Axi says nothing happens in the Beast. F_Smith says he has stopped part of development because some other things needs to be solved, like population.

How to code/implement the game is becoming an issue where ethnic groups, techs and other things of the game seem to have interconnection problems and where the definition of the data structure, which is as I understand extremely important, still is unclear.

It has been suggested that mapsquares and ethnic groups should encapsulate most of the game info and methods, while the number of ethnic groups (and the evolution of this number during the game) seems to be a crucial matter, which in time seems to stop development until solved. If the EGs are going to be such a key factor in the game, shouldn't we all first find an agreement about these social entities being the best way to model social stuff?

How much to do in parallel and how much in "build up" is also turning into a big issue.

"Excesive" care about historical accuracy and details seem to kill the chances to keep the project moving on. More development and fewer discusions seems to be the new "call".

IMO we have a problem here concerning how the project should move on. It seems to me some key decisions about OO-implementation need to be taken ASAP. Also, I believe a change in the way we work is also needed to avoid topic conversations on small parts of the game caughting us for weeks.

All the things above are related to each other and my feeling is we're lacking of a master plan. Maybe we need to stop developing models for a while and concentrate on major decisions like the OO "master" data structure. Given this, a general guideline on how to advance with each model will be clearer and more coherent. Priorities can be this way also set, and maybe for some time we should simply forget about parallel development and just focus on some features or models of the game.

I strongly feel we need to put things in order here and clear up key issues before moving any further. The current state of the project scares me. I'm not sure in what moment the project turned chaotic, but for me it certainly has... Maybe we should blame Beör. Before his arrival everything was OK!! (just a joke, Beör)

I want your input too. I think you're sharp, and have a quick mind.

I just think you need to learn the job of a 'Game Analyst'. You're trying to make technical decisions like data storage when you have no training or experience in the field. As a Game Analyst, I think you've played enough games and thought about game rules a bunch, and have a lot to contribute.