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Block engiine -> Make your own minecraft. Would you buy?

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by goldbug, Feb 15, 2012.

?

Would you buy this?

  1. No. Free alternatives are good enough

    36.6%
  2. Interesting, I would be willing to pay $100

    50.9%
  3. Nice. I would be willing to pay $300

    3.6%
  4. OMG, this is awesome. I would pay $500 or more

    7.1%
  5. Other, leave comment

    1.8%
  1. ArenMook

    ArenMook

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    "I ready to pay" <-- Lol same guy keeps replying under different accounts.
     
  2. Zhosay

    Zhosay

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    Yeah watch aT Post count it tells all.
     
  3. HeadHunter

    HeadHunter

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    Strange guy)
     
  4. BlockyBuild1400

    BlockyBuild1400

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    Feb 20, 2012
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    Hi, I have an Idea for this, perhaps you can release a "Lite" version which allows you to generate indiviual worlds and change the block sizes of them, perhaps even add the ability to generate underwater caves, caves etc.

    I'd love to see a "Lite" version which is cheaper and useful as I need the option to generate multiple individual worlds and not just one infinite world.

    Also if you consider this can the world's not be infinite and give you the option to generate worlds of different sizes?
    Perhaps smal, medium, large and gigantic or something similar?

    Oh, and also many different options for the devs of the game would be nice, so it would be easy for them to modify how your terrain works.

    Thanks for reading.
     
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2012
  5. goldbug

    goldbug

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    The "Lite" version will contain this for sure: You will be able to pass a ChunkGenerator object to the world. A default will be provided, but you can implement your own. The ChunkGenerator will be responsible for creating chunks when the world asks.
    What you would do, is use the noise functions (I will provide noise functions with derivative), and combine them in any way you want to create the chunks.

    For the most simple implementation of ChunkGenerator you will override a function that receives a coordinate (x,y,z) and return a Block. But I will leave it open for you to load whole chunks from files or database for example, so you don't have to do one block at a time.

    Caves, overhangs, floating islands, resource veins, trees, water, can all be done procedurally with this API (I do so now).
    There will be an API for registering your on kinds of blocks as well.

    If you want multiple worlds, you would just instantiate several worlds and provide different ChunkGenerators

    I am not sure what you mean by block size. Making some blocks bigger than others? Making all the blocks bigger or smaller?.

    I am still deciding what exactly to do over world sizes. Clearly most people want fixed height worlds, perhaps I will provide several implementations of World. I could provide an up to 2048x128x2048 (1.6 mi^2, 1023 acres) world in lite, and an infinite one in Pro.
     
  6. portgalaxy

    portgalaxy

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    Nice Job with this. Not sure quite how it could be implemented into my game but having this system I'm sure would open up a lot of possibilities for either full games or mini-games based on what people are working on. I'd probably find this most useful to create some type of mini-game - though they'd need to build things as well not just break blocks - and I'm not sure if you have that in the demo or not. Regardless, great job I am bookmarking this. I'd likely pay around $100 for this - though I can
     
  7. goldbug

    goldbug

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    Yes I do. Press "alt" to put a rock. I simply have not bothered placing other blocks yet, though there is nothing preventing it.
     
  8. portgalaxy

    portgalaxy

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    Great, did you have a time-frame in mind for when you might sell this on the unity store?
     
  9. goldbug

    goldbug

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    I will try to put it up in 1 or 2 weeks.
     
  10. BlockyBuild1400

    BlockyBuild1400

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    Wow cool and thanks for replying, what I mean by block size is changing all the blocks to different sizes, atm I would like blocks smaller than minecraft so they can be densly packed and add more detail to the terrain.
     
  11. HeadHunter

    HeadHunter

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    You mean somthing like in BlockWorld on Android? There you can dig and build blocks with different time at the same world.
     
  12. BlockyBuild1400

    BlockyBuild1400

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    Not sure what you mean by "build blocks with different time at the same world"
    But I took a look at BlockWorld, seems that Minecraft inspired many, must feel great to be an inspirer like Notch and the devs of Infinminer.
     
  13. goldbug

    goldbug

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    The chunks are compiled into meshes which you can add to your game objects. You have full control over the game objects, you can apply any transformation you want including scaling. If you do that, you have to make sure that when you supply player coordinates to the world, they are scaled back to 1 block per unit. The world itself works ONLY in integer coordinates for speed and accuracy.

