I realised with this past patch that this game holds some serious potential for an amazing game, I also understand that you can get so much more out of your community while bringing in much more people if you had a mod API up as early as possible. This would grant developers to add their touch to their server giving the game a more complex feel from server to server making it feel more dynamic and creative.
Best of all this API can be open source while you never have to give out your core code so both sides are happy. This is how it can be accomplished.
Someone writes the API and leaves a solid maping class file with all the required methods included but with no code inside the methods. For instance Server.Universe.BreakBlock(x,y,z) will in the api allow people to break blocks but inside that method is Map.Universe.BreakBlock(x,y,z);. Inside that method is a comment stating what the method does. All you would have to do is use all the information the Map methods are supplying and pass it along to the obfuscated code. So after you were done with the Map class, that method would say something like aa.bb.c(a,b,c);
This way all you have to worry about is maping the list of API methods from one single class to the appropriate obfuscated methods while the community worries about maintianing the API while not cutting you out of the process of course and not having to ever see your code.
As a developer who has developed for other APIS I understand the function of how a proper API should work and can easily start one and get the ball rolling so you are not alone in this massive undertaing. I ask for no special credits, shares, compensation or anything of the like, just want to see a good game succede and the ability for admins to start making unique environments for hours of addictive play as early as possible can only benefit you in this goal.
Best of all this API can be open source while you never have to give out your core code so both sides are happy. This is how it can be accomplished.
Someone writes the API and leaves a solid maping class file with all the required methods included but with no code inside the methods. For instance Server.Universe.BreakBlock(x,y,z) will in the api allow people to break blocks but inside that method is Map.Universe.BreakBlock(x,y,z);. Inside that method is a comment stating what the method does. All you would have to do is use all the information the Map methods are supplying and pass it along to the obfuscated code. So after you were done with the Map class, that method would say something like aa.bb.c(a,b,c);
This way all you have to worry about is maping the list of API methods from one single class to the appropriate obfuscated methods while the community worries about maintianing the API while not cutting you out of the process of course and not having to ever see your code.
As a developer who has developed for other APIS I understand the function of how a proper API should work and can easily start one and get the ball rolling so you are not alone in this massive undertaing. I ask for no special credits, shares, compensation or anything of the like, just want to see a good game succede and the ability for admins to start making unique environments for hours of addictive play as early as possible can only benefit you in this goal.