Why not HL2 engine instead of creating your own?

SeraphaceSeraphace Join Date: 2011-04-26 Member: 95644Members
in NS2 General Discussion
I looked around the faq etc for some info but couldn't come up with any on this. Why did you guys create an engine from scratch? Wouldn't using HL2 engine just like you guys used HL1 engine make perfect sense? Licensing issues or it couldn't implement some of what you wanted it to?
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Comments

  • LoeyLoey Join Date: 2009-10-31 Member: 69187Members
    As far as i remember, they switched from hl2 to creating their own because hl2 was limiting some of the features they wanted to put in
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  • MkilbrideMkilbride Join Date: 2010-01-07 Member: 69952Members
    They have a license to Source. They were already abit into the development of the Source version when they decided to make their own Engine. This is where the community is divided, over if that was a good choice or not, despite the fact that their own engine will allow them to alot of things much better, or they should have stuck with Source and finished off NS2.
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  • LazerLazer Join Date: 2003-03-11 Member: 14406Members, Contributor, Constellation, NS2 Playtester
    <!--quoteo(post=1843130:date=Apr 29 2011, 03:57 AM:name=Mkilbride)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mkilbride @ Apr 29 2011, 03:57 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1843130"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->This is where the community is divided<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    No not really. Source engine is old and can't do stuff like the fully dynamic lighting of Spark. Also the flexibility of LUA is a huge bonus to those working on the game play or even the community helping with bug fixes. Considering how far the game has come and its potential to be licensed for development of totally new games makes the decision look fairly trivial and hardly a dividing factor among the community.
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  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    <!--quoteo(post=1843120:date=Apr 29 2011, 07:47 AM:name=Seraphace)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Seraphace @ Apr 29 2011, 07:47 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1843120"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I looked around the faq etc for some info but couldn't come up with any on this. Why did you guys create an engine from scratch? Wouldn't using HL2 engine just like you guys used HL1 engine make perfect sense? Licensing issues or it couldn't implement some of what you wanted it to?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Their main reason was that working with your own code vs working with someone else's code is a plus and since Spark is a real time engine, meaning you do not need compiling at all. They can develop art/maps/sounds/code pretty much on the fly.

    Source's workflow is atrocious, especially for a small dev team like UWE. Why do you think only a few indie mods have been released for the bugger, while Valve insisted it would be easy to mod for Source :)
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  • Squeal_Like_A_PigSqueal_Like_A_Pig Janitor Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 66Members, Super Administrators, NS1 Playtester, NS2 Developer, Reinforced - Supporter, WC 2013 - Silver, Subnautica Developer
    edited April 2011
    <!--quoteo(post=1843130:date=Apr 29 2011, 09:57 AM:name=Mkilbride)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mkilbride @ Apr 29 2011, 09:57 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1843130"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->They have a license to Source. They were already abit into the development of the Source version when they decided to make their own Engine.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    We do not have a license to Source. It would have cost us a good chunk of money to get the license, and at the time that amount of money would have been difficult to come up with. But, that was only a part of the reason. Much of the decision was based on how time consuming it was to work with the Source engine and get it to do the kinds of things we wanted and needed to do with NS2.

    I'm not going to go into a lot of detail, as other people are already listing some of the reasons, for me. But, while it may have taken us longer to make the game, going forward it really is much better having our own engine. It gives us much more flexibility, and from a business standpoint it makes a lot more sense for a whole variety of reasons.

    --Cory
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  • digzdigz be still, maggot Join Date: 2002-05-07 Member: 588Members, NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation
    Your search skills need improving young grasshopper.
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