So...who wants to write Unreal Engine 4 games?

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DarkED

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Arnox

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Perhaps I'm wrong but weren't past UE licenses free except for Epic getting a 25% cut off the top for profits of over $250,000? On the flipside though, they are offering a "Custom Licensing" model for anyone who doesn't like the sub fee + %5.

Also, what I'm sure UE4 will have over Snowdrop is that it's mostly open source which obviously allows it to grow way past its (substantial) initial features.
 
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DarkED

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Another humorous thing is that Epic is adopting 'Unity's built-in asset store' idea (Marketplace) for their own SDK :D

Perhaps I'm wrong but weren't past UE licenses free except for Epic getting a 25% cut off the top for profits of over $250,000?

No, that was the UDK license (which is certainly NOT a full Unreal Engine 3 license) and the terms were different.

For UDK, Epic took a $99 fee per commercial release. Once you reached $50,000 in sales, Epic then began taking 25% of revenue, not profit. The percentage was deducted after Steam/Apple/Google Play/etc. took their store percentage, if applicable. The percentage was also retroactive, meaning once you hit $50,000 in sales you were immediately obligated to forward Epic $12,500 if there were no store fees.

The full Unreal Engine 3 license was a recommended upgrade for UDK games that surpassed $250,000 in sales within a post-release timeframe, but that license was bound under entirely different terms. Simply put, it cost about a million dollars to get a full UE3 license in the end, and if you didn't find a way to pay for it you weren't going to last long.

it's mostly open source

Again, no. Unreal Engine 4 is a proprietary closed-source product where subscribers get access to the source code. Unreal Engine licensees have always had direct access to the source; the new subscription model simply gives the general public the same access for a recurring fee.

If Unreal Engine was open-source everyone would have free access to it, and you would legally be able to modify the engine and distribute your own version.
 
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Arnox

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OK, so how about a few mappers/programmers/etc with $ get together and make UT4 then.;)
For the same reason that a few mappers/programmers/etc don't get together all the time and make games in general.

Because it requires time, commitment, and most importantly, sacrifice for, what could very well be, very little payoff. That is, if you can even keep the team and project together long enough for an actual full release.

I think the biggest newbie mistake that I keep seeing when it comes to aspiring game or mod developers is thinking that it will be easy. The second biggest mistake being the opposite, that all that work and time wouldn't ever be worth it even if you have the passion for it.
 

DarkED

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The second biggest mistake being the opposite, that all that work and time wouldn't ever be worth it even if you have the passion for it.

But that's just the thing - in most cases, the time and work turns out to not be worth it. These days you really don't have a chance unless you're pushing an entirely new concept that just happens to end up being popular (or you have millions of dollars to spend on marketing.) It's more luck than anything else.
 

Arnox

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Again, no. Unreal Engine 4 is a proprietary closed-source product where subscribers get access to the source code. Unreal Engine licensees have always had direct access to the source; the new subscription model simply gives the general public the same access for a recurring fee.

If Unreal Engine was open-source everyone would have free access to it, and you would legally be able to modify the engine and distribute your own version.
That's why I said mostly but I see what you're saying. The point is, the engine's always improving and adapting.

But that's just the thing - in most cases, the time and work turns out to not be worth it. These days you really don't have a chance unless you're pushing an entirely new concept that just happens to end up being popular (or you have millions of dollars to spend on marketing.) It's more luck than anything else.
Eh, I disagree to an extent. I'm a big believer in the "If you build it, they will come." philosophy when it comes to games. I've yet to see a good indie game that hasn't gained at least SOME recognition.
 

DeathBooger

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I don't get it. Why do they expect me to pay for a beta? It doesn't even do what they said it was going to do originally. The lighting still sucks in it. Fuck lightmaps.

http://unity3d.com/5

Epic is trying to change to the indie team and Unity already kicked Epic's ass years ago with out them even knowing it.
 

Arnox

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I don't get it. Why do they expect me to pay for a beta? It doesn't even do what they said it was going to do originally. The lighting still sucks in it. Fuck lightmaps.

http://unity3d.com/5

Epic is trying to change to the indie team and Unity already kicked Epic's ass years ago with out them even knowing it.
He says with the UDK logo as his avatar. :lol:

And I didn't see anything at all about lightmaps but I could be wrong.

EDIT: Yeah, watched the features vid again and I didn't see a single mention of lightmaps ANYWHERE. Quite the opposite actually.

EDIT 2: Did a google search on "unreal engine 4 lightmaps". Didn't find anything there either. I think you're on crack.
 
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Wormbo

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Wrong subforum (Did you mean "Games"?), but whatever. Thing is, UE4 is even less about writing than UE3. Sure, you can start messing in C++ now, but this "Blueprint" thingy seems to be quite powerful on its own. Also the current engines are all about content, not about code.
 

Benfica

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If Unreal Engine was open-source everyone would have free access to it, and you would legally be able to modify the engine and distribute your own version.
This is a side point, but open source does not mean GPL. When an author distributes the source he has the right to pick a different license model and choose what others can or cannot do, with some limits.
 

DarkED

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This is a side point, but open source does not mean GPL. When an author distributes the source he has the right to pick a different license model and choose what others can or cannot do, with some limits.

Actually, it pretty much does. The GPL is the most popular open source license, but open source is open source.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source

In production and development, open source as a development model promotes a) universal access via free license to a product's design or blueprint, and b) universal redistribution of that design or blueprint, including subsequent improvements to it by anyone.

Open-source software is software whose source code is published and made available to the public, enabling anyone to copy, modify and redistribute the source code without paying royalties or fees.

These core concepts must be retained by any open source license. Any license that does not allow unrestricted access to source and unrestricted redistribution is not an open source license.
 
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ambershee

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Wrong subforum (Did you mean "Games"?), but whatever. Thing is, UE4 is even less about writing than UE3. Sure, you can start messing in C++ now, but this "Blueprint" thingy seems to be quite powerful on its own. Also the current engines are all about content, not about code.

This. I've historically been a programmer, but find I write very little code in UE4. I predominantly script with Blueprint, and only use real code for the heavy lifting (or non-game, more technical aspects of a product).
 

Benfica

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Ok, I get what you mean. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software

In short, what I'm trying to say is that the "open source" model advocated, indirectly coerces authors to give more rights away than sometimes they feel like.

What does one do if want to show the source code for peer-review, to provide rights for end-users and other advantages, yet get some protection from competitors from just copying and cloning without cost? What Unreal Engine 4 does, limited access to source. I give you that, you are right, it is not "open source". And it never will be.
 

nawrot

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OK, so how about a few mappers/programmers/etc with $ get together and make UT4 then.;)

My wet dream, but epic will never let us do that remake.
There is either copyright mess around it or they just were lying last time when they said they cannot due to some legal crap.