Making a game without WC3 editor viable?

[coolyoshi1]

Since WC3 is dead, making a multiplayer map sucks because the game will never fill up anyways.

Im wondering, if I wanted to make a game from scratch without using the WC3 game engine that would have a similar WC3 interface and graphics.. would it be possible to incorporate resources and models from the hiveworkshop? It would save alot of time and money.

How much funding and time do you think it would take to put out a decent multiplayer game with a similar interface/graphics style to WC3 using hiveworkshop resources? (without using WC3 game engine)

 

[Xonok]

Since WC3 is dead, making a multiplayer map sucks because the game will never fill up anyways.

Im wondering, if I wanted to make a game from scratch without using the WC3 game engine that would have a similar WC3 interface and graphics.. would it be possible to incorporate resources and models from the hiveworkshop? It would save alot of time and money.

How much funding and time do you think it would take to put out a decent multiplayer game with a similar interface/graphics style to WC3 using hiveworkshop resources? (without using WC3 game engine)

Warcraft3 is not dead. Perhaps in battle-net, but I dunno, as I don't play there.

Technically you can use the models, but you'll be sued if blizzard finds out. The WC3 resources are all either credited to specific people who made them or to the company, you can only use them within what the company owns.
If you mean hive workshop resources, then you'll just have to ask those who made them.

I'd say just make a decent WC3 map and people will play it. There's thousands of people playing vampirism every day and even some less known(to the public) games get lots of players. For instance, gaias has a 100 or so active players.

Or if you find WC3 too limiting, then you can go to SC2.

Only if that is also not good enough will it become practical to make your own game.
Afterall, WC3 was made by a group of dozens of people(check credits).

 

[Almia]

Wc3 is dead in Bnet but not in RGC and Garena(we have millions of players there,esp. Philippines ranking as no. 1 of the most players everyday in Asia,having 100,000 + players playing everyday)

If you want to create a game,you should try some Game Engines.This includes Unity, T2D and T3D(T stands for Torque), Polycode and other stuffs. But you need to code them. Ask DEAD FISH how to create this UI, because he created one with his First Person Game.

 

[DEAD FiSH]

Actually I didn't made that UI, that is Hexen's default UI. You got it a bit wrong.
But you can try modding ZDoom/GZDoom or Zandronum source ports of Doom engine games.
But Doom is a first person shooter and you have a lot of freedom with the source ports (just check out Brutal Doom for Doom and Doom 2 and Wrath Of Cronos for Hexen, both gameplay mods), but don't expect to make a RTS. Zandronum is for multiplayer and it is a successor to Skulltag.
I mod Hexen on GZDoom and I know to work with a lot of stuff for it.
Mainly making magic in Decorate (text based actor definitions, ouch), maps and music.
Oh and check out Samsara, that mod works with every possible game on the Doom engine with source ports. It's also a gameplay mod.

 

[Dr Super Good]

How much funding and time do you think it would take to put out a decent multiplayer game with a similar interface/graphics style to WC3 using hiveworkshop resources? (without using WC3 game engine)

Years... It is a massive software development challenge. Do you even have a programming degree?

Im wondering, if I wanted to make a game from scratch without using the WC3 game engine that would have a similar WC3 interface and graphics.. would it be possible to incorporate resources and models from the hiveworkshop? It would save alot of time and money.

Possible? Yes... Legal? No... Blizzard has only licenced those resources for Blizzard games, anything outside that is not licenced and thus a violation of copyright.

Original models with original textures are fine and can be used no problem although many authors would complain if you tried to make money from the game without giving them a cut.

 

[coolyoshi1]

thanks for the info guys.
even though its a massive challenge, i might try it in the future.

 

[defskull]

I hope you heed the warning from DSG about the "Blizzard's Legal Right", they do take it seriously.

 

[Linkin]

What are you talking about? Games fills between 5-15 minutes depending on how popular it is, a advice would to use http://makemehost.com/lobby-and-queue.php and either host the game you want hosted or join a game, joining a near full-game will result you not waiting long at all.

 

[coolyoshi1]

Years... It is a massive software development challenge. Do you even have a programming degree?

ok so i just looked up this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oJqgeOxU7Y and it looks alot like WC3.
Apparently the game was made in 4 years.
The interesting thing is that the team is made up of like 4 people - 1 programmer and 3 artists.

So is it really that massive? I feel like it's doable even without artists if you use hiveworkshop resources.

