Just curious but the engine that the Quest uses. Is it open source? Or does anyone have any more info on it? Is it built in house by redshift?
You could probably try emailing Redshift themselves. I was able to get into contact with them before The Quest was released, they were very responsive.
I emailed them and gave them a link to this thread. Hopefully they'll just post here instead of emailing me back...
From what they've posted before, it was built in-house. They've released the world builder, and it is still available from their website. That's what has been used by the community to develop the various expansion packs (other than the first pack, which was built in-house). So, if you're just interested in developing a scenario for yourself or friends using the same engine, you can already do that. I know that a few months ago, Redshift ran a competition for modules, where the winner was going to be able to work with them to refine their submission for publication as an official expansion. I'm sure if you developed a module of high enough quality, they'd probably work with you to get it published as an official expansion, as well. I believe the original coder who developed much of Redshift's technology (at least the one who developed most of Legacy) is no longer with them. So, I kind of doubt they'd be in a position to refine and release a full-blown engine, beyond the already released scenario builder tools.
The Quest engine was developed by us. It was originally developed for Palm and Windows Mobile devices in 2005. Most of the development was done by Stewe, who has left us a few years ago. I did the graphics rendering technology. The game is entirely software rendered, even on the iPhone. When I ported the game to the iPhone, we decided it was way too much work to put in hardware rendering. I've never even seen the game's source code before I started porting (apart from my own routines, of course ). We are not against licensing the engine to others, but I would advise against it. The source is a horrible mess. It wasn't exactly designed elegantly and when I did the porting, I just patched and hacked to get it to work. Lots of the data files for the game are still the same as the ones in the Palm/Windows Mobile/Windows version, because it would require an enormous effort to recreate the building process. I fixed some bugs in the editor, for our closest partners, but it only works when doing a debug build. The game can only be compiled for the iPhone now, but it worked on Palm, Windows Mobile and Windows too. I could go on and on. The easiest is just to create new expansions. It's relatively easy to create an expansion which is standalone (all of our expansions can be played standalone, actually), so if someone would like to create a new game, with new monsters, npcs, items, maps, graphics, sounds, etc., that could be done. But there is no way to change the interface graphics, the music or the game rules for example. (Of course, it can be done, just painfully complicated. I could help with changing some rules, for example, but I've never researched how the music works exactly (and it's exceedingly complicated, that much I know). More than likely we would ask too much money for a license. I mean, relative to the money you could make on a new game with the Quest engine. I would need a healthy sum of money for even the little help I would offer for the engine. It's painful. But anyone is free to make an offer.
That's awesome! For what I had in mind the interface would be fine. But the only thing I would seriously be interested in would be changeing the music. So are you saying that I could grab the expansion engine but only release it as a standalone game? I theoretically could change ALL the graphics. And write my own story at the same time. And then what?... Give you guys the world I built and let you release it for the iPhone? I think I'm gonna continue the conversation via email...
Oooooh.... Just found the quest editor online. I am seriously gonna have fun messing with this thing...
how easy is the editor to use and where do you find it? Thanks Would I be able to craft a cyber-punk style game around it - I am thinking something along the lines of a political thriller set in an Interzone inspired city with hints of surrealism. http://www.inter-zone.org/burroughs%20copy.jpg
Write to us to get the editor. (You can find our address on our website: www.redshift.hu). As I've said, you can't change the rules. You'd have the same races, attributes and skills as in The Quest (like Nogur, Strength and Mind Magic, for example). You could change the graphics (take a look at Escape from Asteroids, the latest expansion, there are laser swords and aliens ), you can create new NPCs and new talk topics. So you could create a cyberpunk game in style and story, but the game mechanics (fighting, alchemy, magic, etc.) would be the same.
It seams that the only thing you can't change is the music and underlying core of the game... but all graphics can be changed! Except UI elements...
thanks guys, I will most likely send off an email in the next day or two A workaround for the music might be recording and releasing an "album" of music for the game that could be played in the background if you turn the music off in game.
We did that with the Lukomorye series of Quest expansions. George Bolger wrote some really nice music.
