| Submitted by , posted on 07 March 2002 |

Image Description, by This is my first time posting on Flipcode but I wanted to get some feedback on my current project. It's a pure portal engine written in VC++, uses OpenGL for rendering and FMOD for sound support. My ultimate vision is for this to be a GAME engine and not just a PORTAL ENGINE, meaning it will be a simple yet effective way to build a complete and customized game. Since I'm just one man and I'm doing this in my spare time away from my college studies, I plan on keeping things as simple as possible without sacrificing quality. Here is a current features list.
I call it the QuickPort engine

> - Portal rendering with an OOP algorithm
> - 3d collision detection
> - Fully Dynamic Lightmapping (no static lighting)
> - Movable Sectors (elevators and such)
> - Particle system
> - 3d object support (loading of my own ".3d" format)
> - Texture blending over portals to simulate glass
> - "Sound event handler" - what I call my system of deciding which sound to play and when
> - FMOD sound support
> - Skybox
> - NO DIRECTX USED!! woohoo.

Here are some things that are in progress or will be in the future...

> - Sloped walls / floors / ceilings (right now the engine assumes walls perpendicular to the floor and ceiling for simplicity of level design)
> - md2 file loading & animation (there are so many great md2 models out there, and I'm not an artist, how could I NOT use this resource?)
> - Dynamic shadows WITHOUT using stencil buffer (this is very close to being done)
> - Link to a quadtree terrain engine I developed for indoor / outdoor scenes
> - Weapons / Items and other gameplay related features
> - Network support - This I will need help with, but what good is a game if you can't play with yer friends?
> - Optimization (change drawing algorithms to use triangle strips instead of single polygons, among other things)
> - Level Editor (I started this today, shouldn't take too long to get something rough but useful ready to use)

Well I have more visions for this thing but I don't want to bore you. My plans for the engine other than providing it to others for game building, is to build a game myself. A 3d rpg type game similar to Ultima Underworld (probably the best game I've ever played) or something along those lines. I'm not looking for another Quake / Unreal / Half Life clone, that's been done and this engine is FAR from a Quake engine, so I have to use what I think fits, but it's still capable of a shoot'm up game I suppose.
Alright well, let me know your thoughts (I know these screens aren't much to go by). If I get enough feedback I'll definitely be posting a demo in the future when it's ready. Hey, if you're interested in getting in on this project I'm looking for 1 or 2 people, especially good artists and network programmers. Email me at y2kiah@hotmail.com cause I'm very interested in getting this project going with a small team. Probably just for fun but maybe we can put something out worthy of selling?! Long shot I know but given the right circumstances, who knows. Take care everyone.

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