The Engine

[nebster]

The en source code is quite easy to understand. I don't fully understand all of it, but when i don't, i just ask IKSLM and he explains it to me.

The engine is well suited to this game and I think the whole engine is done basically. All that needs doing is the code to go on top of the engine.

Correct me if I'm wrong because last time I looked at the source was at least a couple of months ago

[Blutonium]

The en source code is quite easy to understand. I don't fully understand all of it, but when i don't, i just ask IKSLM and he explains it to me.

The engine is well suited to this game and I think the whole engine is done basically. All that needs doing is the code to go on top of the engine.

Correct me if I'm wrong because last time I looked at the source was at least a couple of months ago

awesome. so what's the plan now, what's the next step?

[Dre@m]

To design the game still. We're clearly far from ready to actually go into development.

There needs to be a major meeting to discuss ideas and decide on what is in and what is out.

[Trass3r]

So the engine is used for WftO, is anyone still working on NBK itself (we all know IKSLM doesn't have much time)?

[dotted]

Hmm never actually realized this was posted in the NBKE forum. Anyways as of revision 9 the WFTO fork can now be build, but as there have been no WFTO changes yet it is essentially NBKE.

[natchoguy]

A developer told me that DK3 will use the same engine as DK1

[Dre@m]

A developer told me that DK3 will use the same engine as DK1

You mean of WFTO on this forum, he probably means the NBK (DK1 remake) which is using the NBKE. WFTO will be using NBKE too.

[FrostHand]

Me and my friend are working on NBKE engine since april, but time shortage slows the process. Still there are serious changes.
We've began total engine refactoring. We connected some external libs instead of IKSLM handmade existing:
- Ogre3D rendering. (www.ogre3d.org).
- PhysX dynamics
Both of them are free to use in any projects (commercial or not).
In fact this is the great work, and we implemented just few features u've seen in NBKE.

What's implemented now:
- Block level rendering. In NBKE all block mesh is generated manually, in code. This were fast, but too complex, and impossible to implement dungeons environments like in DK2, or in Neverwinter Nights. The new approach - to create models for each block type, just like this:

in extern editor, like 3dsmax, so anyone (not only a coder) can customise dungeon appearance.
- Some game objecs, like items and imps, can be created through scripts. Imp can be controlled through script commands (via console) or directly from keyboard.
- Any object in game world have physical properties, like mass and shape. Dynamics engine solves all collisions.
- More deep interaction with LUA scripting system. Now practically all engine objects can be accesed through scripts.

Most important things to be implemented:
- GUI. There is no gui still.
- Block models. I've done only basic walls\dirt blocks, and we need someone to draw last types. It's quite easy but boring process. Maybe someone makes utility based on NBKE code, that generates and saves block models in OGRE .mesh format.
- Rooms. I haven't done any models for room blocks, and so there are no code that use it.
- Creature AI. Now imp can execute only simple tasks like to reach specific point or to pick some item.

Now all the project is stored on our private SVN server. I visit this forum seldom, so it's easier to find me in skype: frosthand.

[Trass3r]

The new approach - to create models for each block type

Well ok, but are these blocks randomly deformed by the engine just like DK2 does?
The dungeon will look very boring and monotonous if not.

[FrostHand]

Deformations can be implemented using vertex shaders.
In fact i don't like deformations, and also there are other ways to make dungeon look different:
- we could draw more wall models.
- we could draw animated wall models (skeleton\vertex animation)