Topic: A New Game Engine - jst for discussion

[[UFP]Exeter]

There is a new C# gaming engine that is still in beta but very useable Wave Game Engine.  Note this is for a c# version of the game.  nd would be considered as it uses libraries I am already using and I am doing the menus and other mundane 2D graphics so not appreciable impact.

http://www.waveengine.net/

They have a cool technical demo that looks great

http://www.waveengine.net/Gallery/Demos ... e=1#player


There are advantages and disadvantages:

Disadvantages:
1. Only supports .x model type. A minus for serious 3D model creators but there are exporters. May change in the future.
2. Not available for Linux but under development.
3. Not sure how modding will work.

Advantages:
1. Uses BEPU physics which is what we use
2. Does not use irrlicht, rather sharpDX. We use irrlicht with a c# wrapper. Wave uses sharpDX and sharp DX has directx11 NOW.
3. Short learning curve.
4. Code is developed in Visual Studio. This engine is a set of libraries we include.
5. Totally free
6. Engine incorporates Graphics, Physics, Audion
7. Works on Mac (mono) iOS, Android and Windows including Windows 8 and Windows Store.


To concert this means alot of model work to convert what I have to .x Also textures would have to be converted. I would have to convert the game code but the logic is still sound. But I would not have to learn bepu physics (just started) and learn more about Irrlicht and Irrlicht Lime. Also the audio. I would be learning one engine and the different features.

Many of the features are useful for future expansion of the game.


Opinions?  Thoughts?

[Captain Adam]

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[[UFP]Exeter]

nothing.  Building the menus.  All 2D stuff.  So IF I were to change would take 1 or 2 days as conversion from c++ to c# is a breeze.  The conversion of the graphics is what will take time, a few days. 

And whether I develop in C++ or c# is pretty irrelevant at this point.  Everything I am doing  now is 2d graphics, menus etc and that is pretty much identical.  And either will support the graphics and model formats and LUA modding.  Conversion takes about 4 hours as the key is the game logic and that is the same.

I threw this out there to see what people think.  I spend an hour experimenting and none of the demos run.  But still interested as it uses SharpDX so is a c# capable graphics that is DX 11 and it is all libraries unlike Unity that you build the game in their environment.  So for our code the game logic is all the same,  would only recode the graphics.   However some of the things I do took time to figure out and complex and may not be easy to conver.

Anyway, for discussions is why I made this post.  maybe somebody else is doing what I am doing and the idea of learning physics and graphics is overwhelming.

And as of this moment I have not switched from our design plan.  (C++ with planning for dx 11 when the graphics library update is available, and the C++ capability to run on the GPU (physics and collision) and LUA for modding).

But I am considering a hybrid, as suggested by Microsoft.  Where the critical components are c++ and the rest c#.  Again not critical.  It is when I get to the pe alpha release that becomes critical.  Hopefully end of October.  And then I will put a basic demo out.

[TheStressPuppy]

X format for models isn't really a bad thing. Yes there are exporters, and some programs like Softimage can export directly. NanoFx-GE/Excalibur uses X format exclusively, and the results are pretty impressive. I cant really think of anything negative about X format other than cross program modeling. As in jumping from 3dsmax. To Lightwave. To Softimage. etc. etc.

The important thing is if it works.