A game engine?

[Nestharus]

C++ and C are unsafe in the hands of unskilled programmers. Yes people like me and Nestharus will probably produce safe code (I hope) but most people will not. A simple unchecked array size can cause a buffer overflow which is enough for a hacker to take full control over a computer system.

If you are going down the C and C++ route, you are better off supplying GNU modules for any game developer to use. These libraries can be open source and ready to use to fufill the requirements of complex systems that normally take programmers many days to code. An example could be a pathing mesh algorthim for movement pathing which takes a mesh and produces a path.

we'd have the moderating and so on to make sure that the code is safe ; \.

Things may be closed source, but the source still has to be submitted some way for review. We could even do a $$ thing for buying dlls, but we would have to have a price cap so people don't charge absurd things. Everything for that stuff should either be super cheap or free (talking about the most expensive super crazy things being perhaps $5.00, like the MMO Network DLL, which would normally cost $500+).

 

[Dr Super Good]

Reviewing code does not make it safe. It can help spot security flaws but does not guarantee there are none.

 

[Magtheridon96]

So we'd need to have multiple moderators and require multiple reviews for something to be approved (The current moderating system only needs one moderator per resource for something to be approved.)

 

[Dr Super Good]

What is funny is you think it is a viable approach... The entire problem with the resource system as it stands is that a moderator has to review every single submission which can quickly become a realistically impossible task.

 

[Rui]

Worked out fine with our sections. Of course it depends on the human resources available.

 

[Nudl9]

I think Unity, Unreal Engine, etc might have potential, but one should keep in mind the reason why so many got into mapmaking. The fact that it's easily accessable for everyone and THW only served as a site for fuelling the needs of these people. Even if WC3 is "dead" there's still alot of people around for various reasons: out of nostalgia, the community, certain interests, in search for a new "WC3" or still working on something. It's easy to say that the game development and the artist section are the ground pillars of THW. Which should be the focus of the site. All forms of mediums should be taken into account, just make sure to tie in new people more easily.

 

[Nestharus]

I found something interesting... teaching c++ through Cry Engine 3. So it'd have the same great advantages of vjass, being able to create units and minigames instead of learning c++ the boring way through a cmd console ;o.

http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?f=314&t=86563


for my c++ tuts, this is likely how I'm going to do it ^_^.

I think Unity, Unreal Engine, etc might have potential, but one should keep in mind the reason why so many got into mapmaking. The fact that it's easily accessable for everyone and THW only served as a site for fuelling the needs of these people. Even if WC3 is "dead" there's still alot of people around for various reasons: out of nostalgia, the community, certain interests, in search for a new "WC3" or still working on something. It's easy to say that the game development and the artist section are the ground pillars of THW. Which should be the focus of the site. All forms of mediums should be taken into account, just make sure to tie in new people more easily.

THW needs to look to the future though. How active are sites that support a dead game? The activity is all in indie game dev now. SC2's IDE goes too close to the complexities of a regular game engine with tons and tons of crappy limitations, making it virtually pointless to mod for. wc3's is simple enough for complete beginners to get into rather easily. A beginner would not be able to handle SC2's editor at all : |.

It's the most fun when you can create little games right off the bat. Nobody likes to study. This is the big reason why people don't want to go into indie game dev atm. However, if we can transition the site's current like 50,000 active members from wc3 modding into indie game dev, the site will be in absolutely fantastic shape and will be a major force to be reckoned with on Steam =).

In 4-5 years, sure, SC2 will probably be ok to mod for. It'll still be too complicated for beginners, but the vets will be ok with it. However, by that time, THW could already have a list of resources and games using engines that are going to last well beyond SC2. Ever since Unity and T3D, the indie game dev community has been exploding in size and activity. Before those, a lot of the beginning game devs went to wc3, but now they go to Unity, Cry Engine 3, or UDK. I believe that THW should go in the same direction: to actual game dev instead of the deathtrap that is SC2 (SC2 is going to eventually die just like wc3 did, it also took wc3 around 6 years to mature nicely, and it's looking like it'll take SC2 the same amount of time, if people actually start getting into it).

 

[Statharas]

Well, unity allows multiple platform building, thus enabling you to code for PS3, Xbox, PC, Mac, Web, Flash, Android, Iphone/Ipad, and so on.

It can target most platforms out there.

 

[Dr Super Good]

SC2's IDE goes too close to the complexities of a regular game engine with tons and tons of crappy limitations, making it virtually pointless to mod for. wc3's is simple enough for complete beginners to get into rather easily. A beginner would not be able to handle SC2's editor at all : |.

You inverted those two statements...

StarCraft II's editor is so simple that anyone who stops and thinks for a minute can achieve anything. The only reason some people have problems with it is that they are used to the non-sense WarCraft III forced on them to do anything. Most of the people having problems with StarCraft II editor have the same number or even problems problems with the WarCraft III editor.

