Interviews

J. C. Lotter, the father of the Acknex engine, kindly took the time to answer our questions.

Q: Could you name some of the big features that make the A6 engine better than A5?

A: Depends on the target system. A6 was developed for the new generation of 3D cards with T&L and shader support. On nVidia GeForce or ATI Radeon cards you'll notice that A6 runs faster than A5 and supports bigger terrains and more complex models. Everything looks better due to hardware-rendered lights and materials. For systems with old cards like TNT2, A5 is still a very good engine. On those systems the only advantages of A6 are new features like bones, physics, the script editor, the new path editor, or the non-programming template script system. All those features allow easier and faster development of more complex games.

Q: I have asked you the same question 2 years ago about A5 and your answer was 20,000. What is the maximum number of polygons / frame for A6 in order to keep a decent frame rate on a decent computer?

A: I think you can display around 100,000 .. 200,000 terrain and model polygons on a recent system.

Q: When will we get the new stencil buffer shadows? Can you give us an estimate?

A: Stencil buffer shadows - see screenshot - will be implemented in version 6.3.

Q: One of the new exciting features is the new C-Script compiler, which “will make scripting easier and faster for beginners, and offers more powerful features for experienced programmers”. Can you give us a few examples?

A: On a first glance the new C-Script code will not look much different. On a second glance you'll notice that you now have more language elements in your toolbox - for instance, you have for(..) loops, switch..case statements, and can define your own structs. C-Script restrictions - like having no var pointers, or having arrays for vars and strings only - will be overcome. Experienced programmers can call Windows API functions or DirectX functions directly in their C-Script code, without the need to write a DLL.

Together with the new compiler there will be a change in architecture. The new compiler will compress the script directly into an EXE file. It won't be compiled on the fly anymore. C-Script code will start a little faster, and run a little faster than before.

Q: How many dynamic lights will we get once the new light management system is implemented?

A: 128.

Q: Why is the new path editor better than the old one? Can you give us a practical example?

A: You can now create paths with branches, and trigger certain actions or events at waypoints. This can be used to create more intelligent behavior for enemies - they can hunt down the player through dungeons or mazes. Doug is working on a path finding template for this.

Q: What other major features are planned for the future?

A: The next major step will be an alternative scene management system, based on an octree algorithm. This system is slower than our current BSP tree system. But it won't require compiling a level. This will speed up the development process and allows easier creating 3D geometry with other editors. Games that have really huge indoor levels, or are targeted for old hardware, can still use the BSP system.

Q: Can you name a few serious competitors for Acknex? Which are 3DGS’ advantages over them?

A: There are two major competitors with a huge user base that is comparable Gamestudio. They are Dark Basic and Blitz Basic. Some 3D engines, like Torque and Cipher, have also established themselves as good and affordable systems for games development. The rest, although some interesting systems among them, have few users and play no major role in the market anymore.

I don't want to list GameStudio's advantages here - I recommend that everyone interested have a look at competitor systems and decide for himself. We have a feature list of all major competitors on our FAQ page.

Q: Can you name a few titles that were created with A5 or A6 and show the potential of the engine?

A: The 3D driving academy series by Harro Bezier comes in mind, or the games by Suricate Software. Also some Brazilian Companies, like FourX or Espaço Informática, published interesting and successful projects with GameStudio.

Thank you a lot J.C.L.