okay, heres my situation, i know c++ and have read the book tricks of the game programming gurus and quite a few articles off of this site regarding isometric games. here is my question: i want to make an isometric rpg with turn-based combat (doesnt everyone?) and my friends and i are ready to get started, but i was wondering if i should make game engines (to make the maps, dialog boxes, npcs, etc.) or if i should go ahead and program that sort of stuff directly into the game (i really a not clear on what an engine is exactly or what its use is.) if i should make ''engines'' (whatever they end up being) what would be the best way to implement them, and are there any tips/info you could give? are there any online resources (here or elsewhere) that would help me? please help point me where to get started on an isometric rpg using dice rolls for the combat/skill resolution! (i already have dx and win programming know-how using c++) PLEASE HELP! MY FRIENDS AND I ARE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS AND HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO SPARE! (THOUGH NOT A LOT OF $$$)

What I''d do:

write the engine and for the dialogs make a kinda game.dll where you can change the dialogs....
It''d should work something like that ;o)

Writing an own Interpreting language just for the dialogs wouldn''t pay off i think...

just my opinion..
cya,
Phil




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and no!, there are NO kangaroos in Austria (I got this questions a few times over in the states

It''s is definitly a good idea to make an iso engine since you can test just the particular functions. You can also write a so called Harness to test the functions implemented. This makes the whole thing easier to maintain.

Concerning the dialogs, I would suggest to use a data-driven approach, that involves coming up with a scripting language, but it makes life much easier...and its more effective since its not hardcoded...

- Sleepwalker