Steering-Committee-Charter.md

[Version 1.0]

1. Vision

We are dedicated to making the best core version of Torque 3D possible, a reliable foundation for others to build upon. We will ensure that Torque 3D is a modern, user-friendly, open-source game engine suitable to the needs of students, hobbyists, independent game makers, and professional studios.

2. Goals

1. To maintain the best possible ‘master’ version of Torque 3D measured in terms of performance, reliability, versatility, maintainability and scalability.
2. To represent the goals and wishes of the engine’s user community.
3. To actively communicate in a clear and transparent manner.
4. To sustain the steering committee itself as a meritocratic and effective organisation.

3. Duties and Responsibilities

1. Create and regularly revise the engine roadmap after:
1. Consultation with the community.
2. Review of the technical merits and feasibility of proposals.
2. Review and act appropriately on all community contributions by:
1. Providing clear and timely feedback on the status of submissions.
2. Ensuring that all contributions are free from intellectual property encumbrances in order to maintain the integrity of the product.
3. Performing rigorous testing of all source code contributions, separately and integrated with trunk code.
4. Act in a professional manner by:
1. Dealing ethically and professionally with other individuals and organizations.
2. Acting in accordance with publicly-available guidelines such as this document.
5. Periodically review the charter and composition of the committee.
6. Regularly participate in private and public discussions relating to the committee’s activities.

4. Membership

Members of the steering committee must be willing and able to commit time and energy to fulfilling the committee’s mission. The total committee size should remain close to six members.

To be considered as a member of the committee, the prospective member should meet the following criteria:

1. Be available for at least 10 hours a week of work on the Torque 3D open source product such as programming, documentation, administration, etc.
2. Have expert knowledge in game, game engine, or tool development, such as documentation, C++ engine programming, operating system platform programming, the creation and application of game art and content, etc.
3. Agree to the Open Source Software Agreement available on the GarageGames web site.

If a member is unable to serve on the committee for any reason, the vacancy may be filled or left empty at the discretion of the committee. If the committee as a whole is unable to perform its duties, it can vote to transfer the project to another person or entity with the approval of GarageGames LLC.

5. Reports

To facilitate the committee’s operation while accounting for members in varied timezones, reports are the primary method of internal communication. At the end of the month, each committee member will summarize their activity into a monthly work report in a publicly available format.

6. Voting

Any actions to be undertaken by members of the committee in an official capacity should be voted on where there is any disagreement. Voting will take place in forum threads, emails, or any other appropriate method of communication available to all members. Each member of the committee has one vote. Any member who has not voted seven days after the vote is initiated will count as having abstained. Decisions must be approved by a two-thirds majority of all members (not only members who participate in the vote).

7. Removal

If a committee member is unable to fulfill their requirements, or fails to uphold the charter, they may be removed from the committee after having had a chance to respond. They may also be removed either by a vote or by the decision of GarageGames LLC if their activities are deemed to no longer align with the guidelines in section 3 and section 4 above.

8. Amendments

This charter is a living document and may be amended by the committee as outlined in section 6.