Hey I need some help deciding what game engine to get. The game I had in mind was a 3d, online-multiplayer, rpg game. Now I dont like programming in C/C++ and I was wondering if Blitz3D would be any good for this type of game?

>The game I had in mind was a 3d, online-multiplayer, rpg game

omg another one!
umm if you want your game to be any good then you will just HAVE to use c/c++ (imo). You could use a number of programming languages and engines/APIs differ from each language but using Blitz3D will only make a very basic and rather slow game. If these BASIC engines were any good dont you think that commercial industries would be using them?

Learn C/C++ and learn to use SDL/Allegro. They both have networking functions and are reasonably fast for their simplicity.

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if you want your game to be any good then you will just HAVE to use c/c++ (imo)

I'd disagree, how good your game is has nothing whatsoever to do with what you programed in it. Blitz3D is perfectly capable, you're not gonna be writing HL2, Doom3 or FarCry in it but that doesn't mean you can't make a decent game with it. Using Blitz3D would probably also mean you'd get things done faster.

Thought that said I don't know about Blitz's networking capabilities so it may not be suitable for what you want to do. If I were you I'd go download the trial version and see if it fits what you want to do.

A guy I knew from my old job wrote a kick-ass cel-shaded racing game in Blitz3D, so I too disagree with the statement that game written in it are 'no good'.

What you'll have to bear in mind when using a high-level language like Blitz or DarkBasic is that a lot of the lower-level stuff that programmers to to gain extra speed or graphical touches is hidden away from you. You won't be able to hit the underlying APIs to achieve something that the designers of the Blitz designers don't want you to do.

I'll say it again when, but I think that languages like Blitz have thier place in the market as a tool for those who want to learn the basic tenents of programming (factorising of code, game logic, conditional statements, etc). The biggest mistake new people make when they come to C++ is that they think once they've learnt the language, they can jump into making their first huge game; in reality their problems have only just begun.

I took my first steps in Blitz Basic and AMOS on the Amiga and I think they're great tools - you'll be able to learn how to program and have fun at the same time by quickly seeing your results. I sincerely doubt you'll make an AAA title or a MMORPG, but you'll certainly be a few steps above not knowing anything about game programming.

> The game I had in mind was a 3d, online-multiplayer, rpg game

What db system do you plan to use? Are you going to use Zone servers, shards or a grid? What scripting language do you plan to use? Do you own at least a T1 in order to host it? I'm quite interested...

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Original post by paradoxnj > The game I had in mind was a 3d, online-multiplayer, rpg game What db system do you plan to use? Are you going to use Zone servers, shards or a grid? What scripting language do you plan to use? Do you own at least a T1 in order to host it? I'm quite interested...

None of what you stated is required, as he didn't state he was making a MMO, just an rpg with online multiplayer capability. Neverwinter Nights can be quite playable in a multiplayer online scenario without shards, zone servers, or a T1. It would be much more polite to ask the OP to further explain what his target gamesize is, rather than just assume this is another MMO and jump all over him.

Now, if he IS attempting an MMO, I'd say 1) Blitz3D probably isn't the best bet for doing it, and 2) try a smaller goal first to see if the engine you choose suits you. If it's not an MMO, go ahead play with Blitz3D and write some small test apps, and see if you like it. If not, try something else. If you're trying to avoid c/c++, you could try Visual Basic, or java though it feels similar to C to me.

A multiplayer rpg on any scale is going to require a lot of work, in a lot of skill areas. Once you pick an engine, list out the skills required (networking, 3D graphics, file loading/saving, etc), and write a couple programs that do something with each and figure out how to do it well with that engine. If the engine supports it at all. This way, you have a better idea if you're using a viable engine for your project, and you have a head start on figuring out the subsets of you project before you jump in feet first and get swallowed.

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It would be much more polite to ask the OP to further explain what his target gamesize is, rather than just assume this is another MMO and jump all over him.

It was wrong to assume that I was jumping on him. I'm actually doing research as to what other independent developers are using as i'm preparing for a project similar to Planeshift.

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Original post by paradoxnj It was wrong to assume that I was jumping on him. I'm actually doing research as to what other independent developers are using as i'm preparing for a project similar to Planeshift.

I apologize, I read a tone into the line of questioning that wasn't there. Think I've just become accustomed to seeing "OMG another MMO J00 Gonna FAIL!" threads and fell into the assumption this was going the same way :)

Good luck with your project. If you haven't seen it, the "The Teams That Can" thread in Help Wanted has several projects listed that are similar in scale to Planeshift, and the folks working on them might be able to give you some info on how they're going about it to add to your research.

Blitz is great, but the basic networking isn't that great. You might find some contribution to help in that aspect. Chances are that you can do what you want to do in Blitz, but you'll be pushing the engine to the limits and you might run in to problems. I'd check on the blitzbasic and blitzcoder forums to see if anyone's done something like that already.

I'd also recommend Torque. Several people are working on MMORPGs using Torque. It's very scriptable (keeping C++ to a minimum) and the networking architecture is second to none. Having been playing with Torque recently, I can say that it's well up to the task. Check out Ken Finney's book, 3D Game Programming All In One.

Java and C++ have a very similar syntax. If you can find a good tutorial or book, it should not be too hard a transition.

A MMORPG is a huge game to build, especially in full 3D. It will take a great amount of skill and time for a person to so it alone (sometimes years, depending on your dedication and skill). If you have never written a game before, I would suggest starting smaller. Make a few simpe 2D games before reaching into 3D.

I am not saying that you cannot achieve your goals, in fact I am encouraging you fully. I am just saying you will need to practice a long time before you will be able to write a full game (I still haven't done it after 6 years of programming).