How can I help?

[carlhannes]

Hey! I would love to help out with this. Where are instructions / discord server etc to help out?

[DenGies]

I would also love to be part of this project.

[dmgreeny]

Hello, thank you for coming to help us. For now we have this small guide for people who want to help. If you are a software engineer or want to know more about our community, you can also join the community discord where you can talk to people who are planning the next course of action for future developments. (https://discord.com/invite/WzxQDZersE)

It's fantastic news to hear about the open-source release of the Generals Zero Hour game engine! 🎮

If you're a CPP expert , you're welcome to review over 250 issues documented in the repository at https://github.com/TheSuperHackers/GeneralsGameCode/issues. Feel free to explore, contribute, and help us improve the project! Your expertise will be greatly appreciated. 🙏

While the experts are working on processing the code and creating a compilation shell, there's many opportunities for us to improve various aspects of the game, including the game shell, textures, sounds, language localizations, and the GUI. So far, we've fixed over 1000 textures and models, improved more than 1500 sound files, 500 bugs 🙂, and made updates to tens of thousands of lines of localization in various languages! 🔧✨

If you'd like to contribute, we welcome your involvement! 🙌

• If you're interested in graphics and design, feel free to help improve textures and models:
  GitHub - Art Issues 🎨

• If you have a passion for sound design and would like to enhance the audio even further, join us here:
  GitHub - Audio Issues 🎧

• If you'd like to help improve the clarity of the existing text, fix errors, or refine the wording, you're welcome to help here:
  GitHub - Text Issues 📝

• If you speak Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, Spanish, or any other language, your help with localization is invaluable:
  GitHub - Localization Issues 🌍

These are just a few examples – there are many other ways to contribute! Whether you're a map creator 🗺️, a Python expert 🐍, or have other skills, there's a place for you!. Visit the repository at https://github.com/TheSuperHackers and you'll find the right spot to get involved. 🚀

Feel free to open new issues, suggest fixes, or propose improvements. Your input is always welcome, and together we can make the game even better! 🚀

Any contribution is highly appreciated! Feel free to browse through the existing code and suggest improvements. 🙂

[xezon]

Hi. I will transfer this report to the Discussion section, where it should be a better fit.

We are currently in the initial setup phase for the game code. OmniBlade is working on setting up the build pipeline. We need good documentation on how to get developers started and how to contribute.

Generally, before committing to big tasks, it is good to talk about it with peers, for example in issue reports. We also have a private Discord for chats that I can invite you to (username is xezon). But the bulk of our communication would ideally be publicly visible on github.

[xezon]

I have forwarded your request to the responsible Administration.

[dmgreeny]

Ask for a dev role in ask-the-devs channel

[xezon]

The disadvantage of non-developers assigned a developer role though is that it defeats the purpose and over time it would turn into noob discussions like "when is the release?", "can you make Aurora faster please?"

[ZenBre4ker]

Would it make sense to add a "Dev-Watcher"-role, that can view current development discussions, but cant answer?

[xezon]

This would require administration efforts. Let's say there are 1000 users interested in watching, then someone needs to assign 1000 roles. It would be far easier to give default read only permissions.

[DevGeniusCode]

How to Contribute to the Code Repository as CPP Developer

Welcome to the Generals Zero Hour code repository! If you're interested in contributing to the development of the game engine, there are several areas where you can help improve the code, add new features, or fix bugs. Whether you specialize in game development, tools, or platform compatibility, your contributions are highly valued!

Contributing for Non-CPP Developers

You don't need to be a C++ developer to contribute! Here are some ways you can help:

• Documentation
  Improve or create documentation to make the project more accessible. Clear guides and explanations are always needed!

• Game Assets and Localization
  If you're an artist or designer, you can contribute by creating or improving game assets such as textures, models, animations, and other visual elements. Additionally, you can help by translating the game into other languages or improve AI scripts to enhance gameplay.

Your contributions in these areas are just as valuable in improving the overall project!

1. Building and Compilation

At the moment, there isn't a stable and organized build system in TheSuperHackers repository. If you have experience with build systems, this is an area where your help is needed. Improving and stabilizing the build process will help future contributors get started more easily. Contributions may include setting up tools like CMake or enhancing integration with IDEs such as Visual Studio.

2. Bug Fixes in the Code

There are many bugs within the game’s core engine that need attention. Whether it's fixing crashes, resolving memory leaks, or improving game performance, your expertise can help make a significant difference. Bugs are tracked within the repository, and contributions to their resolution are highly appreciated.

3. Adding New Features

The game engine is constantly evolving, and there are many opportunities to add new features to improve the player experience. This could include enhancing AI, introducing new game mechanics, or adding customizable modules to expand gameplay options. If you have ideas for new features, we encourage you to contribute your code and help bring them to life.

4. Memory Management and Optimization

Memory management is crucial to the game’s performance. Many areas of the game’s codebase could be optimized to improve memory handling, reduce CPU and GPU load, and ensure smoother gameplay across different hardware. This includes:

• Fixing memory leaks
• Optimizing resource allocation
• Improving performance for large-scale maps and complex game logic

5. Tools Development and Enhancement

Several tools are available to help modders and developers work with the game, and there’s plenty of room for improvement. For example:

• GUIEdit: This tool allows editing of wnd files that define the user interface layout. It has a released version called WNDEdit, but there are still improvements and bug fixes that can be applied.
• WorldBuilder: This tool is used by map creators and has a list of bugs and features that could be enhanced.
• FinalBIG: A tool used for managing the game’s archive files (BIG files). Enhancing or fixing bugs in FinalBIG will help make modding easier for the community.

The open-source code for these tools is available in the repository, and contributions to these projects are welcome.

6. Cross-Platform Compatibility

Many players use Linux and Mac systems to play Generals Zero Hour, and ensuring cross-platform compatibility is important. If you have experience with porting games to different operating systems, your help in making the game run smoothly on platforms such as Linux and MacOS would be extremely valuable. Contributions may include adapting code, ensuring compatibility with open-source libraries, or fixing platform-specific issues.

7. Replacing Outdated or Closed-Source Dependencies

As Generals Zero Hour continues to evolve, there may be dependencies in the code that are either outdated or closed-source. Replacing these with open-source alternatives can improve the game’s maintainability and compatibility with modern systems. If you have experience with finding or implementing open-source replacements for deprecated libraries or closed-source tools, your contributions in this area would be highly valuable.

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There are many ways to contribute to the Generals Zero Hour project, whether it's through improving the game’s core engine, enhancing the tools used by the community, or ensuring cross-platform compatibility. Your contributions will help us improve the game and make it more accessible to players and developers alike.

[yamenarhim]

Adding to the wiki will be restricted?
will working on documentation for the code be beneficial?

[DevGeniusCode]

Yes of course, see here https://github.com/TheSuperHackers/GeneralsWiki

Join the Discord server, there is a room discussing contributions to the wiki

[bgedzior]

Hi, I'd also like to join the project, but I cannot join cannel on the discord. Maybe it's due to the fact that I just created an account on discord and it's automatically treated as suspicious. Is there anything we can do about it?

[xezon]

@tintinhamans

Help this poor soul :-)