Re: Using middleware (RE: [GD-General] Prices of well-known 3D engines)

[Neil S. <ne...@r0...>]

> Another thing to consider is what's adding value to your studio/business.
If
> you only ever use everyone else's technology and IP, you won't have any
> assets of substantial value. Other than your human resources which aren't
> really OWNED by the company, although it seems that way sometimes ;o).
> Whether you're looking for new contracts, to be acquired, or venture
> capital, you have to provide something of value to the people giving you
> money.

I think the business debate on this issue is a pretty grey area, and there
are as many business reasons for buying an engine as there are for writing
your own.

Publishers will, on one hand, see the use of an established, bought engine
as a risk minimisation and, on the other hand, see the lack of proprietary
technology as a potential weakness in the developer, both of which are
unfounded because it is possible to buy an inappropriate engine and it is
certainly possible to build a great game using just the technologies
provided by bought engines.

And of course, there's the cost aspect which has already been discussed. One
thing that wasn't mentioned is that it is possible for developers to obtain
govenment R&D grants for engine development, which may offset some of the
cost. This, of course, wouldn't be available for making engine purchases. ;)

But there are also many technical reasons that should be considered when
making a choice. If a developer has a limited supply of highly technical
people, but lots of great ideas for their game, they may have no choice but
to buy in technology, and could easily thrive in this manner. For a
developer with a good supply of 'engine gurus', there are many benefits to
writing their own stuff, such as having the agility to adopt new techniques
without having to wait for an engine vendor to provide similar features,
which every other developer using that engine would then have access to.
Graphics, in particular, is far from a 'solved problem', and a clever
developer can make their mark by using techniques that have not (or will
not) hit the mainstream yet.

> Besides the reduced labor costs (which is extremely debatable), wisely
> chosen middleware can actually add value to your company. Perhaps because
> you build your technology on top off the middleware or create a highly
tuned
> branch of the middleware's source. If you pick a popular middleware (ie:
> Renderware), just being knowledgeable and experienced with the software is
> valuable.

Yep, I think this is true, and when you add it to the risk-minimisation I
mentioned earlier, buying an established engine and becoming familiar with
it can look very good to publishers. Building technology on top of
middleware is also a good approach, because you can get the best of both
worlds. I think the general trend in middleware these days is to provide
components that you can use as needed, rather than the 'this is a game
engine and you must work the way it does' approach, which means you can
provide your own (or someone else's) solutions to areas where your
middleware falls short.

> I've only been heavily exposed to one particular middleware package and I
> have not had very positive experiences as a result. But, YMMV depending on
> the software and what your goals are.

Me too, and the main reason we had to ditch it completely was because we
couldn't use just the functionality we wanted from it and do the other bits
ourselves. With the middleware we are starting to see now, this seems to be
less of a problem.

- Neil.