Sam,
I, for one, never cease updating my zrf:s, adding variants, changing the rules, etc. This is only announced on the Zillions site. When it comes to analysis of the strategical properties, opening analysis, etc., then one must keep in mind that this is much more demanding than inventing a chess variant. Inventing the standard chess array is much easier than analysing the fundamentals of the Caro-Kann opening. This might explain much of the focusing on inventing variants rather than developing variants.
One example of focusing on a particular chess variant is Maura's Modern Chess. This was clearly a misguided attempt at establishing a new form of chess. It would have been better if he had invented several variants and chosen the best instead of continuing the development of a poor one. It's a waste of time if one devotes a lot of energy to a particular variant and it has no chance of becoming popular.
/Mats
One example of focusing on a particular chess variant is Maura's Modern Chess. This was clearly a misguided attempt at establishing a new form of chess. It would have been better if he had invented several variants and chosen the best instead of continuing the development of a poor one. It's a waste of time if one devotes a lot of energy to a particular variant and it has no chance of becoming popular.
/Mats