Chaos Project

i've been typing up a design document for a Trading Card Game i would like to program, unlike Nexis Core: Chain of Shadows i would use totally original resources (meaning no community scripts, no RTPs, all resources would come from people working on the game) meaning i won't get into any kind of trouble if i sell the game on the market

anyway, i'm trying to think of a list of engines/editors i could use to build this game for when i finish typing up the design document and get some people to work on it with me, these are the things i'm looking for in a engine/editor

• Object Oriented Language (like c++) , i have a theory on an RPG Framework and won't work if i can't make a class structure


• Able to connect to a database, for updating card rules and stats, can easily drop down the power of cards if i find they are oping everything, want strategy to be a major factor in the game rather than brute force......though brute force created because of a well played strategy is a good thing too


• Multiplayer, if i can connect to a database that i should be able to do this but Multiplayer is optional in my eyes, i like playing Trading Card Games where i have AI's to test my deck(s) out on before challenging human player (but that's just me)


• Resource handling, like how Game Maker and RPG Maker can use images and audio files without someone having to program how they get rendered or used, i know i said i would use totally original resources but i rather spend my time programming the mechanics rather than the rending or audio playback
  
  


• Tablet Developer?........yeh, this is really optional cause i was just thinking that the game will feel more natural if instead of clicking on on a deck you swipe down to draw a card, swipe across to flip it ect. otherwise i can just build it for computer, no big

at the moment, i have this list

• Unity
  Pros:
  
  
  
  • Experience, i've worked with Unity before back in uni so i know slightly how it works
  
  
  • Platform Development, i have the option to develop for multiple platforms
  
  
  
  Cons:
  
  
  
  • Licensing, $2,000 just for the pro license, if i want iOS or Android development, it's like + $300 or so, though i have the money now to get them it's kinda alot
  
  
  • Database Connection, not sure if it does it or not, it does do multiplayer i think
  
  
  
  
  


• Game Maker
  Pros
  
  
  
  • Experience, a hell lot considering Pandora was build in Game Maker and i use Game Maker to build a lot of small stuff for my own work like SQL Generation programs
  
  
  • Licensing, already brought it for Game Maker 8 (since i'm using the Pro edition for alot of the scripting syntax's which are blocked in the free edition)
  
  
  
  Cons:
  
  
  
  • No Database Connection, if it did i would program Pandora to directly connect into MHO Ultra Mega's database rather than create a score file upload system in PHP and create security measures to prevent unauthorized editing of the score file since i have to export it as plain text
  
  
  • Bad 3D graphics, would like to use models rather than sprites but Game Maker is horrid at it, in fact reason why i'm looking at Unity
  
  
  • Bad OO, i can create classes but that's done by creating objects, sticking local variables in the Create Action and creating constructor scripts that only link to the object by the name (in other words, no linking at all) and all i'm doing i creating a new object in the room with no sprite and don't get me started on making child classes in this method.......i rather avoid building an RPG Framework in this
  
  
  
  
  


• RPG Maker XP/ARC
  Pros
  
  
  
  • Experience, a bit and i'm still learning, can even re-use the database if i recoded how they gather data and create some shoddy links between Items and Enemies, it can work with some work, also, the idea i have for an RPG Framework really comes from how RPG Maker XP does it
  
  
  • Licensing, i'm going to use ARC once it's done and i wouldn't mind paying for it so no problems there
  
  
  • Support, people here really do help out with my scripting question a few people have already helped me alot in my scripting for Nexis Core (you know who you are)
  
  
  
  Cons:
  
  
  
  • Database Connection?, there is RMX-OS but like i said, rather not use community scripts to avoid problems down the track (cause in all fairness, if i use it i should pay Blizzard huh?) but it does prove that RMXP/ARC can connect to a database
  
  
  • No 3D graphics, i don't count Mode7 as 3D, it's a cheep trick
  
  
  • Character Customization, one thing i want is that player can create avatars of themselves in the game world, this is a bitch to do in RMXP/ARC since it would require a script to be made that gets multiple images and compiles them together into a single image and then import that image (other engines/editors i can just render the separate parts rather than having to save the thing as a single image)
  
  

[/list]

i still got a lot of typing to do in the design document like the rules in a duel but adding what engine/editor i would use is useful for adding in how i wuld approach coding up the system, if anyone has any good engines/editors that would be perfect for this then please share

I would personally use C#/XNA. It's object-oriented, easy to learn if you don't know yet, can easily do what you require and then a lot whole lot more, and is very powerful. If you don't know C#, you might be turned off by this option, but it is very easy to learn, especially of you have any background in Ruby/C++, which you do.

QuoteCharacter Customization, one thing i want is that player can create avatars of themselves in the game world, this is a bitch to do in RMXP/ARC since it would require a script to be made that gets multiple images and compiles them together into a single image and then import that image (other engines/editors i can just render the separate parts rather than having to save the thing as a single image)

You can just blit images on top of each other. You don't have to compile several images, save it and import it. It just would require some scripting.

As for Unity, you don't need a license to get started. With their free version you are allowed to go commercial with your project. If your project is successful, then you can use the revenue to obtain the licenses you need.

Quote from: gameus on September 03, 2012, 09:57:17 pm
As for Unity, you don't need a license to get started. With their free version you are allowed to go commercial with your project. If your project is successful, then you can use the revenue to obtain the licenses you need.

i know, that's what we used at uni, but when the revenue gets to a point, i think it's $5,000, you then have to pay royalties, rather buy the license and not every worry about that....that's if i choose to use Unity