From: "Jeff Lander" Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp,alt.games.programming References: <37ADC441 DOT 8FFD9C8D AT sprint DOT ca> <7okm59$1i3$1 AT pegasus DOT csx DOT cam DOT ac DOT uk> <37ADF176 DOT CC809F3F AT sprint DOT ca> Subject: Re: Question about 3D Engines Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1999 14:19:37 -0700 Lines: 53 X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.1 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 Message-ID: <37af4477.0@owl.bneit.com> X-Authenticated-User: darwin3d NNTP-Posting-Host: owl.bneit.com X-Trace: 9 Aug 1999 17:16:07 -0400, owl.bneit.com Organization: Newshosting.com To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com If you are after a game like Dark Reign, a Quake style engine will not help you at all. Quake is entirely based on a closed interior environment. It is completely special-cased for this and the amount of code you could extract to use on an exterior terrain game like Dark Reign 2 would basically amount to what you get with OpenGL in the first place. You would completely need to scrap the BSP system used for collision and VSD. You could use the character flipping code but that is a simple triangle list in GL anyway. A better bet is to learn a 3D immediate mode api like OpenGL or D3DIM so you can draw 3D triangles and set up a camera system and such. Then research methods for terrain VSD such as Lindstrom or Hoppe. I have links for these once you have the basics down. Rendering a terrain is pretty easy. I suspect your problem will be working on the units and AI and such. That is what bogs most of those games down. Also, camera control is a huge issue. Expect to waste some time there. Don't get hung up thinking that Quake source will enable you to make 3D games. It will help you make Quake. You can change textures and some features but underneath it all it is only good at doing what it did. A truism about all game engines I believe. Plus, remember id's source was never meant to be read by anyone other than id. Just ask the engine licensees. Don't expect to learn a lot. You don't see a lot of people churning out engines from the Doom source do you? BTW: While I did code some on Dark Reign, I have nothing direct to do with DR2. I just know the team and the techniques used well. Jeff Derek Sauer wrote in message <37ADF176 DOT CC809F3F AT sprint DOT ca>... >Thanks for the suggestion. > >I have allegro and it is what I use for my 2d work but I find its 3D >capabilites are a bit lacking for what I need to do. I'm making a game that >will be similair to Dark Reign 2 (engine wise I mean), so therefore I need a >rather powerful engine. > >I wish ID would get their act together and release the Quake sources. I >practically know its engine inside out from all the editing I used to do in >it. > >Anyway, thanks again. > >Murray Rogers wrote: > >> There is some 3d capability with the allegro library - definitek=ly woth >> getting - thou I don't know if its any good >> >> murray >