Introduction to openclonk developing

This page should be read by any newcomer visiting this site and thinking about contributing to the project.

The first thing you need to know if you want to contribute to the project, is that Openclonk is a complex project.

First of all, as you have might read in the mainpage, openclonk is based on the clonk engine, an engine that has been developed for more than 15 years. For this reason the engine code can have sections with old, legacy and outdated source code, not modern coding style and various other characteristics not often found in many modern software projects.

Moreover the engine offers an amount of features that is really large: -a own scripting language (C4script) that can be used for creating new game's objects and features -own libraries for basic data structures -support for windows and linux operating systems, and opengl and directx APIs

The game itself is much more ambitious than many many other games, freeware or not. In fact the gameplay itself is not completely defined, since in Openclonk you are free and encouraged to play the game the way you prefer. In the game you can find things that might attract a person who likes platforms, online action games, strategy games, rpgs, and much more.

But don't be discouraged at the beginning if all of this seems to much for you... after the first impact, you will find one of the most original and satisfying gaming (or developing) experience you are luckily to encounter anywhere.

If you think you want to try to enter this challenge, our suggestions are:

-Look around the wiki, the forum, to get a general knowledge of what is all about -In case you didn't try, download and compile the game, and try it yourself! -When you have understood the mechanics and want to start developing, read the wiki sections about the what you would like to do more (scripter, coder, graphic artist, etc), and make some experiments -Enter our community... talk to people in the forums, ask questions on IRC, and just let us know you are here!

And now, be ready to see the other sections!