About the Community Manager Position

[Mishasama]

Given that Roborons has stated he has decided to step away from this project because Simutrans introduced code written by AI, I was wondering if we could take this opportunity to have an agent take over future communications and event planning. After all, this work cannot be left unattended for long, as that could have a serious negative impact on the project's visibility and activity levels.

What do you all think?

[makie]

Given that Roborons has stated he has decided to step away from this project because Simutrans introduced code written by AI,

I don't think that's the reason. It's more of an indirect effect: development has accelerated to such an extent that staying up to date takes a lot more time. I notice this myself. In the past, there would be no activity on Simutrans for months, whereas now you have to spend time almost every day just to keep up with the forum. It requires more time than he wants to devote to Simutrans.

I was wondering if we could take this opportunity to have an agent take over future communications and event planning.

The question naturally arises as to who will carry out the work Roboron has previously carefully handled do it in the future.
I don't think an AI can or should take that over. Keeping an eye on this requires a human being. The question, of course, is who will do it.
Before Roboron, Steam wasn't maintained for years; I'm afraid that's going to happen again.

[victor_18993]

I never like speaking for anyone who isn't present, but Roboron didn't leave because of AI. He did make his stance against its use very clear from the start for ethical reasons—something that should be respected—but the real reasons have been many years in Simutrans and a lack of time.

As for the tasks Roboron handled, which were numerous and often go unnoticed by many, the handover is already being discussed to ensure continuity.

Regarding concerns about Steam and other platforms, letting any supported platform fall into neglect is something to avoid, but handing over and taking on these tasks will surely take some time.

I agree with Makie in their reply that AI was an indirect cause. Just as it has benefits, it has drawbacks, and one of them is that in a very short time a large number of historical bugs have been fixed, SDL3 introduced, etc., and keeping up with the pace can be exhausting, as it's continuous AI-driven improvement under strict human supervision.

That said, volunteers are welcome to take over parts of the tasks Roboron handled, and the community will be glad to welcome responsible people who can take them on.