Open Source Game 0 AD Again Seeking Cash for Programmers
20.05.12
Lots of open source projects solicit code contributions, and others ask for money. But 0 A.D. , the cross platform RTS game under development at Wildfire Games , is setting a new example by seeking cash to pay programmers. How is this strategy paying off? Read on for details, along with some updates on the project’s progress.
0 A.D., which we’ve covered frequently in the past , has been an ongoing effort for quite some time now. As a venture driven totally by volunteers whose final product will be completely free of charge, the project has also always been on the lookout for contributions of code, art, music, documentation, publicity and anything else users and community members have been able to offer.
Last winter, however, 0 A.D. team leaders experimented with a novel strategy for speeding development by asking for monetary donations via an online “Sponsor a Developer” campaign. The effort was a decided success, raising $3,000 in three months. The game developers used the money to commission Philip Taylor, a previous lead contributor to 0 A.D. and recent graduate from a Ph.D. program in computer science at Cambridge, to work full-time on the project.
Source: The VAR Guy