01-02-2003 10:19									#1
	Column #216: "The Final Frontier" Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

The Column has returned. The two-hundred-and-sixteenth article is written by Rasbelin, Stella Polaris' Development Team Manager. Entitled "The Final Frontier", Rasbelin talks at length about the SP project.

Comments etc. on this article are welcome in the related forum thread. Archives of previously published articles in The Column series can be accessed by clicking here. If you previously submitted an article for The Column and it has a) not yet been published and b) you have not received a response rejecting the piece outright, please re-submit it. On behalf of the Apolyton CS staff and administration, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

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Dan; Apolyton CS

Last edited by DanQ on 01-02-2003 at 20:56

	01-02-2003 15:13									#2
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Just correcting that Blake is the Project Manager, while I'm SPDT Manager. The old information must have slipped through as the text was written in August. But nice to see the text finally published.

	01-02-2003 16:29									#3
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what's the DT in the SPDT?

	01-02-2003 16:39									#4
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Just one of the things he had to do to get the job.

	01-02-2003 16:41									#5
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Markos,

SPDT - Stella Polaris Development Team, so DT stands for development team.

Spikey,

	01-02-2003 16:58									#6
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ok i now i have to ask
what's the difference betwen the Development Team Manager and the Project Manager?

	01-02-2003 18:26									#7
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The Project Manager gets to use the mug with the unbroken handle.

	01-02-2003 18:47									#8
	Increase the size of your Attachments

* Rasbelin gets worried for his mugs because of Laz's comment.



All 2 mugs were still in good shape.

	01-02-2003 19:14									#9
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quote: Originally posted by MarkG ok i now i have to ask what's the difference betwen the Development Team Manager and the Project Manager?

The Project Manager is in charge for the whole project and is responsible for the content, while the SPDT Manager is leading the team of developers and is in charge for the development work. However I also handle other issues as Community and PR Manager. As Blake is absent, I'm now doing everything related to the project administration.

	01-02-2003 19:22									#10
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What is there to the project besides the development of the game?

What things are Blake's responsibilities (when he's around) that you don't get involved in?

	01-02-2003 20:09									#11
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Maintaining and developing the Stella Polaris community is also something which is a part of the work. Especially when the 1.0 version has been published and MP playing of StP becomes more popular.

Blake has been more into the content of the game and being in charge for co-ordinating the overall design of the game. I'm keeping the machinery working.

	01-02-2003 20:12									#12
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OK, that makes sense.

	01-02-2003 21:27									#13
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ok, to close this line of silly questions, why is the Project Manager called a Project Manager and not SPP Manager?

Last edited by MarkG on 01-02-2003 at 21:42

	01-02-2003 22:16									#14
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Silly questions? The old saying says that no questions are silly.

It's SPDT Manager because it refers directly to the SPDT and not a development team in general, so that's why it's the only title that has the letters SP included. It would just get more confusing if everyone would be something SP as the full titles are anyway be SPDT, Project Manager; SPDT, Helpmate or SPDT, Director. So that's why it's not SPP Manager.

But I want to point out that it's really not a strict hierarchy as e.g. I'm more of an all-hands-person; starting with the website, replying to work applications from SourceForge and ending up in something like running a BNT game for the StP community.

	01-02-2003 22:50									#15
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quote: Originally posted by Rasbelin It's SPDT Manager because it refers directly to the SPDT and not a development team in general, so that's why it's the only title that has the letters SP included.

Well doesn't the term project manager relate specifically to SP also, and not project manager in general? You are digging yourself in deeper and deeper Rasbey

	02-02-2003 04:19									#16
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The reason is the it's directly pointing at a group with a specific name. It could of course have been just Development Team Manager, but it doesn't really matter that much. It's just a title.

	02-02-2003 05:18									#17
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So after a day of debate we have ascertained that Mark and myself are right......your titles are arbitrary and your reasons for the SP or lack of it a little dubious.

	02-02-2003 16:53									#18
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Actually what I would like to see is some feedback about The Column writing itself, not some titles.

	03-02-2003 03:03									#19
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it's well written and interesting enough to get me to take a look into the StP forum

	03-02-2003 03:47									#20
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You're in danger of losing people with this opening.

quote: What has been inspiring the mankind for centuries and has been called the final frontier? Space. If you would have asked me, the answer would have been that other dimensions is the final frontier, but space is currently the one we are aware of. But why am I starting by stating that space has been a source of inspiration and that it's the final frontier?

The article actually works better without them.

	03-02-2003 03:59									#21
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I know what you mean Laz.......but overall I thought it was decently written for someone for whom English is a second language.

	03-02-2003 05:33									#22
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Actually English is my third language.

	03-02-2003 05:39									#23
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Sorry, but obscene doesn't count.

	03-02-2003 05:42									#24
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Spikey,

I'm not perfect, but Laz has been speaking Pomish English since day one (well, not literally), while I have been speaking and writing somewhat okay English for a much shorter time.

quote: Originally posted by ColdWizard it's well written and interesting enough to get me to take a look into the StP forum

...and in hope to get a few +1s. Right?

	03-02-2003 06:24									#25
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quote: Originally posted by Rasbelin Spikey, I'm not perfect, but Laz has been speaking Pomish English since day one (well, not literally), while I have been speaking and writing somewhat okay English for a much shorter time.

I think you misunderstood.......I said your English was fine........it's almost as good as my Finnish.

	03-02-2003 06:31									#26
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quote: Originally posted by Rasbelin ...and in hope to get a few +1s. Right?

hey i'm not DrSpike

i don't think i'll have much to post there, most of the threads i've skimmed seem to be too technical for my poor brain to handle.

	03-02-2003 06:47									#27
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quote: Originally posted by DrSpike I think you misunderstood.......I said your English was fine........it's almost as good as my Finnish.

Thanks for your compliment! I need to add that to my CV so that it looks more impressive ("English: speaks about as fluently as Spikey speaks Finnish").

	03-02-2003 23:00									#28
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It's not a question of quality of English- it's a question of avoiding digression in the opening.

	03-02-2003 23:32									#29
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I agree with Laz.

It would be been better leaving the opening two paragraphs out.

This...

quote: Stella Polaris is a GNU GPL licensed open source TBS game about interstellar and extraterrestial colonisation. The game has been inspired by several other games like CivII and CivIII, SMAC, MoO and Stars!

... would have made a far better opening than this ...

quote: What has been inspiring the mankind for centuries and has been called the final frontier? Space. If you would have asked me, the answer would have been that other dimensions is the final frontier, but space is currently the one we are aware of. But why am I starting by stating that space has been a source of inspiration and that it's the final frontier?

	05-02-2003 08:27									#30
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At least he didn't split any infinitives…