i also do not agree with the lite-c vs c-script comparison, imo Lite-c is alot easier to use with mote C like features. When i first got a6, i really felt absence of some features. Probably because i was already using C/C++ for years...

I have to agree with Toast. Actually there are not only free modelling tools, there are also free programming IDEs with very good debugging and highlighting capabilities. And there are tons of free help documentations for it.

Actually a game engine is about, guess what: a game engine. This is the part that renders the world, that does the culling, collision detection, scene management, loading and playing sound, memory management, streaming, object management, input management, lighting and so on. The only needed but very important tool for such a technology is a good world editor with decent import capabilities of models, textures, strings, fonts, gui-elements, sounds and whatever I forgot to mention.

Actually I am a fan of having as much tools as possible in a software package. Because of that I like to work with complete modelling, rendering and animation packages like Lightwave or Modo. But I just experience in this moment that Lightwave gets separated more and more. Earlier it was Modeler and Layout as 2 separated tools (connected by a tool called Hub). Now it is Layout (for animation and rendering), Modeler (for modelling), Hub (for data exchange) and Core (as a new generation modeller and renderer). Modo on the other side has everything aggregated into one application and it just feels better integrated.

So from my own experience it would make more sense to aggregate tools.

I also agree with Toast about the niche idea.

By the way: I would not classify my post as a rant. I hope I just mentioned some constructive points and ideas. This in mind I find the name of the forum section not a good choice. Maybe mentioning this is somewhat of a rant though

I think programming and feature wise the engine has evolved quite good.

Earlier I often had the problem: "How am I going to do this!?".

Now I look into the manual and there often is a function for doing exactly what I need - because someone else needed it before and it was added.

I agree that Lite-c is nice, I just wish it would abide to the ANSI C standard better. It seems to implement some features and discard others for no good reason.

gamestudio will die only if jcl wants it to die. since like firoball said, it doesn't seem to be the main business. as long as he has fun doing it, it's no problem to continue making small updates.

but i also think that toast sums it up pretty well. it very likely will become more and more insignificant.


yes, we don't know what is going on but some happenings certainly make a strange impression. like marco and doug leaving (did they leave a sinking ship? :p) and never hiring true full-time replacements.

i'm optimistic as well ... hopely jcl will never stop
of course more developer would be likeable ... but in the meantime (since 3dgs became more flexible) the community can do some great improvements as well

Some misterious sources say that JCL has 41 clones. So, better update till you drop.. A99 4 life!!11eleven

What 3DGS could have done is improve a lot it's BSP system, with lot more tools, alowing any shapes, with lot more fast compiler (even if it has very progressed nowadays).

It was the speciality of 3DGS , no modeling package was needed on the old days to make levels, apply textures, lightmap all that on WED.
If it had improved this BSP system a lot , and made shaders applyable on BSP easily like you apply textures.
That with the lightening engine combining Lightmaps and shaders; it owuld be a big winner , even today.
I think they would have a very successfull engine today

(we can see Unity users asking for some BSP system in the forums, one have begun to be made , but have been somewhat abandonned )!

Too bad ; they don't have kept that direction in priority.
And actual 3DGS BSP system is really outdated, don't support easy to apply direct shaders, modeling with BSP tools of ED is not easy at all and friendly (specially for complicated stuff where tools like Extrude, Cut loop , divide , push vertices by brush etc .... would have been helpfull) !

Caus very big engines use BSP like Source or Unreal Engine.
Perfec Dark Source

Source Engine
But the last updates of A8 that uses some Users contributions like the new GUI system are for me the new big positive orientation
One guy can't program all things needed for an engine, too much work, debugging etc ...
E can just hope users to bring up lot more addons to A8
to make it better each time !
Next , why not a complete terrain editor for WED ? (i'm kidding )



What it lacks for me is a real solidsite like Unity site.
Up To date, even the dark and red theme of A8 looks not that pro.
Why not using some lot more white site, more clear with black character texts ?

And why not some month quick newsletter, showing what is going on the engine and forums (different from AUM that is
not news , but more tutorial oriented).


I think it's like Dark Basic Pro or Irrlicht free engine that have there own people
3DGS have his own people also.



Just my point of view !

Yes, I said that a long time ago. The biggest changes to improve GS were made by it's users!
Newton (best stable physics in A7 for me)
Shade-C (best stable shaders with hight FPS for me)
LightFrog (best lights and shadows I've ever seen)
Anet (one of the best and stablest plugins for Multiplayer games)
GSNet (an other great and stable plugins for Multiplayer games)
IntenceX (best AI I've ever seen of GS)
SSAO (great looking shader, which will give to your games more ambience)
LBGUI (great and easy to use GUI tool)
HED - Hitbox Solution with Editor (the easiest way to make your games more realistic)
And so on.. If we dig deeper, we'll see that rabbit hole is deeper than we think
And I'm sure we'll find a lot of other great tools!
(Sorry if I forgot some ones an other great tool )
But even if GS is "dying" (I really don't what that to be true) we need to be optimistic!
If GS gonna be closed, I hope Conitec will realize free PRO version of A8 and all previous versions

Have you read that they are working on a new WED?

Exciting