Well, if you haven't heard yet (apparently some people haven't?), I've been working on a new game engine. As I finish components, I'll backport them to Sphere and then release Sphere 1.0. I don't plan to do any more Sphere maintenance after that.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about it (you should always think before you act!). I also have a partially working audio subsystem, which will go into Sphere. I'm not sure what I'll work on next. I think the component model.

That reminds me... I'm not going to use Java anymore. I'm going to make my own component model (maybe compatible with COM?). This means you'll be able to use *any language* to interact with it. I'll make a Java binding for it at first, so people can actually use it. You'll be able to use C++ too, of course. As time goes on, more language bindings and components will be added. In effect, this means Naikai will always be at least somewhat usable, and will only grow in functionality and flexibility. It won't be nearly as limiting as Sphere.

The goal is (we'll see if I reach it) to do much better project management with Naikai than Sphere. I'll set up a web page with design documentation and good descriptions of things. I'll make a FAQ, provide links, etc.

I set up a forum for Naikai today, to get the ball moving a little. :)