    Another way to do it, is to make your player bigger :).

    The current sizes are very natural to work with: 1 block per world unit, player is 1.8 blocks tall. The analogy is that 1 block is 1 meter, and 1.8 is a tall person. If you make the blocks to small compared to the player, then it takes longer for a player to dig tunnels because he would have to break more than 2 blocks to go through.
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2012
  14. BlockyBuild1400

    BlockyBuild1400

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    Ah I see, thanks for the info, got any idea when this terrain engine could be finnished and the pricing?
     
  15. goldbug

    goldbug

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    This will be available in 1 or 2 weeks. There will be 2 versions with the following features:

    Lite:
    • Binary libraries
    • finite world of 2048x128x2048 (this is quite big)
    • You can change the world generation algorithm as described earlier
    • API will be provided for custom blocks, up to 254
    • 1 byte for block data, for storing things like heat, humidity, facebook likes :) etc...
    • You will get the shader with specular and normal mapping you see in the video
    • API for you to plug in your persistence method, such as files or database
    • View distance adjustment
    • Built in flashlight
    • Colored lights
    • Animated water (I am very proud of my water)
    • Cool animated block selector you see on the demo
    • The "deal with the devil" speed you see in the demo

    Pro:
    • Everything in lite plus:
    • Full source code
    • Mobile support
    • Infinite world in all directions
    • Mobile touch controller for editing world
    • More adjustable speed/performance: faster shaders for older hardware (particularly useful for mobile)
    • My gratitude

    Pricing has not been determined yet.
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2012
  16. Zhosay

    Zhosay

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    What is about Saving and loading a World? As i guess that is the Main Key in Building Games.
     
  17. HeadHunter

    HeadHunter

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    I agree. Saving to xml or other format is important future.
     
  18. BlockyBuild1400

    BlockyBuild1400

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    Cool thanks, Can't wait this is gonna be amazing!!
     
  19. goldbug

    goldbug

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    Last edited: Feb 29, 2012
  20. IndieDude360

    IndieDude360

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  21. yumyum

    yumyum

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    On your website it says blockster is a multiplayer game.
    Is there any multiplayer feature in your block engine ?

    Will you continue to work on blockster ?
     
  22. Inovora

    Inovora

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    Any news?
    When will you release it?
     
  23. Inovora

    Inovora

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  24. Rod-Galvao

    Rod-Galvao

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    I don't think so.
    I was the first that talked to him about selling his engine. After this pool he seemed excited about the idea.
    But the last message he said his plans changed, that there wasn't money enough selling it etc. So I don't think he will sell it anymore. I tried to contact him, but he doesn't answer.
    He is, indeed, developing a new game with Headhunter. So I guess one more reason he won't sell his engine.

    So, does anyone know a minecraft-like-world engine for sale? I know there are at least 7 engines on unity's forum. One, the open source, is incomplete. But none of them is for sale?
     
  25. a1s2d3f4

    a1s2d3f4

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    You know the game Ace Of Spades? It seems like you could easily make a game like that using this :)
     
  26. Deleted User

    Deleted User

    Guest

    That's the problem with those 7 engines. There are a lot of people wanting to be the next Notch and get rich creating the next minecraft. So they hold their engines with fear of competition. That's just ridiculous, there is competition already. The flood has already started. There are dozens of engines out there also. There are even good open source ones that makes you want to leave unity to use them. AceOfSpades has now an amazing competitor called Brickforce. The difference, as minecraft proved, is the gameplay. Gameplay is everything! You don't need the best graphics or the best engine, you need the best gameplay ideas. People could use the same engine with completely different gameplays. There is a lot more in a game than its basic engine. So people could sell an engine and still make a game. These are two separate things...
     
  27. OmniverseProduct

    OmniverseProduct

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    I agree with most of this. Graphics I'm mixed about agreeing with you on and here's why. It's not all about gameplay. Don't get me wrong, gameplay is most of it, but not everything. You have to have good looking polished graphics or it's not going to be worth a damn. Potential players will judge the game based off graphics. If you disagree, well, you have every right to. If you do disagree at least try lookign at it from a non-developer's perspective first.
     
