It''s probably too early to post something like this but it''s been gnawing at me since the beginning so I thought I''d ask. I''m a software architect who''s been working on a scripting engine in my spare time for about 1.5 years. Its mostly done (The code is mostly done by I still have to do things like developement tools, a fancy demo, and stuff). It''s easily comparable to unreal script. Better actually, in my opinion, and it''s a little faster too. (Point is, it''s very powerful, and very easy to use). It also has the added benfit of being able to plug into any C++ game, you don''t need a specific technology like the unreal engine to use unreal script. Anyways my question is does anyone have any ideas on marketing, etc. something like this. It''s not a scripting language (Java is the scripting language), it''s a full on scripting engine. To give you an example, you could create a scripting engine for a FPS comarable to Unreal Tournament(tm) (events (like levers and doorways stuff), scripted AI, modifiable weapons, modifiable rules, modifiable GUI componenents, etc.) in less than a week (well writing intelligent AI could take you a while). And if you wanted to allow the flexibility, MOD makers could convert your FPS into a basketball game in about another week. It''s REALLY powerful. So does anyone here have experience marketing and licensing out your own technology, rather than a complete game. Thanks, Jeff

You might want to try contacting Chris Egerter who develops and markets PowerRender. He''s got a forum for it right here on gamedev. He obviously has some experience in this area and AFAIK there is no scripting engine in PR so maybe you can even strike some kind of mutually beneficial bundling deal or something.

The biggest problem you will be having licensing this technology is that so many mature, robust, and free options already exist: embedded Perl, Python, Lua, etc.

If you can convince someone that your system is better than all three of those... then you might have something valuable to sell.

Embedded perl, python, etc. are scripting languages. This is a complete scripting engine. Java is the language I use.

Take the unreal scripting engine as an example, it is far more than just a language. It is setup for messaging, object managment, etc. So I''m not really competing with embedded perl, etc. because I''m providing a very complete and infinately expandable solution, not just a langauge.

The only thing comparable to compete with is something like the unreal scripting engine, which isn''t competetion because they are a COMPLETE solution because they provide graphics, networking, etc. Where as my scripting engine can plug into any C/C++ game, but it has nothing to do with graphics, or networking.

To give a quick example, how easy is it for you to take your game, and using embedded perl, create a game where MOD makers can create new objects, create objects that can spawn other objects, send custom messages, create map scripts that listen to events thrown my user objects and perform tasks like spawning NPCs or detract hit points, etc (and the list goes on with modifiable rule sets, GUI components, AI helpers).

Not so simple eh? Well with my engine you are looking at about 1 days worth of work. If you can do that in 1 day with embedded perl, than I''ve wasted that last year (in my spare time atleast) of my life.

I''m not bragging (well maybe a little), I''m just pointing out that a scripting engine is a great deal more than a scripting language.

Usually, this only holds true if the engine''s designed to fit your scripting engine.. It may have it''s own message passing system, it''s own object structures, it''s own way of handeling object updates...

If I have to rewrite my engine to fit your scripting module in, then I''d rather use LUA, Perl, Python, JScript or one of the other free embeddable scripting languages..

Allan

Fe doeyr, Frender Doeyr,Ein sjoelv doeyr paa sama vis.
Eg veit et som aldri doeyr, dom over kvar ein doed.
Cattle die, Friends die, You yourself will also die.
I know something that never dies, the memory of every dead.

Well I''m done writing in this forum. Its turned into me defending my engine, rather than anyone answering my original question. I''m not finished yet, as such I have no releasable demos to back up my claims. And I didn''t want to get into any kind of debate because my question wasn''t "Am I the greatest", it was merely "does anyone have experience licensing their own technology".

But I will answer the last post. My engine fits into ANY game. I''ve spent a year and half with that aspect as one of my primary focus. It expands to fit into any game, and expanding the engine to fit is extremely simple.

To explain in better detail, my engine is a class framework, like MFC. You then build on top of that to make it meet your needs. If you have a message system already in place, in the engine''s MessageManager class, override the OnMessage() function to place the message where you like (like your already existing message system). If your 3D graphics engine requires your objects to be in a specific data structure (for faster searching or whatever), override the ObjectManager''s OnControllableObjectAdded() function to place a pointer to the object in your own structure. If that data structure needs to be maintained, override the OnUpdate (called when a Java object updates it''s data to C++) to do whatever.

Basically every time the scripting engine does something, there is a way to expand upon it and manipulate it to make it work with your game.