Student application template 2013

Public application template

This part is answered in public wiki on a separate page for you. Please copy its source (Edit Page) and then fill it into a new page.

The new page shall be named: GSOC2013Application-YOURNICKNAMEHERE
So if your nickname is nihathrael, your page should be named GSOC2013Application-nihathrael.

Delete any examples and annotations ( this markup ) afterwards. Same for questions that do not apply to your situation.

A: An introduction

• Please describe yourself in three sentences, one of them regarding your current studies. Three sentences also means 'no cascading brackets or dashes' ;-)
  • Which languages do you speak?
• Why do you want to participate in the Google Summer of Code? What do you hope to gain by doing so?
  • Please also describe your previous experience with the SoC, if any. Includes any community-bonding, mentor experience or application, not necessarily accepted. We use this subquestion to identify which students are unfamiliar with how the program goes, providing further support. It has no negative impact on your rating!

C: Contact

• Please state the (unique and identical where possible) nick you use on IRC and any other communication channel related to Unknown Horizons. We really want unique nicks. You might want to bold it.
• Which time zone do you live in? Will that change over SoC duration? Perhaps DST adjustment or a relocation. Note that both UTC and GMT are not aware of daylight saving time! Please state UTC+x or -x.
• Please state the timeframe (in UTC+0) you feel most comfortable with working in over SoC duration. Where are your time buffers? Example: I usually code around 9.00 to 18.00 and could also try to start earlier (~7.00) for few days ;-)

E: Coding experience

This part is one of the more important ones in your application. You are allowed to be as verbose as you want, given you stay on topic ;-)

• Please describe your experience with python.
• Please describe your experience with other programming languages.
• Please describe your experience with being member of a development team. Do you have experience working with Open Source projects?
• Please describe the biggest project you have written code for and what you learned by doing so. Also describe your role in that project over time.
• Please state the commits and patches you already contributed to Unknown Horizons. One of the most important parts of your application. Code sometimes speaks louder than many words do.

F: Feeling fine

• Please (in short) describe your experience with the following tools: We only use this question to determine where you need guidance, not for rating! (optional) == we by no means expect these and you'll probably never cross their way while working with us.
  • IRC and mailing lists
  • git or other source code management systems
  • github, gitorious, google code, or other code hosting platforms
  • gdb or other debugging tools
  • C++ and its python bindings (optional, for FIFE)
• What will make you actively stay in our community after this GSoC is over? You can also tell us after applications close and we'll happily try to fulfill :-)

G: Game genre

• Please describe the kind of games you play most regularly. Includes computer games, board games, role-play and others.
• Did you play any game of the Anno/A.D. series?
  • If yes, which one(s) and what did you miss most urgently?
  • If not, did you play any real time strategy game?

O: Only out of interest

• Did you ever hear about Unknown Horizons before?
  • If so, when and where? How far have you been involved already? *If not, where would you expect or advise us to do advertising?
• What was the first question concerning Unknown Horizons you could not find an answer to in rather short time? Of course more than one question can be stated. We try to improve based on this each year! Includes gameplay, code, website, GSoC application, …

P: Prerequisites

• Please state the operating system you work with.
  • If you have access to more than one, please state them and the conditions under which you are granted this access.
• Please estimate an average time per day you will be able to (if separated) access
  • an internet connection
  • a computer
  • a computer with your progressing work on
• Please describe the degree up to which you can install new software on computers you have access to.

S: Self-assessment

• Please describe how useful criticism looks from your point of view as committing student.
• How autonomous are you when developing? If you answer both subquestions with "Yes, definitely", we are a tad confused. ;-)
  • Do you like to discuss changes intensively and not start coding until you know what you want to do?
  • Do you like to code a proof of concept to 'see how it turns out', modifying that and taking the risk of having work thrown away if it doesn't match what the project or original proponent had in mind?
• Please describe your experience with and interest in game design as opposed to implementing predefined features. Game design can happen in form of Proofs of Concept, but there are several other channels. You will usually ask many people (devs and players alike) for feedback.

Y: Your task

• Did you select a task from our list of proposals and ideas?
  • If yes, what task did you choose? Please describe what part of it you especially want to focus on if you can already provide this information. Please also link to the wiki page for your elaborated proposal here.
  • If you apply for a task you have added yourself instead, please describe this task, its scope and people you already talked to concerning it. What field of tasks did you miss on the list?
• Please provide a rough estimated timeline for your work on the task. This should include the SoC midterms, personal commitments like exams or vacation ("non-coding time"). Optionally include two or three milestones you expect.