JOjohnnyanmac·May 14, 2024
fwiw, Overgrowth is probably another exception to your grivances. But it's also only semi-open source; the assets still require a purchase, but it's neat that it's an option at all for a modern, "AA" scoped game without being a gray area reverse engineering project.
>If that's the best example of open source gaming, then there's no hope.
It's a difficult conundrum. Very few programmers can create a "modern" game from scratch by themselves. So you contract artists or buy asset packs. The former means you either eat a huge cost or try to sell the game to make it back, and the latter 99% of the time means you cannot make the game truly open source (unless you do an in-between like Overgrowth).
Those that can do that probably may only be able to scope to make games like Open Golf[1]. As a programmer I can respect the tech here. game made with
Read the rest
out an engine in plain C, which has lighting, physics, an in-game editor, and a full game loop. While being cross platform for web, mobile, and PC. We both know this isn't a trivial matter, but without those fancy shaders, global illumination, and maybe some VFX no one would see it as "modern". Without higher fidelity models and textures you get the feel of an N64 game from first blush, despite seeing effects and techniques no Gen 5 game could accomplish.
I agree with you internally, I do want to see some more ambtious open projects that can help teach the next generation what goes into a modern, shippable game. But looking (and partially being) in the weeds makes me understand why very few sizeable business can do what you request. Especially businesses targeting console, a whole other can of worms. I want to try and also prove the exception, but I'd also probably take the Overgrowth route so I can get some money on the side.
[1]: https://github.com/mgerdes/Open-Golf