I don't have a programming degree . But I'm still interested in making a warcraftish game in 2 years (as a hobby) once I finish my software engineering degree.
In the meantime I'm planning on learning unity C# to get prepared.

 

[Nichilus]

Making game is a long and difficult road to finish.

You have to have:
- A good layout of the whole game (what is in there, how every thing works, etc.) => Adding something *vital* to the game at the end will unnecessary prolong development time - by a lot. But it shouldn't be like "I'm the boss here, I will decide how the game will work" - it should be decided by the whole team (but for example with the boss as the main "judge"), everyone getting in their own 5 cents. No one will develop your game if they don't *believe* in it.
- A very good knowledge of programming language(s) => if you make something with beginner's programming knowledge, the game's code will most likely be inefficient, hard to read, hard to edit
- Good artist => the game has to have good mechanics but also look good to impress people, hence why it is important to have good artists.
- A good, devoted and active team => The hardest thing to uphold really. If someone codes things in his own way, then becomes inactive or leave and someone has to take after him, it will take a lot of time until the newcomer understands the code and makes sense of it, hell it will take some time until he even understands where he should continue.
- Free x payed developers => No one is going to spend 24/7 developing your game, if he also has to go to work/school, do homework/care for his children, etc. ... unless the actual development of the game is their job.
- Someone learned in psychology (at least a bit) => It is more for the marketing => someone who understands what people will like and how to use it in game - you can make a nice terrain in your map, etc. but if you use incorrect textures/other things, it will mess things up and people will look at it strange. That's why you need someone who will say things like "these things won't look good; they may look good to you at the moment, but they won't in eyes of other people" etc.
- Someone clever => Uh there should be at least someone who has some knowledge and keen senses... what I mean is in development, bugs will occur. There should be someone who looks at things and get the idea of what may cause the problem.

And that's about it I guess.
I would imagine that the 3 artists may have been terrain developer, model developer and texture artist to cover most things up.
They may have used some free engine as the base for their game, just changing it a bit to their own liking.

 

[Talavaj]

The game in the video you posted has an engine made entirely from scratch.
I wouldn't be surprised if it took him all those 4 years just to make the engine.

"Looks a lot like wc3" sure is a hyper understatement while the health bars and selection circles look similar, the engine is quite clearly at or above the level of SC2 engine.

If you are really serious about making a game though, you should pick up either one of the modern free engines like unity or UDK and start learning.
Much like THW they also come with their own asset stores where you can grab some models and other resources for free.

 

[coolyoshi1]

I already have some programming knowledge.
That guy has 15 years of programming experience, but I figure I could learn enough within 2 years to atleast get started on the WC3 project and learn as I go along.
And his team consists of ONLY him as the programmer.
If my team had 2 programmers, and considering that all the models I'd need can be taken from hiveworkshop (with permission), I'm thinking we could finish in 4 years like he did.

idk.. i'm still thinking making a game is doable. I already got a good layout of the game based on one of my WC3 maps and for marketing I think a youtube video would be good enough.
I think in a few years I can get everything in that list covered

 

[coolyoshi1]

The game in the video you posted has an engine made entirely from scratch.
I wouldn't be surprised if it took him all those 4 years just to make the engine.

"Looks a lot like wc3" sure is a hyper understatement while the health bars and selection circles look similar, the engine is quite clearly at or above the level of SC2 engine.

If you are really serious about making a game though, you should pick up either one of the modern free engines like unity or UDK and start learning.
Much like THW they also come with their own asset stores where you can grab some models and other resources for free.

yea im pretty serious. I want to do it for fun.
Probably gonna go with unity

EDIT: NVM.. I thought about it and my idea is a multiplayer map (9+ ppl) so I dont think I could get enough publicity to get enough players for 1 game.

 

[Nichilus]

It's good to try it of course, even if you won't finish it - the experience you will gain from it will be priceless and very useful for job application, etc.

 

[Chaosy]

just warning you. Making games is extremely hard for the first time. I it takes weeks to make a simple 2d game without any amazing systems (for me).

 

[Rheiko]

What are you talking about? Games fills between 5-15 minutes depending on how popular it is, a advice would to use http://makemehost.com/lobby-and-queue.php and either host the game you want hosted or join a game, joining a near full-game will result you not waiting long at all.

damn, blue is hard to be read.. change it bro

 

[chobibo]

Pardon me young 'uns, I agree with the lot of them people, making a game from scratch is hard, it's as hard as scratching yer own back. It took me 4 days to write a guessing game in Turbo C, since it was mah first time. Basic was easier, but that was on NES.