What's up with R&D

Article by Richard Smith

This month we return to getting the lowdown on what one of the teams in OTF had in its hopper. I decided to sit down with Lzrman the get the skinny on what’s going on in Research and Development. Hey, its R&D they have to have something going on…right?

BR: Thanks for taking some time to let the Blue Report in on what’s going on in R&D.

Lzrman: We are currently working on some ideas brought to us by the membership of OTF and the R&D Team. Those ideas are then turned into Proof of Concept designs which are then brought to our Admirality to look at and base a decision on if it’s a go or no go. Most of the ideas we have presented have very positive outlooks.

BR: First off, you’re a pretty busy guy. R&D’s not the only team you’re involved with right? You wear many hats like so many others, so what are some of the other things in OTF taking your time?

Lzrman: Aside from the R&D Team, I am also going to be heading up the 2010 Yearbook in a couple months and building a team to get things on the ball for that, and thats a majority of my time is between R&D and the upcoming yearbook.

BR: So Outpost R&D, sounds like a pretty interesting place, what’s it all about?

Lzrman: Research and Development is very interesting place, I got some good gnomes working for the team. R&D is all about working on new stuff that we can bring to OTF, so the community is always changing and has something new to offer new members, donators and even current membership.

BR: Do you have any projects in development that you can give us a sneak peek into?

Lzrman: Well we currently have 4 completed projects and 11 other ideas in our concept pit to test out and finess, but I will give you a sneak peak and tell you that we are looking into options for the dossier system that I am sure everyone will actually enjoy customising :)

BR: How does one get roped into….err “Chosen” to lead such a team?

Lzrman: I approched Hal and told him that there has been lots of discussion on our forums about the future of the Outpost Community and that we needed to turn discussion into design. After consulting with Iain, the team was formed and I began to hire coders, graphics designers, and general staff to critic and give feedback.

BR: Where do the ideas come from?

Lzrman: Ideas generally should come from the community, and I actually had 'one' individual email the new ideas@outpost10f.com address to suggest a way to improve the outpost. They wanted to bring back Black Nova Traders as it was a fun project that brought people together. I then forwarded the email to our R&D Team List and discussion from there ensued.

BR: What does a potential idea have to have to get on the drawing board of R&D? (How do you choose which projects to run with)

Lzrman: Potential is quite good, because I will email every suggestion to the Team List for Discussion and ideas, then we may code a draft of the idea to get more ideas and how to improve or go from there.

BR: Are you looking for fresh faces? How does one go about joining your team?

Lzrman: Currently R&D is Closed for Application, but if you want to join and are great with coding or graphics design, I am looking for a eager person willing to lend a hand.

BR: Where can patrons of OTF go to find out more about Research & Development?

Lzrman: They can email me or visit the R&D Roster to learn more about whos on the team and what we do.

BR: Anything else for the good of the order?

Lzrman: There are a few ideas that will impress some users who enjoy photography, there are some that will please the local gamer and some that even please people that like the color Purple :)!

BR: Thanks for sitting down with me today.

Lzrman: See you in the following month :)!

Next month we will again visit with Lzrman. We will be talking about the 2010 Outpost10F Yearbook and how you can get involved. Keep watching for next month’s issue.