Interested in Nutcracker src?

[Phantom]

Guys,<br><br>I'm currently considering releasing the source code for The Nutcracker. Before you get too excited, two important notes:<br>1. I am CONSIDERING this. <br>2. This would be the source for the demo.<br><br>The idea is that people would be able to build their own game, based on the game engine of The Nutcracker. Releasing sources would allow for much more freedom than a mission editor; you could for example add your own enemies, or change whatever graphics you like.<br><br>Besides, you would be able to study the sources.<br><br>The current plan is that if people decide to do their own game using this, they would have to give me a chunk of the revenues, of course. I was thinking about 50%, but it seems reasonable to let this more or less depend on the scope of the modifications.<br><br>Another idea might be that people can distribute their own data, but in such a way that it only runs if you already own the full game. That way, modifications can be spread freely, and it could help me to sell my game.<br><br>I have a couple of questions that I would like your opinion on:<br><br>1. Security. Obviously, there is a huge risk of this rendering my own version worthless. <br>2. I wonder if anyone would be interested at all in using my engine, instead of developing their own.<br>3. Scope of the release. My idea is that if I remove all data for the full version, so that you can only build the demo with the sources, then you would still have the game engine and the enemies, but you wouldn't be able to build the full game and distribute it. Do you see any major flaws in this approach (see point 1, security)?<br><br>The basic idea behind this is that I would love to share my code with fellow coders, and I suspect that it would hardly harm my sales. So, it would increase the 'coding fun factor'. Besides, I would get to play missions that I didn't make myself. <br><br>Well that's it, what do you guys think?<br><br>- Jacco.

[Luciano U. Werner]

Jacco, wern't you going to wait some more before doing that?

[cryo]

Jacco,<br><br>i think you should do it, but wait a couple of months. The Nutcracker is still a new game, you should give it time to spread around. Even if sales really go down dramatically, ppl will need some time to play the game till the end. Thats the time when you should give them another shot to keep 'em at it. <br><br>The ones willing to do something with the sources wont be the same ppl buying the game anyway. But i think you should try to benefit from releasing the sources in terms of "spreading the word". My advice is that you release the sources and set up a website where the developers creating new stuff from the sources could host it and the players of the game could download the new creations. So you can tie your customers more and more to you, which will certainly pay off for your next release. The fun would raise and it wont cost you much time and effort <br><br>cryo

[Phantom]

Cryo,<br><br>Giving away the source code is not primarily compensation for bad sales, although I have considered that, indeed. The main reason is that I severely love coding, and I'm looking for a risk-free way to get some coders on The Nutcracker, so that I get to play similar games but with less predictable content. <br><br>Risk-free is an illusion when you start spreading sources, of course. So it's probably better to wait a couple of months indeed. On the other hand, if people can start working with the sources NOW, they can have their own creation ready in about 4 months earliest, if they do a 'total conversion'.<br><br>Hm. I'll give it some more thought. <br><br>- Jacco.

[randall]

I really admire Jacco, and everything he strives to do. This is a man who truly loves code and takes it to an art form. This kind of generosity is one more example of how dedicated he is to the craft.<br><br>It would be nice to see a TC built on the Nutcracker engine. In the right hands that engine could be expanded into numerous possibilities. As long as the code and content is "mod friendly", then the source won't be absolutely necessary.<br><br>Certainly when coders have access to the the source of Nutcracker, then a crop of better games will appear. That will help the entire community and spurr industry growth and competition. And that is exactly what we need right now.

[Digby]

Randall,<br><br>What's a "TC"?<br><br>

[Paul]

total conversion

[randall]

yeah, what paul said. Normally it is associated with modifying the content, and not the engine itself.

[Luciano U. Werner]

Cool. What would be a good theme?

[esw]

Just curious, but did the term 'total conversion' originate with Quake, as it was (one of the?) first games to let you do such a thing?<br><br>Anyways, it would be cool to see the source for The Nutcracker, and see some TCs. Except that I haven't purchaced the game yet; no credit card

[Phantom]

Esw, just send me $20 and I'll send you the game by e-mail. <br><br>I agree with you guys that the source code isn't neccessary for a TC. On the other hand; my enemies don't exactly use QuakeC for their behaviour. So adding new enemies would be tricky.<br><br>Well maybe I can do it like this: I intended to do an editor (did some work on it, not much yet). This editor would produce a text file, with 'room replacements'. The game would then look for a room in this file first, and if it isn't there, it would use the build-in room from the original game. This is a quite flexible approach.<br><br>Anyway, this text file would need, per room, a tile layout; a list of triggers; a list of enemies; a list of objects (trees, tables, whatever). The format of this text file isn't too hard to work out, and I could write code to read such a file within a month.<br><br>This is good: People wouldn't have to wait for the editor, and: People could write their own editors...<br><br>Perhaps this is better than releasing the sources right now. In the end, I will release the sources however. Timing is important though.<br><br>- Jacco.<br><br>