yes there is a tutorial about that image based pathfinder and an A*, but I use not only blocked/unblocked tiles, I use max unit size for each tile (infantry,cavalry...), so it is a bit more complex...
as I read the dynamic avoidance won't be implemented. and most of the feature improvements are postponed because of the 2.0 editor development.

But sivan if you could at some stage take your system over to c++ as
you mentioned and into esenthel ...

Then you would have what you need okay provided that esenthel
exposes the functions you need for terrain as i presume you
use the terrain for your tiles yes.

But on the other side of things with full source access
i am sure it would be easier and more posibilities aswell
okay im not sure if the license allows source alterations but even if it
doesnt there is always the possibility of extending or implimenting our
own library/systems for what we need this is after all c++ ..

At this time i just cannot afford esenthel not even to mention gamestudio
i would rather buy into esenthel than gamestudio as gamestudio
prices in my own oppinion is just way up there ..okay atleast theres competitions
to look forward to ..

I guess everyone sees what they need in an engine for personal taste and
ability . I wont say im super good at esenthel its going to take some time
to learn the engine but i think the reward would be well worth it

i totally missed out in exploring udk but if i feel the need i will try
and fool around on it , but i believe i am just not at that level of commitment to
an engine yet as i believe udk would most likely take some time
to get the basics down and then to learn it

Do you have some game in mind ? caus an engine for some people is only a way to make some game.
So what style of game do you want ot make ?

Don't you think you can skip some features (like dynamic avoidance) with a different game design ?
(use some ray collision detection to see if there is some dynamic stuff, put dynamic obstacles only on some open parts of the level etc ... )

Even with Esenthel, UDK or other, if you don't have a good game idea and some talented 3D artist with you that can ake next gen stuff, it's useless to ask for big 3D features.

I don't like UDK caus of royalties if you sell well a game.
And for me it is not a real indie game engine also lol
More a commercial 3D engine !

I started to do programming tutorials in UDK. its scripting is not bad. if you do anything, it is always built heavily on existing classes, so first you have to know them well, but finally it also provides you a lot of ready to use features. it is likely not for one person development at all, becaue it is time consuming to explore all of its secret parts...

so if you get from Esenthel what you need, it is easier to use, and good quality is also possible relatively easily. (this is where 3dgs falls a bit behind, it can be programmed well, but to get a really up-to-date appearance, you have to write your own set of shaders from the basics.) some months ago Esenthel offered some source access in the store, but as I see it is removed. earlier you got some source access to game classes if you bought a licence, now it is not mentioned. its licensing is changind quite dynamically

I found something perhaps not very fast i don't
know i have not tested or asked about it in esenthel forum
but using the header browser and looking at pathfind.h
under misc .. There seems to be a temp obstacle function
but adding and removing requires a rebuild of path meshes..

Just mentioning....

I found something perhaps not very fast i don't
know i have not tested or asked about it in esenthel forum
but using the header browser and looking at pathfind.h
under misc .. There seems to be a temp obstacle function
but adding and removing requires a rebuild of path meshes..

Just mentioning....

I read also something, maybe a local navmesh rebuild is possible...

I nearly missed that in january the esenthel editor 2.0 beta demo was published. now downloading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qFVNx5VXzEo

and let's compare the update lists of 3dgs and esenthel. ee's one month update news is longer than the full 3dgs A8 list...

http://manual.3dgamestudio.net/beta.htm
http://www.esenthel.com/community/showthread.php?tid=5846

Great for the racing games
But how is built the circuit ? yourself or does it have some tool ?
I would see some F Zero remake

For the Beta, indeed this is not the same focus, 3DGS is on other things.
I doubt you need two or three monts to program each 3DGS Beta as they are just new programming functions. And sometimes new Betas i think rely on some other people i think ?
But it is only JCL and some contributors doing Betas ?

Esenthel engine , i think this is also one anlone person like C4 engine, but incredibly skilled in 3D, and that can work fast and efficitently, and they are concentrated on their engine , nothing else.

I really don't know for 3DGS , but it seems it has just sruvived even from A7 to a8 , not a big jump.
What i can see is some people wanting a real editor , that today will go for Unity , Esenthel or other more powerfull editors.

If you can't provide that , because it exists elsewhere and better, they just live (like shiva users waiting for Shiva 2 more than 2 years, they have just quit for Unity).

Well things seems to change with mobile, perhaps new WED(but WED fundation ? ) , it is a real re write of the engine or a re write on surface or middle layers ?

Well i'm already using another 3D indie solution that have a powerfull editor with great workflow, but i keep 3DGS because of the easy way to make litlle games.

So i won't blame Conitec, they have their ryhtm their goals, their own plans.
And i'm ok with that.

In my oppinion its not about what we think about the developers
its about what we get for the price ..lets be honest
theres a bunch of free rendering engines out there that can be
done with whatever you like ! That means you could upgrade
its features and sell without roylties being taken ! And i mean engines
like irrlicht here..

So with that in mind looking at prices gs is just way up there in prices
and i love gs but really im not one for buying into the high priced version , but then again
gs has some nice pricing models availible for what you need

Oh and i am leaning a bit to essenthel for my bigger projects so far
and am i wrong but i think essenthel was a one man thing?