FreeGameDev

SuperTuxKart is all about free software mascots racing against each other.
Yet STK doesn't really tell for what software each mascot stands for. Sometimes it's written on the kart, but that's the exception.

What do you think? Would it be a good idea to also show in the kart selection screen what the mascot stands for? Or would that be too “advertisy”?

I suggest to show in the kart selection screen a short additional line/description about the kart driver, written directly below the name. The kart selection has plenty of space, so this could work even in low-res, but you might want to shift the kart stats a little bit upwards.
This could be just an additional text stored in the kart files (or whatever the karts use). Usually this text will be just “Mascot of <software name>” but it could be any freeform text, really (to make it more flexible for add-ons). By default, this description is empty, so it only appears if the kart files explicitly added this text.

Examples:

• Tux: Mascot of Linux
• Gnu: Mascot of GNU
• Konqi: Mascot of KDE
• ...

Nolok is a special case, as he's not a mascot of anything. Not sure what to put as description. “Mascot of evil”? “Mascot of nothing”? “King of Karts”? “Former king of Karts”? “Owner of Fort Magma”? “The most evil kart racer”? “Owner of Nolok Industries”?

I'm also not sure what to write for both Saras. Just “Mascot of OpenGameArt” for both of them?

As a sidenode, I think that Thunderbird deserves at least a mention on https://supertuxkart.net/Discover.

The description of Wilber there doesn't really make sense:

Wilber is the official cameraman who works for WTXB-TV to record kart races, which are very popular in the Mascot Kingdom. He is the mascot of GIMP.

That's not the case because in the game, as Wilber is just another kart racer.

Wuzzy {l Wrote}:The description of Wilber there doesn't really make sense:
Wilber is the official cameraman who works for WTXB-TV to record kart races, which are very popular in the Mascot Kingdom. He is the mascot of GIMP.
That's not the case because in the game, as Wilber is just another kart racer.

Wilber is firstly, mainly and worldwide known as the mascot of GIMP. Period. However, Wilber as official camera'man' who works for the fictional WTXB-TV (created by myself and named by my brother for our track Las Dunas) was suggested by tuxkartdriver. The developers liked the idea and adopted Wilber as an image maker, since he represents a software that works on image manipulation. Sara is the Open Game Art mascot, but in STK she is a princess and a wizard and described thus. Anyway and by the way, we have nothing to do with the text posted by the developers on the official website.

A mascot can perfectly represent a specific software and simultaneously can be a character with a specific function in this game. So, this criticism doesn't make sense.

The text about Wilber sounds like as if Wilber does not himself participate in the race.

Wuzzy {l Wrote}:The text about Wilber sounds like as if Wilber does not himself participate in the race.

Well, maybe his participation as one of the raers is not explicitly said in that text, but easy to deduce, since he's mentioned there.

Wuzzy {l Wrote}:The text about Wilber sounds like as if Wilber does not himself participate in the race.

I don't see a problem with that. When playing the game you can see he is a racer, knowing that in advanve is not important and is easily guessable. You could also say the same things about other characters, e.g. Pidgin:

Pidgin's ability to fly makes him perfect to deliver the results of the Grand Prix around the Mascot Kingdom. He is the mascot of Pidgin.

That Wilber / Thunderbird thing was just a sidenode, it's not a big deal.

What do you think about the main idea in this thread?

I don't like the idea of adding a "Mascot of" text in the kart selection screen.

I have to agree with Alayan. It's awesome that STK is free software, but it doesn't have to try to convert every user into a FLOSS advocate for it to have achieved its purpose. Characters' backgrounds as they relate to the fictionalized world in STK can be developed through story mode, but explaining which character is the mascot of which open-source project is a better fit for the Discover page on the website. Just as an author doesn't say where he or she got the inspiration for the characters in a book, we shouldn't include that information in the game. But it doesn't mean we hide it from enthusiasts. J.K. Rowling has her website called Pottermore for enthusiasts of the Harry Potter series, and we have some information on the wiki. Although a fan-run wiki IMO wouldn't be a bad idea if there was enough interest and support.

MTres19 {l Wrote}:I have to agree with Alayan. It's awesome that STK is free software, but it doesn't have to try to convert every user into a FLOSS advocate for it to have achieved its purpose. Characters' backgrounds as they relate to the fictionalized world in STK can be developed through story mode, but explaining which character is the mascot of which open-source project is a better fit for the Discover page on the website. Just as an author doesn't say where he or she got the inspiration for the characters in a book, we shouldn't include that information in the game. But it doesn't mean we hide it from enthusiasts. J.K. Rowling has her website called Pottermore for enthusiasts of the Harry Potter series, and we have some information on the wiki. Although a fan-run wiki IMO wouldn't be a bad idea if there was enough interest and support.

I second that.

Mr.XX99 {l Wrote}:

MTres19 {l Wrote}:I have to agree with Alayan. It's awesome that STK is free software, but it doesn't have to try to convert every user into a FLOSS advocate for it to have achieved its purpose. Characters' backgrounds as they relate to the fictionalized world in STK can be developed through story mode, but explaining which character is the mascot of which open-source project is a better fit for the Discover page on the website. Just as an author doesn't say where he or she got the inspiration for the characters in a book, we shouldn't include that information in the game. But it doesn't mean we hide it from enthusiasts. J.K. Rowling has her website called Pottermore for enthusiasts of the Harry Potter series, and we have some information on the wiki. Although a fan-run wiki IMO wouldn't be a bad idea if there was enough interest and support.

I second that.

I third.

Whatever, it wasn't a really serious suggestion anyway. Just a quick silly idea. :P