finally a possible alternative...

[harrio]

hello seth,

i ran across this engine while doing some info searching on the new torque game builder update for mac. novashell seems pretty impressive, like a 'coldstone' on roids', only this engine is actually being actively developed. i would like to know how you rate or compare it to tgb, as far as features (present and projected), ease of use/learning curve, and flexibility in game genre creation.

i'm asking because i've seen tons of 2d engines that just don't seem near powerful enough or accessible enough at the same time to make games. i believed tgb to be the end all of 2d game development, but having seen what you've begun here. i think you have the makings of a strong competitor in this field. especially since you actually live up to the term "cross-platform" by keeping parity with all three builds. that in itself is commendable and could warrant you many crossover developers from torque. if the word got out...

i look forward to reading what you have to say...

[Seth]

Hi,

I'm very familiar with Torque but I've never used TGB so I'm not really sure, but here are some general comparisons that are probably right.

Handles 3D models: TGB-Yes NS-No
Has particle system: TGB-Yes NS-No
Is stable and finished: TGB-Yes NS-No
Is free: TGB-No NS-Yes
C++ Source available: TGB-Yes NS-Not yet but planned

TGB uses Torquescript, NS uses Lua (with some improvements)

The things that might make Novashell a good choice for AI heavy things like RPG's aren't really obvious at first.

For instance, you can say "Go talk to Jeff" and a character will walk out of house, to another town, through a warp, and go into the house and find a smart place to stand to look at Jeff)

It can have many maps loaded at the same time and even have processes going in them at the same time. (enemy AI could be running around setting up an ambush outside the house you're in, even though it's a different map)

It's optimized to handle ultra-large areas and maps, there are basically no limits. It also is able to keep track of all changes and save out only the pieces that have changed automatically.

So really I'd suggest playing the example games of both and seeing which matches the game you're trying to make more.

[whisperstorm]

I went so far as to buy TGB to begin working on a casual game. I thought perhaps I'd have alot of work to do if I wanted to create an RPG but it appears that novashell has many attractive features over TGB with regards to RPG's. Slap on a particle system and a few months bugfixing and I think Novashell's going to be very popular.

[bools]

I'm a long time TGB user but I always check out other engines and tools. I've been considering making an RPG with TGB, but, I think it would be a lot of work compared to using something like RPG Maker. This engine and the tools are also looking really good. If I were going to make an RPG I might use this instead of RPG Maker, because I'm a big fan of Lua and (Ruby?) not so much.