas to be fleshed out ===
A MapGenerator rewrite - better scalable for outdoor maps, plus the possibility to define areas (similar to the caverns in the cave generator) etc.

=== Make your own ideas ===
If you have your own idea the best thing is to join IRC wesnoth-dev at irc.freenode.net and discuss the idea with the developers there. If the developers think your idea is interesting and like the feature you can start to turn it into a full proposal. Once done discuss it again on IRC so the developers can accept your idea.

== Information about our Project ==
The information we provided google with about our project can be looked up at the site [[SoC Information for Google]].

Also see the [[DeveloperResources]] link (from the [[Project]] page).

== People to bug on IRC ==
We have prepared a list of people with their "area of competence". This is to give you an idea on which areas those people can be of help for you. Of course you should always just ask in the IRC chan, but those are the most likely ones to answer questions in the respective area. And here is the list:

[[SoC People to bug on IRC]]

== GSoC Student pages ==

Please add a link to your wiki page below

==== AI ====

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_Velory| Velory - SoC Proposal]]

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_AI_Improvement_Crab| Crab - SoC Proposal - AI Improvement]]

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_Sparksteel | Sparksteel - Improving the AI engine design]]

==== Savegame reorganization ====

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_Euschn | Euschn - Savegame reorganization]]

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_lmg| lmg - Savegame reorganization]]

==== Extending the Multiplayer server ====

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_rubend | rubend - Extending the Multiplayer server]]

==== Addon server ====

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_Ryochan7| Ryochan7 - Addon server]]

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_iyonius| iyonius - Addon server]]

==== Optimize implementation of WML for memory usage ====

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_res| res - Optimize implementation of WML for memory usage ]]

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_jdmunro| jdmunro - Optimize implementation of WML for memory usage ]]

==== Implement campaign statistics reports on stats.wesnoth.org ====

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_Elbin| Elbin - New campaign statistics page]]

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_Munk| Munk - New campaign stats page]]

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_carlestyle| carlestyle - New campaign stats page]]

[[SummerOfCodeProposal_nerwa| NeRwa - New campaign stats page]]

[[Category:Summer of Code|*]]

SummerOfCodeProposal jdmunro

2009-03-24T15:32:10Z

Jdmunro: /* Introduction */ I guess my gender is fairly obvious :)

==Introduction==

'''''Name:''''' James Munro

'''''Age:''''' 21

'''''Education:''''' Final year Games Computing BSc (Hons), progressing to MSc Advanced Games Computing at the University of Lincoln, UK

'''''Wesnoth Forum ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''IRC ID:''''' jmunro

'''''GNA ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''Email Address:''''' james AT jamesdesign.org'''''

===Basics===

I am James Munro, a student at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. I am in the final year of Games Computing BSc (Hons) and after graduation I will be taking the MSc Advanced Games Computing award at the same university and department.

I taught myself to program in C++ before attending university, working on personal projects related to game development. Since attending university my skill set has increased and I have learned to employ many different programming languages for different purposes.

In my spare time I like to contribute to open-source projects (with emphasis on games) when I can by testing, bug-reporting and developing code. Recently I had my first patch accepted on the open-source game Teeworlds. This was a proud moment for me and I am thoroughly looking forward to contributing to more games in the future.

I am applying to GSoC so that I may learn and develop my skills. Specifically, I am looking forward to the opportunity of working closely as part of a team and to benefit the open-source/gaming community.

===Experience===

As previously mentioned, my first accepted patch was for the open-source game Teeworlds. Most of my development time has been focused on university assignments developing a range of game-related implementations. I consider my knowledge of C and C++ to be competent but I am always looking to learn new skills and improve my knowledge of the language.

For my university dissertation I focused on analysing the architecture of open-source game engines, in particular the Quake-series. The practical section consisted on a selection of smaller implementations including bringing concurrency/parallel execution to older engines using OpenMP and also a hard-coded approach. I also investigated enhancing an older engine (Quake II) with modern features such as native 64-bit support.

From this experience I learned a good deal about the architecture of game engines and finding my way around fairly large code bases (approximately 250,000 SLOC). I understand the principles of source/version control systems and have personal experience with SVN and also Git (see http://github.com/jdmunro).

