ONLamp.com: Return of the Independent Game Developer?

“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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