Need a suitable Game Engine!
by Andrew G · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 11/05/2002 (1:35 am) · 25 replies
Hey All,
some of you may have read my previous post, but for those who havent, heres the go. I want to get together a team to develop a game I have been designing in my mind for some time now. Its basically going to be a Massed Co-Operative Multiplayer game, with singleplayer levels for training. I have been looking for a FREE engine that is suitable for the task, but i cant find any. The games strong point is going to be its graphics, so does anyone know an engine out there that supports many players/npcs, with above average graphics. Also, is it a stable engine? I have had a look at Cube, Recent 3DE, Crystal Space, and Genesis 3D so far, but none have the level of graphic quality Im looking for. 3DE comes pretty close, but is very buggy. I downloaded the Demo for Genesis3D, and found it reasonably impressive, but when I downloaded the SDK with the first person shooter demo, I found it VERY dissapointing with no texture filtering at all. Is it possible that there is an engine out there that does stuff like the following:
-Bi Linear, Tri Linear, or maybe even Antiscopic Filtering of textures.
-Volumetric Fogging.
-Realtime lighting (maybe not all lights, but some at least, So the whole level isn't static).
-Built for action/First Person Shooter games.
-Has that thing, I have NO idea what its called. It is in Deus Ex: The boxes that appear around things that can be picked up, pushed, activated etc. Its an EXCELLENT idea, i think it is in a few other first person RPGs.
I know this is a lot to ask, and made even harder when I say that I can only afford an engine when it is free. Basically summed up, I know almost nothing about how to build game engines. I spend all my computer time building levels for commercial games. If anyone can give me the names of high quality engines with some of the above stuff, I would be forever in debt to you.
Thanks in advance,
Andrew
PS. Does anyone know if the Nevrax engine fits this description? Does anyone know where I can find some screenshots of it working?
some of you may have read my previous post, but for those who havent, heres the go. I want to get together a team to develop a game I have been designing in my mind for some time now. Its basically going to be a Massed Co-Operative Multiplayer game, with singleplayer levels for training. I have been looking for a FREE engine that is suitable for the task, but i cant find any. The games strong point is going to be its graphics, so does anyone know an engine out there that supports many players/npcs, with above average graphics. Also, is it a stable engine? I have had a look at Cube, Recent 3DE, Crystal Space, and Genesis 3D so far, but none have the level of graphic quality Im looking for. 3DE comes pretty close, but is very buggy. I downloaded the Demo for Genesis3D, and found it reasonably impressive, but when I downloaded the SDK with the first person shooter demo, I found it VERY dissapointing with no texture filtering at all. Is it possible that there is an engine out there that does stuff like the following:
-Bi Linear, Tri Linear, or maybe even Antiscopic Filtering of textures.
-Volumetric Fogging.
-Realtime lighting (maybe not all lights, but some at least, So the whole level isn't static).
-Built for action/First Person Shooter games.
-Has that thing, I have NO idea what its called. It is in Deus Ex: The boxes that appear around things that can be picked up, pushed, activated etc. Its an EXCELLENT idea, i think it is in a few other first person RPGs.
I know this is a lot to ask, and made even harder when I say that I can only afford an engine when it is free. Basically summed up, I know almost nothing about how to build game engines. I spend all my computer time building levels for commercial games. If anyone can give me the names of high quality engines with some of the above stuff, I would be forever in debt to you.
Thanks in advance,
Andrew
PS. Does anyone know if the Nevrax engine fits this description? Does anyone know where I can find some screenshots of it working?
About the author
#2
11/05/2002 (2:26 pm)
I need a fairly good engine for free to mess around with. Any suggestions
#3
Or Auran Jet at http://www.auran.com.
They all have free or trial versions that you can play with.
Or there's Torque!
11/05/2002 (2:31 pm)
*cough*Quote:How about Power Render (www.powerrender.ca) or Cipher (www.synapticsoup.com), or Lithtech (available through Real.com with as Real Arcade SDK, with a free license www.lithtech.com)
Or Auran Jet at http://www.auran.com.
They all have free or trial versions that you can play with.
Or there's Torque!
#4
The games strong point should be its game play.
There are plenty of games you will be competing with that WILL have better graphics because they have budgets.
Most independant developers have success with game play above the average corporate slop decision by marketing committee that think games are for children anyway typs but understand "pretty colors" and "eye candy" games that are published by the major players.
11/05/2002 (7:31 pm)
Quote:. . . The games strong point is going to be its graphics . . .
The games strong point should be its game play.
There are plenty of games you will be competing with that WILL have better graphics because they have budgets.
Most independant developers have success with game play above the average corporate slop decision by marketing committee that think games are for children anyway typs but understand "pretty colors" and "eye candy" games that are published by the major players.
