Basilisk wrote:
> I'm interesting in developing an RPG.
There are no systems at present that are "RPG in a box," but you
can get a lot done with Morrowind (which I know you said you
didn't want) or Neverwinter Nights. Beyond contacting them both
for licensing terms, that's pretty much what's available for $50
or so.
> I'm looking for the best game engine for this task. I have the
> money. Now I just need to find the engine that will give me the
> most bang for my buck.
You're probably not going to find a good fit in the licensed
engines, as they tend to target FPS-style games. For a lot less
money, you can get middleware around which you can write any
game, at significantly lower cost for the middleware but with
much more programming effort required to get to where you want to
be.
Hmm, actually I was thinking RTS. For an RPG, Unreal might work,
but it'll set you back $300k + 3% of gross sales, if I recall
correctly. (That's a lot of cash.)
> 1) 3ds max, AI.implant (and all functions thereof)
> 2) reflections, see-thru windows
> 3) getting the most out of hyperthreading
> 4) very large map, preferably not divided into clumsy cells ala
> Morrowind
> 5) generally not being a pain in my ass
This is a very poor list of requirements, fwiw.
What, specifically, is AI.implant required for? There is
absolutely no other AI middleware that would work? There's no
way that similar functionality could be coded?
All of the rest of your "requirements" are things that will be
heavily dependent on your own crack team of developers. The last
three especially are not quantifiable in any way.
> I'm willing to spend up to about a quarter mil for a license to
> such an engine.
Renderware will set you back about $75,000 for a full source code
license, and will allow you to do all of the above if you've got
smart programmers.
> If such an engine exists, please give me a link to its website. http://www.renderware.com
They also happen to have an AI middleware solution available.
> I'd like to add that this is a question that needs to be asked.
> And any good answers will help not only me but many others who
> need the same information.
Yep, and it's asked over and over again, and will be asked many
times in the future since people don't check the archives because
they think that their question has never been asked before.
-tom!