which engine

[Lostscience]

This is what it says on the unity websight.
All the top-tier features from previous releases that are loved by the pros, and deployment to all platforms.

[kastoria]

@Jackii

Kastoria,
The current openGL version handles all the shaders you need, it’s a matter of a GLSL capable user base, which is really rare here exceptionally. The only shortage from the engine side might be that it needs more/better ways to pass data arrays/tables to a GLSL shader, which would make the rendering pipeline more flexible.

Perhaps it does though extensions. But those extensions are not used in the BGE render pipeline. For example there is no way to take advantage of Geometry and Compute shaders in current BGE implementation.

The point is, that if the guy has effects planned that required deferred rendering, volumetric shadows, or Geometry/Compute shaders then BGE is not the right engine.

As everyone has pointed out, lots and lots can be done with the BGE current technology but baking Cycles textures cannot replace all those technologies. It is unlikely that many indie games will really bump against this limit but it is pointless to pretend that they don’t exist.

I’m well aware of the limits and what BGE is capable of and I’m perfectly happy to continue working with it because it meets my needs. But if I even design a game where a main mechanic involves hiding in volumetric shadows, then I’ll have to use something other than the current BGE.

[theoldguy]

This is what it says on the unity websight.
All the top-tier features from previous releases that are loved by the pros, and deployment to all platforms.

Are you saying it’s possible to do a Unity version of libload with Unity free? If so. Please show me how to load a scene or mesh directly from an FBX or unitypakage. I can change scenes (levels) as long as they are in the same “game”. But after about 5 scenes (levels) my PC framerate drops. That’s OK for a small game, But not a large say 30 level game. That’s where Blender has Unity beat with libload. IMHO.

[Jackii]

@kastoria

Perhaps it does though extensions. But those extensions are not used in the BGE render pipeline. For example there is no way to take advantage of Geometry and Compute shaders in current BGE implementation.

The point is, that if the guy has effects planned that required deferred rendering, volumetric shadows, or Geometry/Compute shaders then BGE is not the right engine.

As everyone has pointed out, lots and lots can be done with the BGE current technology but baking Cycles textures cannot replace all those technologies. It is unlikely that many indie games will really bump against this limit but it is pointless to pretend that they don’t exist.

I’m well aware of the limits and what BGE is capable of and I’m perfectly happy to continue working with it because it meets my needs. But if I even design a game where a main mechanic involves hiding in volumetric shadows, then I’ll have to use something other than the current BGE.

Volumetrics have no “real” implementation in all of the game engines, most of them are just geometry shaders that create good-old billboards, or get more fancy by softening particle intersections.

[kastoria]

@Jackii

Volumetrics have no “real” implementation in all of the game engines, most of them are just geometry shaders that create good-old billboards, or get more fancy by softening particle intersections.

Most of the commercial engines use deferred rendering to implement shading and lighting techniques that BGE’s forward rendering simply cannot handle. idTech4 (aka “The Doom Engine”) uses an early version of deferred rendering to provide all the fancy real-time, self shadowing effects and those are volumetric shadows.

Once again, this is not to say that you cannot produce excellent results (the “Krum” project comes to mind amongst others) with the BGE pipeline. But if the project is “I want to make Doom but better!” then no amount of baking and custom GLSL shaders will get you there.

[Molino]

OK! I just stumbled onto this engine last night and I’m shitting my pants.

OpenSpace3D - Open Source Platform For 3D Environments

It’s free! I’m going through the tutorials and I’m really digging it. Especially their “Plugit” feature witch is essentially a nodal logic system. It seems really easy to learn and use. I’ve just started some of their tutorials… so far so good.

Here’s a link to the tutorials:

Openspace3D

NOTE: All the tutorials seem to be in French with English subtitles.

Anyway it seems like a good free easy to use alternative to the BGE, if that’s what you’re looking for.
Keep me posted if you give it a try.
M

[Monster]

@kastoria

But if the project is “I want to make Doom but better!” then no amount of baking and custom GLSL shaders will get you there.

If someone is dreaming of making a better version of Doom as a single person … he is “doomed” already ;).