ONLamp.com: Return of the Independent Game Developer?
Jan 11, 2003, 02:30 (0 Talkback[s])
"Because this was the first such conference (at least in recent
memory), much of the schedule was devoted to justifying its
existence. The reason most often stated was philosophical: there's
a sense that it's just a matter of time before an independent game
really makes its mark on the world. After all, the roots of modern
gaming come from founder-lead companies such as Origin and id. Less
explicit is the idea that Garage Games has understandable
commercial concerns. The Tribes 2 community was very
well-represented, and the company plans to market services for
independents.
"One such service is code licensing. Tribes 2 is built on the
Torque game engine; an attractive, cross-platform 3D engine with an
affinity for outdoor spaces. Much like other A-list titles (Unreal
Tournament and Quake), the engine can be--and has been--reused in
other games. Garage Games recently announced licensing terms that
would let independent developers use Torque in their own games for
a virtual pittance. Other proprietary engines go for hundreds of
thousands of dollars.
"Of course, Torque is not the only option for a would-be
developer with bigger dreams than bank accounts. The Open Source
world is producing a staggering arsenal of engines and
tools--Crystal Space, WorldForge, and Cube 3D, to name a
few..."
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