Over the summer of 2008 I worked as a member of the Centre for Research in Open Source Software at my university on the CODEX project. I researched and developed an Ubuntu-based LiveCD for use by university students wishing to develop software for the OLPC XO-1 project and its Sugar interface. The project was successful and subsequently gained mention in the BCS magazine ITNOW and is the subject of a research paper published at The 5th International Conference on Open Source Systems (OSS 2009) in Sweden. Whilst not directly related to games, the CODEX project demonstrates my commitment to open-source and the ability to see a project through from conception to completion.

===Communication skills===

English is my native language and so I will have no problems communicating efficiently. I am also familiar with IRC communication and have used the protocol for many years.

As a game player myself, I am experienced at communicating with fellow gamers and whilst the scope of this project may not require this, it is still a good skill to posses.

I believe that constructive criticism is the key to improving your own skills and abilities. I genuinely enjoy the process of improving my work and gaining feedback is valuable to this process. I would hope to receive feedback from fellow developers and eventually end-user gamers concerning the results of my implementation.

I am happy to be contacted via email at any time and will be on IRC at reasonable GMT hours (9AM to 9/10PM). I would also accept telephone calls however this would probably be on a pre-determined schedule, such as a weekly meeting or summary. In the event of me not being on IRC, I have an IRC bouncer that will take private messages on my behalf (identified by [a] postfix on my nickname).

===Gaming Experience===

I am a huge fan of gaming and games technology and play many games when time permits. I enjoy a diverse range of games on many platforms as I feel it is important to have a wider understanding, rather than just limiting yourself to the games you like. I have played Battle for Wesnoth and enjoyed working through the single-player campaigns. I do not partake in multiplayer matches as I feel that I would lose frequently!

==Project Details==

I would like to implement improvements to the WML system to help decrease overall memory usage by Battle for Wesnoth.

===First Steps===

My first steps would be to identify and understand the process that was used to profile memory usage as identified in this post: http://dave.wesnoth.org/?p=9 in order to replicate the results.

From this starting point I will attempt to identify various areas for optimisation. In addition to WML I will keep my eye out for other potential performance problems (whilst avoiding over-optimisation!) that may have been overlooked.

I may need to spend some time developing my understanding of certain things. In particular I will need to gain better knowledge of the WML component, but also techniques for reducing memory consumption. These are technical areas that I thoroughly enjoy studying, hence the focus on my dissertation.

===Objectives===

The objectives of the implementation are summarised below:

* Identify and understand profiling technique/process.
* Identify and assess any other bottlenecks found in addition to WML.
* Study and understand relevant optimisation/memory reduction techniques.
* Implement optimisation changes into the codebase.
* Assess the impact of the changes (hopefully an improvement).

===Blog===

During the project I would like to maintain a development log for personal reflection and also feedback purposes. I currently maintain a general student/games development blog (http://james.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk) and would dedicate a section to Wesnoth development. I discovered that blogging was an extremely valuable tool during my work on the CODEX project, particularly for open-source projects.

===Holiday Absence===

Unfortunately I will be unavailable for 2 weeks (13th-27th June) due to a pre-booked family holiday. However, during this time I will have access to both a laptop and internet access and so development work can still continue at a reduced pace.

SummerOfCodeProposal jdmunro

2009-03-24T15:31:48Z

Jdmunro: Fleshed out some more sections.

==Introduction==

'''''Name:''''' James Munro

'''''Age:''''' 21

'''''Gender:'''''Male

'''''Education:''''' Final year Games Computing BSc (Hons), progressing to MSc Advanced Games Computing at the University of Lincoln, UK

'''''Wesnoth Forum ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''IRC ID:''''' jmunro

'''''GNA ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''Email Address:''''' james AT jamesdesign.org'''''

===Basics===

I am James Munro, a student at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. I am in the final year of Games Computing BSc (Hons) and after graduation I will be taking the MSc Advanced Games Computing award at the same university and department.

I taught myself to program in C++ before attending university, working on personal projects related to game development. Since attending university my skill set has increased and I have learned to employ many different programming languages for different purposes.

In my spare time I like to contribute to open-source projects (with emphasis on games) when I can by testing, bug-reporting and developing code. Recently I had my first patch accepted on the open-source game Teeworlds. This was a proud moment for me and I am thoroughly looking forward to contributing to more games in the future.

I am applying to GSoC so that I may learn and develop my skills. Specifically, I am looking forward to the opportunity of working closely as part of a team and to benefit the open-source/gaming community.