#5
Thanks a lot by the way guys, excellent help :D
11/05/2002 (11:51 pm)
Thats true Jarrod, but I dont want to settle on one game idea until I actually have a team to work with, because I want to build something that they will find exciting to build too. Are those engines mentioned above designed for Gaming? Ive found some great ones, but they have been for architectural firm usage and other irritatin barriersThanks a lot by the way guys, excellent help :D
#6
I absolutly HATE the bullsh!t that companies are putting out these days. The graphics are great, but I am SICK TO DEATH of all this drivle about aliens taking over the race, or anti -terrorism mods, or cheap counter strike spin offs. IMHO, the gaming community is going to die soon if companies dont start producing some games that are ORIGINAL. Serious Sam, a most underestimated game, was more or less original, and it ruled! Half-Life actually had a storyline that didnt involve (most) of the usual drivel. Quake 3 & Unreal Tournament didn't even bother constructing a story line. I know my rambling is hard to follow, but I, with the help of a team, want to develop a game that will be COMPLETLEY ORIGINAL. The reason I talk about graphics so much is because, to get people to look at the game, it has to be up to the standard of professional games first.
BTW, i looked at those engine links u sent me. Power Render isnt out yet is it? I have been to its site hundreds of times, a great lookin engine, but i reckon it will cost a sh!t load when it comes out.
Cipher is awesome! It is one of the best lookin engines Ive seen!
Lithtech is free? Which one? i couldnt see anything about it being free.
Thanks for the help guys, its much appreciated
PS. Is cipher a stable engine for gaming?
11/06/2002 (12:33 am)
Basically, heres my idea.I absolutly HATE the bullsh!t that companies are putting out these days. The graphics are great, but I am SICK TO DEATH of all this drivle about aliens taking over the race, or anti -terrorism mods, or cheap counter strike spin offs. IMHO, the gaming community is going to die soon if companies dont start producing some games that are ORIGINAL. Serious Sam, a most underestimated game, was more or less original, and it ruled! Half-Life actually had a storyline that didnt involve (most) of the usual drivel. Quake 3 & Unreal Tournament didn't even bother constructing a story line. I know my rambling is hard to follow, but I, with the help of a team, want to develop a game that will be COMPLETLEY ORIGINAL. The reason I talk about graphics so much is because, to get people to look at the game, it has to be up to the standard of professional games first.
BTW, i looked at those engine links u sent me. Power Render isnt out yet is it? I have been to its site hundreds of times, a great lookin engine, but i reckon it will cost a sh!t load when it comes out.
Cipher is awesome! It is one of the best lookin engines Ive seen!
Lithtech is free? Which one? i couldnt see anything about it being free.
Thanks for the help guys, its much appreciated
PS. Is cipher a stable engine for gaming?
#7
At a minimum, Power Render is available for a shareware fee of $285, although he said he'll release it under a new license soon at around $85. Check the website; the information is there so go back and read. There's also a trial version you can download.
11/06/2002 (6:56 am)
Power Render is out, and has been for some time. Chris Egerter (the company owner and developer) is working on Power Render X, a more up to date engine.At a minimum, Power Render is available for a shareware fee of $285, although he said he'll release it under a new license soon at around $85. Check the website; the information is there so go back and read. There's also a trial version you can download.
#8
ok so i run the site, but still ;}
32 bit renderer, 24 bit textures, full scriptable Pawn's, dynamic colored lighting w/radiosity, cinematic engine for in-engine cut-scenes, conversation engine for deus-ex style conversations, full attribute & inventory system for RPG-style games, full customizable explosion, weapons & particle system...etc...etc...etc...
and you don't need to know how to program...at all...it's all customizable via ini files, config files, entities & the integrated scripting engine
plus 100% free for use.
it's basically an extremely modified version of the genesis 3d engine, but has been updated miles above the baseline 1.1 g3d release.
11/09/2002 (3:16 am)
[begin shameless self-promotion]you could use Reality Factory (http://rfactory.uber-geek.ca)[/end]ok so i run the site, but still ;}
32 bit renderer, 24 bit textures, full scriptable Pawn's, dynamic colored lighting w/radiosity, cinematic engine for in-engine cut-scenes, conversation engine for deus-ex style conversations, full attribute & inventory system for RPG-style games, full customizable explosion, weapons & particle system...etc...etc...etc...
and you don't need to know how to program...at all...it's all customizable via ini files, config files, entities & the integrated scripting engine
plus 100% free for use.
it's basically an extremely modified version of the genesis 3d engine, but has been updated miles above the baseline 1.1 g3d release.
#9
11/13/2002 (6:46 am)
Wow, mike, that seems to be a promising engine. I am definitely going to check it out once I get home. If its suitable to my needs, I might even use it for my game!
