Greetings.

Every so often, I take a brief look inward, and discover something that, by all rights, I should have known - or rather, should acknowledge - long ago. Let's see...

I'm not the best at articulating my thoughts...never have been, never will be. So when I chose to begin Project Omega - and prior to that, Zero Hour Productions - a great deal of the planning occurs and remains in my head. So much so that it is difficult to properly explain where I see all these endeavors ending up. Though perhaps "ending" is the wrong word for it.

Part of the reason that all these projects exist is holdover from previous projects. For example, Bond Designs (ancient history) grew out my mapping and modding for Unreal Tournament (remember the Perfect Dark mod?). Zero Hour Productions came along to support not only the projects from Bond Designs, but also those covering a wider array of fields. In its turn, Project Omega grew to encompass Zero Hour Productions, and anything else that may have escaped the net before. As you can see, each subsequent project grew in size and scope and was inevitably superseded shortly thereafter.

Truth be told, all I've ever wanted from all these projects is the chance to work on something...epic. And each chance has fulfilled that desire...to some extent. What is missing in all this is a clearer sense of direction...a purpose, if you will.

So since we've come full circle already, let me try to be clearer. Earlier this week, I tried to map out why Zero Hour Productions / Project Omega existed. I came up with a few solid points, each of which is a major goal to be pursued. To coin some phraseology from prior Phases, these are the bases for Zero Hour Productions Strategic Directives:

Storage of digital development works and projects
Essentially what my long-winded opener was about. Each project in the past expanded on those before it, and Zero Hour Productions will be an end to that point. Simply put, a repository for all projects, and the means to keep those projects maintained and available with a measure of permanence.

Sharing these works and projects with others through portfolios
Each project in the past has been shared to some extent...some more than others. Zero Hour Productions will share itself. That is, its very existence is its means of sharing. Each subsequent project will be shared through Zero Hour Productions as a portfolio of sorts. This is very closely tied to above.

Community around the works and projects
Every project I've ever worked with has had some sort of forum behind it. Strangely enough, I hadn't realized that until tonight, but it doesn't change my desire to have a community built around Zero Hour Productions. There's already a set of boards up and running, and while forums are not a unique thing, the potential community they bring with them is more than enough to validate their use.

Incidentally, I've always thought of forums as an open-door type of thing...you can enter and leave whenever you want. I'd like to emphasize that point - given that Zero Hour Productions is still very young, there is plenty of room for community involvement, as well as a lot of space for new ideas and new people. I encourage everyone interested to join us, or if you're a more direct person, to contact me directly. I will make every effort to see that your interests and strengths are put to use as you see fit - that's a promise.

To that end, consider this an open call - a recruitment, if you will. Zero Hour Productions is looking to take on all interested persons to assist and participate in the construction, maintenance, and advancement of our community and development. This call will remain open indefinitely...additional details available on request, and shortly, on the forums.

The real stigma about all this is that there will always be more. No matter how much I plan or explain, there will always be more to it, something else that can be outlined or clarified...but since when has that ever stopped me?

Before I forget, concrete stuff...the results of the week. Now marks the end of the first four weeks of the Basic development cycle. There's a great deal of framework put in place, so now visible progress will be much more readily apparent on my end, and that will keep the momentum strong. These four weeks were focused on developing the interface for written works - like news posts, articles, et cetera. The next four weeks will be focused on the interface for audio works - podcasts, music, all that cool stuff.

There's a lot out there...let's get to it while the tides are high.

Mr. Bond, signing off.