Rtw Clone

[ScionTheWorm]

This is something probably been discussed before, but I'm really wondering. I'm not too experienced in such projects, so maybe someone could tell me to what degree this would be possible.

The idea would be the ultimate free total war game. It should use some high quality game engine like Crystal Space (for game dynamics and such) or something more primitive.

Since there's been laid so much work in these mods I'm just convinced it could be possible to reqruit from here, but would of course take a lot of time (years). Also it would be very educational and give a lot of experience on all aspects of coding and modding. It should and would overgo the current Total War in graphics, which I think would be possible, and in gameplay, which I know is possible.
The main features would be:

- Fully scriptable (by Python or some other lang). AI scriptable and extendable, making it the ultimate strategy game. Every aspect where scripts would be good and not kill performance, it should be used.
- No limits, fully extendable (factions, battlemap etc) and so on. Then thousands on the map if wanted, even if we'd just turn the graphics quality way down. No restrictions.
- Very easy and avaliable to make mods. Models and such based upon free software, if not, converters included.
- Modualrized: Senate module, Pope module, cultures, factions, api even accessible in battle mode. Whole game fully generic.

Just a great massive battle engine, which should be easy to extend if there was something new and hot on for instance the graphics apartment.

All inn all take what's great about RTW and make it better. I know it seems like I'm stupid or something, and I know this is a pretty large huge project.

CrystalSpace
(Possibilities: animated skins, particle system for blood, , fog on battlefield with effects, dds, landscape engine, animated skydome ++)

Of course it would be great, but would it be possible? Anyone thought about this?

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Like Open Source: Total War?

Me laptops' gagging at the thought of a high-powered graphics engine, but conversely I'm nauseously favorable to the idea.

If only...

[ScionTheWorm]

Yes pretty much open source total war. A pretty ambitious project idea I guess, would take a lot of effort. Of course I present this idea with the intention to be a major part of it, but it would require someone with more programming experience than me too (I have my weaknesses and strenghts). I guess a core team of around 8 dedicated programmers to start with. I think it should be free.

There's a lot of open source libaries making it unneccessary to make a game engine from the ground up, I guess when we would have made some progress, the game dynamics would be the major challenge (sieges ouch).

The thing is, that you wouldn't have to wait for patch 1.1 of 2 patches, but a developer going into the cvs and correcting it, making it go away.. in the hard code. A game aimed on modifications.

I also know graphics, sounds, gameplay and all that is a major part of the game, but there's about 8 zillion mods so somebody has to got a clue..

Anyway, I thought a game like this could have very few limits..

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

The problem is finding a team to do it, and distancing yourself from the RTW name.

[ScionTheWorm]

yes a trusted team (where noone leaves halfways), and of course not calling it total war... would be pretty different actually, it would be better
I don't know if there would be legal issues, I doubt we would include that many rtw details that are so unique...

I guess I should start alone, but just presenting an idea for you to kill if it's no good...

[Ciaran]

In the abstract, the idea sounds good, to be sure. Making it real might be...tough, at best. I don´t know anything about chrystalSpace, so I can´t say what can be done and what not. Is it a sort of engine, or what?