However, if we can transition the site's current like 50,000 active members from wc3 modding into indie game dev, the site will be in absolutely fantastic shape and will be a major force to be reckoned with on Steam =).

You are dreaming too much. Most of those active members will not even finish their current WarCraft III map let alone a much more complex and much harder to do C++ game.

Before those, a lot of the beginning game devs went to wc3, but now they go to Unity, Cry Engine 3, or UDK.

Nope, most of the people who went to WC3 were 12-16 year olds who knew nothing of programming or mathematics. Most of them went to play the game rather than make anything.

SC2's IDE goes too close to the complexities of a regular game engine with tons and tons of crappy limitations, making it virtually pointless to mod for.

Learn to program properly. You will realise that "malloc" is something special then.

Well, unity allows multiple platform building, thus enabling you to code for PS3, Xbox, PC, Mac, Web, Flash, Android, Iphone/Ipad, and so on.

The problem is that half those systems listed require special liscences to publish games for. Multi thousand dollar development kits may seem reasonable for a company but are too much for home-brew development. Let us not forget that they will not give you them even if you could afford them for security reasons.

 

[Statharas]

That's why you have kickstarter. I still have a free android license i can use.

And what's that Multi Thousand Dollar Development kits?


To publish a game, you don't need Unity Pro. But if you make more than $100.000 in a year, you need to buy it. Which is quite reasonable. You simply make a game, and then kickstart it or find funds to publish it on a platform other than the PC or Web.

 

[Dr Super Good]

And what's that Multi Thousand Dollar Development kits?

The ones required to publish and develop games for systems such as Sony's PlayStation 3. Microsoft Xbox360 has more reasonable development tools as they specificly encouraged third party development.

 

[Statharas]

Why would you target Xbox360 or PS3 if you don't have the funds already.
A great project would start from PC then aim consoles, not vice versa.

 

[rover2341]

Unity
I may change my vote to unity. as well.
Unity's next version should run across all OS's for free, and to a web plugin.
Any other ports are very costy.

Its more like the war3 editor then anything else i have come across.
There are third party groups that will let you setup up to 100 players at once on your game for free, with it as well. (more you have to pay)


Sliverlight 3D
My 2ed vote, would be sliverlight 3D. (basically uses xna)
And its pretty easy after you have a working sample and learn a few of the basics.
And with a little ect work, you can port to xbox and pc standalone.


Online Ablity
I think as a com minty the ability to jump into peoples projects quick and least painful will be a key point to see it move forward.
The ability to play games in a browser (with a plugin. unity or sliverlight) I think is a very powerful tool.
Even if its pretty much the same thing as downloading and installing a framework and then downloading a game and running it.

I am in the process of porting my roller coaster game, from xna Phone, to sliverlight 3D and unity.

 

[Statharas]

Its more like the war3 editor then anything else i have come across.
There are third party groups that will let you setup up to 100 players at once on your game for free, with it as well. (more you have to pay)

wat.

 

[rover2341]

@Statharas That better?

Like the war3 editor
well, i have not dove to deep into unity, only in the last week been checking it out.
But I have seen some videos of how to make a basic project, and its nothing like xna.

Xna at least for me its pure code, and then i use it to get to the screen, and save data, and input.

Unity, you can see the game as your building it, and more of a drag and drop things into your "units" or what ever the correct term is.
like add gravity. add light to front of person. Here's a video i watch for more info on it. Then you use some C# or java for what ever code you want.
I am going to port my roller coaster project, and just use unity as a front end, but i dont think that's how most projects will be built with unity.

This Video Shows How i think its more like the War3 editor (not made by me)

100 Players free
I meant, you can run the game on there server, with up too 100 people connected to it at once. Sorry i am not very clear some times.
So I could make a game if i built it right, and was able to figure out how to use there promo, get 100 people connected to game, i dont know maybe all shooting lasers or somthing.

http://www.exitgames.com/Pricing
They have a way built directly to unity, so shouldn't be to hard to figure out, even for someone like me who knows very little about that sorta thing.
At least I hope so.

 

[Statharas]

That's not owned by Unity. That's just a company that offers hosting.

 

[rover2341]

There are third party groups that will let you setup up to 100 players

You are correct. and they may not be out there for long. who knows. Good point.
And they dont only offer hosting, they offer hosting with some code thats built into unity. so it should be easy to deal with. there are others as well. But third party.

 

[Statharas]

Honestly, I don't like those hosting sites. I'd rather hook up my own server software and host it on a proper server.

 

[Adiktuz]

UDK... though yeah, most engines need a really good computer to run...

 

[Daredeamon]

Hmm.. Spark Engine?
Written for Natural Selection 2.. It's still really fresh since the game isn't even on full release as of yet... But I see real potential :3

 

[RED BARON]

I don't really want to be tied to any specifics, since there is a lot of others who does that for most of the engines mentioned in this thread. Rather it would be preferable to have one for general modding, with the others as sub categories.

And also second the one for indie (but thats kinda covered with game development now).

So unsure if its even needed now.