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Roberto de Deus Barbosa Murta edited this page Nov 8, 2019 · 2 revisions

Here are some frequently asked questions we receive.

Am I allowed to sell my games? Is it free?

Yes you are. Yes it is free.

What programming language does it use?

It uses AngelScript, which is quite similar to C++, C# or Java.

Are there any games made with Ethanon?

As the game engine is quite new, and it's not yet finished (there are many features to be implemented specially to the editor), there aren't many games made with it yet. You can check our game gallery to see some of the games that already use EE. If you have published anything that uses Ethanon Engine, please, let me know.

Can I make on line games with it?

Yes, but for now only if you know any C/C++ network library and write your own Ethanon Engine plug-in that binds the network functions and objects to AngelScript. Check the documentation to learn how to do that.

There are plans for native network functions bindings and objects, but the priority right now is the cross-platform version.

Can I protect my source code?

Yes. Just distribute your game with the game.bin instead of the main.as file. The game.bin file will be automatically generated every time you run the machine.exe and it finds the main.as source-code.

How can I make my own normal maps?

You can either use tools that convert bump maps (also known as height maps) to normal maps (many image editors such as Gimp or Photoshop have plug-ins for that), or you can make your models in a 3D object editor such as Blender or 3DS Max and use plug-ins to render their world-space normals.

A few links:

How does the lightning system work? Is it actual 2D?

It is based on three dimensional normal maps, so we could say that it is partially 3D. Some would call it 2.5D, but we don't like this term at all since it might be ambiguous. It uses pixel/fragment shaders to compute lighting strength and attenuation over surfaces that are based on actual 2D sprites.

I like it. How can I help?

Here are some suggestions:

  • Buy Ethanon-powered games if you have an Android or an iPhone/iPad/iPodTouch!
  • Text/video tutorials: feel free to make tutorials covering any aspect of EE and I'll be happy to add (or link, if you prefer) it to the official website.
  • Opinions and feedback: you may always keep me up-to-date about your impressions about the engine (the editor and the scripting language), showing where there's room for improvement.
  • Submit your game or demo: have you done anything with the engine? Share it! Send me a link to your projects site, your videos or screen shots.

Is Ethanon Engine commercial?

It is free software, but it doesn't mean that it is not commercial. Your game studio may request features and get personal or group training. Contact me for more info: Asantee Games

Is it cross platform?

The engine core doesn't include a single platform-specific line of code, so, yes it is. At this time, it has implementations for Windows, Android and iOS (both mobile versions depend on OpenGL ES 2.0 support). However, we are still working on better documentation and tutorials that show how to run your games on both mobile systems, so we will be able to provide an user-friendly SDK. But if you are an experienced Android or iOS) programmer, you're already able to run it by yourself using the project templates included in the repository.

Here are some more useful information.

Some multimedia objects don't have any working OpenGL implementation yet, so no MacOS or Linux support.

Is it necessary to know any programming language to make games with it?

Yes. Ethanon Engine was not designed for non-programmers. The developer must have good understanding on game logic as well.

Is it powerful enough for a large RPG or even a RTS game?

It probably is. Although its power hasn't been extensively explored yet, the scripting system probably offers all necessary features. Also, the spatial hashing culling system should support very large scenes without problems.

What EXE file should I distribute with my game?

You should distribute your game with the machine.exe file and your main.as (source-code) or the game.bin file (byte code file, in case you don't want to share your source-code). When your game is finished, you can rename the machine.exe to whatever_the_name_of_your_game_is.exe.

What language should I learn an how much should I know to make my own games?

C/C++ programming skills are pretty much recommended. How much you should know depends on how complex you want your game to be. Game logic understanding is essential. If you have no idea what a game loop is, or how animation and vector math works, you should google it and understand it before using Ethanon Engine.

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