#10
11/13/2002 (1:30 pm)
I've actually decided on Power Render myself. What I like about Power Render is that all it is is a bunch of libraries to include in C++ code. It puts a lot of power back into the hands of the programmer. So instead of having to learn a whole new environment/scripting language (*cough* torque *cough*), you can rely simply on your programming skills to get you by. Granted, it IS a little costly, but NO game can be made without atleast spending a little bit of money...atleast not one that you are hoping to make Andrew. Front the few hundred and see what comes up. And good luck!
#11
11/13/2002 (3:00 pm)
I hear there is a great demand for pale white nerds in the male prostitution market
#12
Basically, you want a triple-A game engine for free.
Torque is a triple-A game engine, and it costs $100. Any comparable engine WILL cost more than your house, or your parents' house. Or at least their car.
If you knew the amount of time and effort it will take to make a game with the qualities you're describing that is worth playing, you would know that spending money on a game engine is not only necessary -- it's also the least of your concerns.
Buy Torque. You'll thank us all later.
11/13/2002 (8:21 pm)
I know you can find most anything on the internet, which has led to a weird kind of snobbish mentality forming (I want the BEST and I want it FREE).Basically, you want a triple-A game engine for free.
Torque is a triple-A game engine, and it costs $100. Any comparable engine WILL cost more than your house, or your parents' house. Or at least their car.
If you knew the amount of time and effort it will take to make a game with the qualities you're describing that is worth playing, you would know that spending money on a game engine is not only necessary -- it's also the least of your concerns.
Buy Torque. You'll thank us all later.
#13
Andrew, have you ever made a game before? End-to-end, delivered, playable, and fun?
If you have then more power to you - hopefully you'll choose a good engine for your project. You could do much worse than to use Torque, and none of the engines mentioned above deliver what it does in my opinion.
If not, maybe you should focus less on choosing the best 3D engine made for gaming and focus more on putting together a very small team to work on a tight and focused game (read: small in scope). Tackle a smaller 2D game, perhaps, in order to learn all it takes to deliver a game from end-to-end. It is an eye-opening experience.
Dave 21-6
11/13/2002 (11:23 pm)
I have to throw in a quick question here:Andrew, have you ever made a game before? End-to-end, delivered, playable, and fun?
If you have then more power to you - hopefully you'll choose a good engine for your project. You could do much worse than to use Torque, and none of the engines mentioned above deliver what it does in my opinion.
If not, maybe you should focus less on choosing the best 3D engine made for gaming and focus more on putting together a very small team to work on a tight and focused game (read: small in scope). Tackle a smaller 2D game, perhaps, in order to learn all it takes to deliver a game from end-to-end. It is an eye-opening experience.
Dave 21-6
#14
I am a level designer, ive made levels for Quake 1, Quake 2, Quake 3, Halflife, Unreal, Unreal Tournament, Warcraft 3, Red Faction, etc.
Ive made several multiplayer and singleplayer mods for halflife by myself, and because of that, ive seen how damn repedative people are when building mods :P
I want to get some of those people together, and build something that BREAKS the mold, not bends it. And im only 16, and I only just got a job, so I cant really afford any engines at all.
11/22/2002 (10:34 pm)
I havent made any games, no. I am a level designer, ive made levels for Quake 1, Quake 2, Quake 3, Halflife, Unreal, Unreal Tournament, Warcraft 3, Red Faction, etc.
Ive made several multiplayer and singleplayer mods for halflife by myself, and because of that, ive seen how damn repedative people are when building mods :P
I want to get some of those people together, and build something that BREAKS the mold, not bends it. And im only 16, and I only just got a job, so I cant really afford any engines at all.
#15
11/23/2002 (1:20 am)
JUst out of curisotity, what mods did you build?
#16
11/23/2002 (7:36 am)
I'm looking into qube right now. It's certianly not the speediest of engines around, but it's cross platform abilities are very very tempting. The thought that should I make a successful game with it, it could be ported to PS2, Xbox, etc without too much hassle, is a very appealing one. 
#17
11/24/2002 (7:23 am)
All of these are great engines but unfortunately none of them support linux. I am sorry but I would rather play a game on linux than Windows. I think that torque is the best option for a linux based development(even though the converters don't work under it).
#18
Can run on win, linux, ps2, freeBSD, Xbox (and I belive GC is planned). Only the win binaries are out at the moment though, the rest are due within the coming months.
11/25/2002 (5:02 am)
*cough*Qube is platform independant*cough*Can run on win, linux, ps2, freeBSD, Xbox (and I belive GC is planned). Only the win binaries are out at the moment though, the rest are due within the coming months.
#19
11/25/2002 (5:32 am)
I doubt it really runs on Xbox.
#20
Tell your parents its an educational tool. :)
11/25/2002 (5:42 am)
If you can't afford to buy it yourself, ask for the Torque Engine for christmas.Tell your parents its an educational tool. :)
Torque Owner Mike Stoddart