Game engine

Have you guys thought about making a 3.5 turn based game like ToEE running on another premade gaming engine that you may be able to get the source code for and can adapt all or most your current work over to? Mainly meaning the KotB stuff seeing Atari has a ownership on the ToEE stuff. Aren't there some engines out there that aren't being used for anything current that can run a 2d/3d turn based game like this? Again my ignorance in all things coded kinda makes it hard for me to search for one seeing I haven't the first clue on what you would need. But if there is one out there then you wouldn't need approval from Atari and as long as you aren't selling it you could make as many different mods as you wanted, though this route would entitle alot of coding to be done.

Macer

 

http://rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=13532

Like that?

Why start with a new engine? Might as well make a new game would be my thoughts to be honest.

 

You could make a new RPG game but not based on Dungeons & Dragons, Atari has exclusive rights to all computer based D&D games. Not just ToEE

 

A wonderful idea but as you say it is going to require lots of coding. And lots of coordination and lots of decision making. Not to mention level design, story development. Art of all kinds. Sound, music, meshes. And tool development etc. etc. and etcetera. The kinds of things professionals with degrees and years of experience are paid good money (sometimes very good money) to spend 8-12 hours (or more) a day for years. All this to get a game simillar in quality to ToEE.

Now, AFAIK, almost none of us are professionals in that sense (Agetian springs to mind as one exception, there may be others) so add to the time above the time spent in learning. Then factor in that we all do this in our spare time and have real lives away from here and the development time becomes something like 'sometime not this century'.

With ToEE we already have almost all the work done for us. All we have to do is figure out how it all works (most of which has been done) dream our dream and plug it in.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not down on the idea and I would really love to see something like that happen. In fact I have had similar thoughts myself. There is a lot of expertise available here. Agetian, ShiningTed, Allyx, Cujo, Cerulean the Blue, Cuchalain, Gaear, Lord_Spike , among many others, would all be able to make valuable contributions in such a context (again, let me say that I know there are others and that the list is in no particular order of implied importance. It is just what came off the top of my head as I rambled along) If we could do such a thing it would be awesome.

I guess things stand this way: Could we do it? Yeah, probably, provided that each individual could afford the time and effort away from real life: Can we do it? probably not; Would we do it? I would, given the above. Can't speak for everyone else.; Will we do it? Again, probably not (but it is nice to dream).

Darmagon

 

Well I figured the time to code the whole thing was gonna be a bad thing Just thought I should ask about it anyway. If you guys ever do wish to try it not real sure what is a good engine but Zebedee put up a link to a Fallout game engine that would be close to perfect for your needs if you could transfer what you have done with ToEE then you are already on a good start. If i am correct you can make a DnD title game as long as you aren't trying to make any sorts of money on it and give all the credit to WoTC and maybe Atari.

Macer

On a second note is it possible to convert all the ToEE to another engine without a source code? Then you wont need to do too much work on anything but flushing out the bugs from one engine to the other. But at last as you said it is a nice dream.

 

Nah, it's one thing hacking away under the title of 'mod' to try and polish up ToEE and another thing altogether to use an open source code to reproduce ToEE. Cease and desist orders would be the name of the day (especially with Atari totally reliant on the D&D license to keep them afloat).

The 'why change?' argument is the strongest for me. It's a lot of trouble for not that much gain.

 

Orc is short for Orcus, and is latin; the Tolkien empire couldn't get that thrown in with words & names like "Balrog"; or if you prefer, "Vala Rauko".

:grin:

Do we need permission for using the D20 system to make games?

 

The problem is that you cannot adhere to the OGL and make computer software at the same time--it is so restrictive in its openness that a compiled binary violates the terms, among other problems. I researched this problem fairly thoroughly before I invested in a game engine and ruleset. And I can confirm what I've seen seen mentioned elsewhere on this forum--according to my research the d20 System license for software is held exclusively by Lucasarts (for Star Wars) and Atari (for everything else.)

As far as I can gather, this was a deliberate "feature" of OGL's legal design.

 

Why would you need permission anyway? Unless it is to be sold it would be no more different then creating a PnP adventure to share with your friends. If creating a Computer version of a PnP adventure isn't any different then why is it legal to make up on off the DnD rules as they are now in PnP format and not in software format?

Macer

Edit: I just read Teds post above again he already answered it.

 

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/welcome

So you couldn't say it uses 3.5 rules or call it KotB as this is not open content, and still have it be legal. The definitions are all in the link above, this tidbit came out of the software FAQ.

 

Even though it would basically be the same thing, you would have to name it something different, e.g., "Fort at the Border" or "Orcs Assault from Underhill", and there would have to be certain obvious differences in the game between what you would make and sell from the current existing games and whatnot.

[EDIT] Yes, "certain obvious differences" means obvious changes in game content as in the game is different enough to meet the requirements of the OGL license.