===Experience===

As previously mentioned, my first accepted patch was for the open-source game Teeworlds. Most of my development time has been focused on university assignments developing a range of game-related implementations. I consider my knowledge of C and C++ to be competent but I am always looking to learn new skills and improve my knowledge of the language.

For my university dissertation I focused on analysing the architecture of open-source game engines, in particular the Quake-series. The practical section consisted on a selection of smaller implementations including bringing concurrency/parallel execution to older engines using OpenMP and also a hard-coded approach. I also investigated enhancing an older engine (Quake II) with modern features such as native 64-bit support.

From this experience I learned a good deal about the architecture of game engines and finding my way around fairly large code bases (approximately 250,000 SLOC). I understand the principles of source/version control systems and have personal experience with SVN and also Git (see http://github.com/jdmunro).

Over the summer of 2008 I worked as a member of the Centre for Research in Open Source Software at my university on the CODEX project. I researched and developed an Ubuntu-based LiveCD for use by university students wishing to develop software for the OLPC XO-1 project and its Sugar interface. The project was successful and subsequently gained mention in the BCS magazine ITNOW and is the subject of a research paper published at The 5th International Conference on Open Source Systems (OSS 2009) in Sweden. Whilst not directly related to games, the CODEX project demonstrates my commitment to open-source and the ability to see a project through from conception to completion.

===Communication skills===

English is my native language and so I will have no problems communicating efficiently. I am also familiar with IRC communication and have used the protocol for many years.

As a game player myself, I am experienced at communicating with fellow gamers and whilst the scope of this project may not require this, it is still a good skill to posses.

I believe that constructive criticism is the key to improving your own skills and abilities. I genuinely enjoy the process of improving my work and gaining feedback is valuable to this process. I would hope to receive feedback from fellow developers and eventually end-user gamers concerning the results of my implementation.

I am happy to be contacted via email at any time and will be on IRC at reasonable GMT hours (9AM to 9/10PM). I would also accept telephone calls however this would probably be on a pre-determined schedule, such as a weekly meeting or summary. In the event of me not being on IRC, I have an IRC bouncer that will take private messages on my behalf (identified by [a] postfix on my nickname).

===Gaming Experience===

I am a huge fan of gaming and games technology and play many games when time permits. I enjoy a diverse range of games on many platforms as I feel it is important to have a wider understanding, rather than just limiting yourself to the games you like. I have played Battle for Wesnoth and enjoyed working through the single-player campaigns. I do not partake in multiplayer matches as I feel that I would lose frequently!

==Project Details==

I would like to implement improvements to the WML system to help decrease overall memory usage by Battle for Wesnoth.

===First Steps===

My first steps would be to identify and understand the process that was used to profile memory usage as identified in this post: http://dave.wesnoth.org/?p=9 in order to replicate the results.

From this starting point I will attempt to identify various areas for optimisation. In addition to WML I will keep my eye out for other potential performance problems (whilst avoiding over-optimisation!) that may have been overlooked.

I may need to spend some time developing my understanding of certain things. In particular I will need to gain better knowledge of the WML component, but also techniques for reducing memory consumption. These are technical areas that I thoroughly enjoy studying, hence the focus on my dissertation.

===Objectives===

The objectives of the implementation are summarised below:

* Identify and understand profiling technique/process.
* Identify and assess any other bottlenecks found in addition to WML.
* Study and understand relevant optimisation/memory reduction techniques.
* Implement optimisation changes into the codebase.
* Assess the impact of the changes (hopefully an improvement).

===Blog===

During the project I would like to maintain a development log for personal reflection and also feedback purposes. I currently maintain a general student/games development blog (http://james.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk) and would dedicate a section to Wesnoth development. I discovered that blogging was an extremely valuable tool during my work on the CODEX project, particularly for open-source projects.

===Holiday Absence===

Unfortunately I will be unavailable for 2 weeks (13th-27th June) due to a pre-booked family holiday. However, during this time I will have access to both a laptop and internet access and so development work can still continue at a reduced pace.

SummerOfCodeProposal jdmunro

2009-03-24T15:20:44Z

Jdmunro: /* Communication skills */ Added some more contact details.

SummerOfCodeProposal jdmunro

2009-03-24T15:10:08Z

Jdmunro: /* Project Details */ Fleshed out the section.