  28. lilymontoute

    lilymontoute

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    You'll need to cut down on mobile memory pretty significantly, especially for older devices, with about 90ish MB available before you're in danger of crashing.
     
  29. Deleted User

    Deleted User

    Guest

    Yeah I see your point and agree with you. Graphics are still important indeed. But they are not essential. A lot of people could live without a AAA graphics, but they couldn't live without a great gameplay. That's why gameplay is so important. And that's why I can't understand why people are locking their blocks engines as that alone would make them rich. There is a lot more than an engine, graphics included, that makes a successful game. Look at Brickforce: http://www.brick-force.com/en/game/media/screenshots, the quality of the block games is rising rapidly.

    As I said, people could sell an engine and still make a game. These are two separate cash flows...
     
  30. yumyum

    yumyum

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    Which ones ?
     
  31. Zhosay

    Zhosay

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    I know a xna one just google it.
     
  32. goldbug

    goldbug

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    I am sorry to disappoint you guys, but I have decided not to sell it in the asset store. The money is just not there. I would have spent all these months writing something decent, and I don't think I can get more than a few thousand dollars by selling the engine.

    Instead, I engaged in a partnership with HeadHunter to produce a mobile game. Progress is furious, and we are excited about the possibility of releasing something within a month. Here is what it looked like in a phone a few days ago (skip to 4:40 for the good stuff). It has received massive improvements since then, including dramatic speed improvements, menus, options, and many new blocks.

    My original idea Blocksters, which was going to be an MMO, is for all practical purposes dead. I may resuscitate it one day, but ATM, a mobile game seems much more attainable/profitable.

    I believe the engine you refer to for XNA is techcraft. Seems pretty feature complete.
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2012
  33. Retronamic

    Retronamic

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    Absolutely true!
     
  34. Zhosay

    Zhosay

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  35. Inovora

    Inovora

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    Oct 29, 2009
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    Hey PaulP,

    I bet all of us wouldn't mind a poorly documented engine if it works and is available!
    You already have the engine almost ready for release. You said one week to put it on asset store.
    I also bet Immersiva is right. You are dreaming being the next Notch and so you are afraid of competition.
    Come on man, release it and make some bucks for yourself. We are not going to steal your game ideas!
    Everyone here have their own ideas for gameplay. There are billions of way of creating a shooter, for instance. Every single month there is a different shotter on the market.
     
  36. fgfgfg

    fgfgfg

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    I would like to pay $500 for this:))) Who can take more?:p
     
  37. Mcg

    Mcg

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  38. raistlinthewiz

    raistlinthewiz

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  39. diablo

    diablo

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    lol... this is the most hilarious method I've seen of someone promoting their asset.
     
  40. Inovora

    Inovora

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  41. goldbug

    goldbug

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    And what would I gain with that? I already decided not to sell the engine.
    Believe me, it is not me doing the astroturfing.

    @Inovora

    I am really sorry to get people's hopes up. But from my POV, If I sold the asset, I would make maybe with some luck $10K total. We are 2 or 3 weeks away from releasing the game on google play, and we think we can get a lot more than that, and have huge room to grow.
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2012
  42. Inovora

    Inovora

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    @PaulP

    Thanks for your reply, but I was talking about Diablo's asset Skinz.
    BTW, I think after publishing your game you could do both.
     
  43. Mark981

    Mark981

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    Sep 20, 2012
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    Please man for one week give us full project,MAN PLEASE,CAUSE HALF OF PEOPLE DONT HAVE MONEY TO BUY THIS AWESOME PROJECT,please man just for one week,PLEASE!
     
  44. Ocid

    Ocid

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    Feb 9, 2011
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    If you don't have the money to buy the project (which isn't for sale) don't beg. Download Minepackage and learn from that or go https://sites.google.com/site/letsmakeavoxelengine/ and follow along.
     
  45. goldbug

    goldbug

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    Just let this thread die in peace. This is not worth doing for me. My game has been selling fairly well for months and the time it would take for me to support this package would be much better spent enhancing the game and deploying to new markets.

    As Ocid suggested, get the Minepackage for free, or if you are not married to unity, try TechCraft. Sure they might be missing a few things, but there is just not that much that you can get for free.