Epiar is in need of C++ programmers interested in open source game development. While we'd like individuals with a good deal of experience, we won't turn anyone down from wanting to contribute, and any contribution helps us tremendously.

Here is a list of skills we'd like to see. There's no problem not knowing anything on this list, but you'll probably have to familiarize yourself with it eventually:

• C++ with an understanding of templates, inheritance, pointers, etc.
• SDL knowledge. SDL is the main multimedia library used to implement Epiar's multi-platform graphics, sound and input capabilities.
• Lua. Lua is a popular and widely used scripting environment. If you have experience working with C++ and Lua or have an interest, we need your help. You do not explicitly need to work on bits of the code with Lua.
• Game experience. Do you know what the main loop is? Are you concerned with the fastest way to implement a particular feature?

Again, we're interested in anybody and everybody who would like to help, regardless of skill, but if you fit the description above, you'll find friends in us.

To be clear, we're an open source project. Your code will be made public. You can only do whatever it is you want to do: no one will force you to work on anything in particular, and all ideas are open to discussion.

To join, merely say hello on epiar-devel, our developer's mailing list. See the mailing lists page for information on subscribing. If you have any trouble getting on, please contact us.

Any interested developers can join us on Oct. 28 at 8:30p Pacific in #epiar at irc.freenode.net to discuss the current roadmap and cooperate on our plans.

Epiar has been rewritten over the last two years in C++. In doing so, we're essentially starting fresh, but with a problem: our version numbering is too high due to code loss and represents months more work than we have put in.

To alleviate the issue, we're going to reset the version numbering and attempt to obey the principle, release early, release often.

Epiar 0.1 is scheduled for release October 10, 2009.

A new mailing list titled epiar-commits is now available for those interested in following the details of our development process.

General announcements will be made available here on epiar.net. The epiar-commits list is generally recommended for interested parties who are well-versed in C++ and the overall open source development process.

Due to the extended nature of project development, and a belief that community accessibility can help drive the project forward, we will begin releasing weekly snapshots to allow those interested to follow our progress, and help shape the game.

Additionally, a number of areas of the website which have gone untouched or unfinished for too long will be updated shortly. We would like to, in every meaningful sense, increase community collaboration and remove the barriers that hold individuals from helping out.

Until then, you will find some additional resources at our Trac page.