==Introduction==

'''''Name:''''' James Munro

'''''Age:''''' 21

'''''Gender:'''''Male

'''''Education:''''' Final year Games Computing BSc (Hons), progressing to MSc Advanced Games Computing at the University of Lincoln, UK

'''''Wesnoth Forum ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''IRC ID:''''' jmunro

'''''GNA ID:''''' jdmunro

'''''Email Address:''''' james AT jamesdesign.org'''''

===Basics===

I am James Munro, a student at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. I am in the final year of Games Computing BSc (Hons) and after graduation I will be taking the MSc Advanced Games Computing award at the same university and department.

I taught myself to program in C++ before attending university, working on personal projects related to game development. Since attending university my skill set has increased and I have learned to employ many different programming languages for different purposes.

In my spare time I like to contribute to open-source projects (with emphasis on games) when I can by testing, bug-reporting and developing code. Recently I had my first patch accepted on the open-source game Teeworlds. This was a proud moment for me and I am thoroughly looking forward to contributing to more games in the future.

I am applying to GSoC so that I may learn and develop my skills. Specifically, I am looking forward to the opportunity of working closely as part of a team and to benefit the open-source/gaming community.

===Experience===

As previously mentioned, my first accepted patch was for the open-source game Teeworlds. Most of my development time has been focused on university assignments developing a range of game-related implementations. I consider my knowledge of C and C++ to be competent but I am always looking to learn new skills and improve my knowledge of the language.

For my university dissertation I focused on analysing the architecture of open-source game engines, in particular the Quake-series. The practical section consisted on a selection of smaller implementations including bringing concurrency/parallel execution to older engines using OpenMP and also a hard-coded approach. I also investigated enhancing an older engine (Quake II) with modern features such as native 64-bit support.

From this experience I learned a good deal about the architecture of game engines and finding my way around fairly large code bases (approximately 250,000 SLOC). I understand the principles of source/version control systems and have personal experience with SVN and also Git (see http://github.com/jdmunro).

Over the summer of 2008 I worked as a member of the Centre for Research in Open Source Software at my university on the CODEX project. I researched and developed an Ubuntu-based LiveCD for use by university students wishing to develop software for the OLPC XO-1 project and its Sugar interface. The project was successful and subsequently gained mention in the BCS magazine ITNOW and is the subject of a research paper published at The 5th International Conference on Open Source Systems (OSS 2009) in Sweden. Whilst not directly related to games, the CODEX project demonstrates my commitment to open-source and the ability to see a project through from conception to completion.

===Communication skills===

English is my native language and so I will have no problems communicating efficiently. I am also familiar with IRC communication and have used the protocol for many years.

As a game player myself, I am experienced at communicating with fellow gamers and whilst the scope of this project may not require this, it is still a good skill to posses.

I believe that constructive criticism is the key to improving your own skills and abilities. I genuinely enjoy the process of improving my work and gaining feedback is valuable to this process. I would hope to receive feedback from fellow developers and eventually end-user gamers concerning the results of my implementation.

===Gaming Experience===

I am a huge fan of gaming and games technology and play many games when time permits. I enjoy a diverse range of games on many platforms as I feel it is important to have a wider understanding, rather than just limiting yourself to the games you like. I have played Battle for Wesnoth and enjoyed working through the single-player campaigns. I do not partake in multiplayer matches as I feel that I would lose frequently!

==Project Details==

I would like to implement improvements to the WML system to help decrease overall memory usage by Battle for Wesnoth.

===First Steps===

My first steps would be to identify and understand the process that was used to profile memory usage as identified in this post: http://dave.wesnoth.org/?p=9 in order to replicate the results.

From this starting point I will attempt to identify various areas for optimisation. In addition to WML I will keep my eye out for other potential performance problems (whilst avoiding over-optimisation!) that may have been overlooked.

I may need to spend some time developing my understanding of certain things. In particular I will need to gain better knowledge of the WML component, but also techniques for reducing memory consumption. These are technical areas that I thoroughly enjoy studying, hence the focus on my dissertation.

SummerOfCodeProposal jdmunro

2009-03-24T14:53:51Z

Jdmunro: Added paragraph on feedback that I meant to add before.

SummerOfCodeProposal jdmunro

2009-03-24T14:50:59Z

Jdmunro: Main 'about me' bulk completed, still drafting specific project details.