What is Runtime?

[Funcdoobiest]

Hi,

Me and some University colleagues have to write a demo game (this will only be shown to tutors and won't be going past the demo stage so I figured it's okay to use runtime) and a couple of people had recommended the Unreal engine (the free version obviously!). I have a couple of questions:

1. What do you get with Runtime? Someone told me it does only rudimentary collision and physics. I assume it is a trimmed down version of Unreal Engine2 but in what ways?

2. Do you have to write everything written in Unreal script? (Doesn't this make it rather inflexible)

3. And as a combination of the above how adaptable is it to other genres (considering the source code is not available and it use Unreal script)? As we are making a 3rd person adventure game.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

 

[[SAS]Solid Snake]

1) Runtime is basically Unreal engine stripped of any game resources so to speak. It is almost essentially the same engine that licencees will receive except that you won't receive full native accessibility (only very limited access). Because there is no present game code, any thing you wish to make must be coded directly from yourself, so things such as advanced map script behaviour will have to be coded by you. It is only trimmed down in that there is no existing game code (such as UT2004) which may assist you in that you don't have to write particular bits of code (such as advanced AI bot behaviour code).

2) Yes. But make no mistake, Unrealscript is very flexiable in that it allows you to do almost anything you want when it concerns gameplay. Visual effects that involve writing new rendering paths are obviously not possible in Unrealscript but these are not considered gameplay elements.

3) The unreal engine can be used as anything. Think of unreal engine as just a 3D program. It can be used from FPS simulations to RTS simulations. Besides, a third person is just an abstraction from FPS.

Having said all of that, I strongly do not recommend using UE2Runtime if you and your teams mates have had little experience with Unrealscript. Without any base game code to learn from, it ,may be difficult to learn.

 

[kaiwae]

How I know the source I get is free or licenced??

Because you said it is almost the same

 

[[SAS]Solid Snake]

There are 3 basic levels of code in Unreal.

1) Engine code
2) Native code
3) Unrealscript code

Licencees get all 3, but publically only Unrealscript is readily avaliable. Native code may be avaliable ... but I wouldn't count on it. Engine code is never avaliable to non-licencees.