Trying to get an idea on where the max polygon count should be for the game I'm looking to develop. I know the higher the number the slower it runs so I need to set a benchmark computer. I would say dual core, 1 gig Ram, 256Mb video minimum requirement.

I figure using LOD would greatly help the game speed and still using high count characters for life like experience up close. Enviroment in the levels should be nice too, close to life like. Size of the maps will vary, but in general I would say they are small to medium. With maps preloaded on clients computer it should help game speed when playing on-line, right?

With all this in mind, I'm looking for opinions on what software to use for the different parts. For example, characters (Maya), levels (3D MAX), engine (A6, C4) and it doesn't help I don't know C++...LOL, but I know I can learn. Yet, one of the reason I like the A6 is the shorter learning curve with C-script. But some feedback I got from another poster tells me the A6 is falling behind, would love to know if there is an A7 in the works.

Again, thanks for your patience with my questions. I realize that I've bombarded the Forum with newbie questions and to many of you stupid ones.

Noob65