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<hr><a name="present"><h2>NeL General Presentation</h2></a>
<dl compact><dt>
<b>Author(s): </b><dd>
Vincent Archer
<p>
</dl><a name="introd"><h2>What is NeL?</h2></a>
<p>
NeL is a complete platform aimed at running massively multi-user entertainment in a 3D environment over the Internet.
<p>
<a name="oss"><h2>Free Software</h2></a>
<p>
NeL is also a Free Software project under the GNU General Public License, which means all its code is available for everyone to download, examine, use, modify, and distribute, subject to the usual restrictions attached to any GPL software. See the attached text for more details if you are not familiar with the GPL.
<p>
<a name="dev"><h2>Development</h2></a>
<p>
NeL is a commercially funded project which is used to create a massively multiplayer role-playing game in a 3D world. This means that there is a permanent core of developpers who are paid to work on NeL, build upon it, and use it.
<p>
The fact that the source code is available doesn't simply mean you can have a peek at the innards of the platform. Communication works both ways, so you can also contribute to its development. Any bug fix, added functionality, optimisation is not only possible, but welcome, and improvements will be integrated into the reference platform maintained by Nevrax.
<p>
NeL is currently developped and tested under GNU/Linux and Windows environments.
<p>
<a name="structure"><h2>NeL Structure</h2></a>
<p>
The platform is currenty built upon 4 different components.
<p>
<a name="subnel"><h3>The NeL Library</h3></a>
<p>
The NeL library provides the core functionality required to build a multi-user platform. It provides everything from 3D representation to AI to network services. It is the true heart of the project, and something that makes use of the best available technologies out there. There is a lot of room for additions in NeL, from 3D stuff to database to networking.
<p>
<a name="subclient"><h3>The client</h3></a>
<p>
The client uses the NeL library to provide a user interface to a multiplayer 3D role-playing game environment. The client is a place of high opportunity to modify, improve or port to different environments.
<p>
<a name="subserver"><h3>The server</h3></a>
<p>
The server uses the NeL library to provide a multiplayer 3D role-playing game environment. The term "server" is misleading, as it represents a server in logical terms, i.e. something that provides a service. Actual game servers will be referred to as "clusters", since they typically consist of several networked systems, acting in close cooperation to run the world simulation for the players.
<p>
A cluster will scale from a single high-end system that runs the server and client at the same time to a handful of basic GNU/Linux PCs for mid-size worlds and to large high-end multiprocessor racked systems for professional level service.
<p>
The server architecture offers lots of opportunities for tweaking, ranging from the administrative interfaces, the automated monitoring, backups, to the physics of the universe simulation, improvements in distributed model and other enhancement directly visible by the users of the system.
<p>
<a name="subdata"><h3>The game world</h3></a>
<p>
These 3 pieces of software are completed by game data, which describes a working world and game system.
<p>
Please note that the game data is not software, and therefore not available under the GPL.
<p>
As the platform would be useless without a game world, a sample game world data is provided, which is enough to run the gaming plaform, enjoy a minimum game experience and let the amateur see exactly what he is doing while working with NeL.
<p>
The game data is produced using a set of tools, notably 3D Studio's Max for all 3D environment and models, painting programs for textures, spreadsheets for datas, and so on. When possible, conversion tools for these software are provided to allow people to produce painlessly their own environment and game experience.
<p>
<a name="contribs"><h2>Community</h2></a>
<p>
Beside the working core of NeL developpers, everyone may improve the NeL platform. There is a supported community for the development of NeL hosted by Nevrax in the nevrax.org domain. Various tools are available there to participate:
<p>
<ul>
<li>A CVS server <code>(cvs.nevrax.org)</code> which allows anonymous CVS checkout to stay in sync with the reference platform.<li>A WWW site <code>(www.nevrax.org)</code> which allows you to browse documentation, check the CVS tree in a visual manner, and register for participation in the evolution of NeL.<li>A mailing list <code>(nel@nevrax.org)</code>, dedicated to the communication between all people interested in the NeL platform, regardless of their involvment or amount of contributions. This is an unmoderated, open mailing list. You may subscribe thru the WWW side, or by mailing directly to <code>nel-request@nevrax.org</code> with "<code>subscribe</code>" in the subject.<li>A WWW bug tracker that allows you to submit bugs, get notified of their state, and their eventual resolution. All you need is a valid email address to register in the bug database.<li>A submission address <code>(code@nevrax.org)</code> for user-contributed code and patches, where your code is evaluated, and usually integrated directly in the reference platform.</ul>
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