Superpig is right, it's not worth risking legal troubles for freeware. I suggest you just change the names slightly, (Halo!=Hálo) and redraw any textures or models from the original.

As for getting started, I wouldn't use DevC++ help for info. get SAMS Teach yourself C++ in 24 hours, it's v good! also, use NeHe's OpenGL tutorials on gamedev (if that's what you're using) as they have ready made devc++ projects.

This book is pretty good for professtional game design too:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735713634/026-2167268-8972411?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Also, start with a prototype (pacman or something) because you you need to mature your design/coding style before tackling a large project.

Test Realm: Its a bsp of blood gulch that I got and we're gonna use it for strictly testing (it wont be in the final vesion). That means that it will be a place where we will test physics, ai, weapons, vehicles and much more. Just a testing thing like the matrix of doom level that bungie used for testing.


Well, if you looked at the Bungie site recently, you would have seen some people who made a CE project of Halo 2 and they also did modding and extracted the stuff using modding... but that different I guess. Anyway, I got a book on C++ and Game Design (although it uses a weird game engine) and I'm almost set to go. As for if Bungie doesn't let us release the game, then it wont be a waste of time. We will have learn a great amount from this project and perhaps can begin to develope other games.

But I'm not gonna contact Bungie until we have something solid to show that we really are doing this (think Halo 2 E3 demo).

I'm still going over several design ideas... but I planned out several of the campain levels on sratch paper. Perhaps an explanation as to how Sarge survived Halo will be one of the levels... or how he got pass the flood.

I made a clean 9 pages of weapons, vehicles, and a few multiplayer levels.

I am well aware that this might take a few years to acomplish, but hey, who hasn't risked everything for a goal?

So anyway, back to technicality. I'm using Dev C++ and I'm trying out a few game engines. The major issue we have now is getting everything mounted. Once we get one level with a character that can walk around and the camera stays behind him... we will be set to continue. Just the test realm that has the player controlling the cyborg with the camera in position.

Thats all we are doing now. It might not seem like much but once that is acomplished we can do anything and everything.

So heres our current agenda:

1)Find good graphics engine with out file formats supported.
2) start working on the test realm.
3) model demo level.
3) program demo level.
4) test demo level.
5) email Bungie and show demo level to them.


If you have info on helping us (low cost modeling programs, engines, etc) please PM me with info on what it does.

OH yeah! I almost forgot this. I'm having a hard time desiding this (you have no idea), so I'd like some input.

Please say which you'd prefer over the other and why:

The game to be in first person view (including the HUD).

The game to be in third person view (including the HUD).

Please pick one, not both, and say why.

Third Person

3rd-person gaming just seems more conducive to RPG-style play. Being able to see your character helps you get a good idea of how he looks to other players (just seeing your feet doesn't really cut it) and thus body language can be brought into the equation, however crudely.

First-person is better for twitch, but since your focus will be on character skill levels, I think it would be frustrating (I'm thinking Deus Ex and Morrowind) to issue a command that in any respectable FPS would have killed an enemy and discover that my character somehow missed the shot.

Well, good point. But just realize that the game isn't STRICTLY RPG style. I'm still counseling with my team (counseling = meeting by the tree at lunch period) about the possibilities. The basic idea is to have the story playable through any point of view.

For example, you could play through the entire story of Halo 1 as a grunt, jackal, elite, or marine (good luck getting off alive). But if you get consumed by a flood, we we're discussing the possibility of having the player choose if they want to restart from a checkpoint, or resume playing as a flood, so the entire story is changed.

I'm still finalizing the ideas on paper so we can get a good understanding before we start.

So it will still be a shooter game, but very flexible and free.

Any votes? Come on, I'm realy having a tough time deciding this. Just PM me if you dont wanna post.