I have recently been playing around with far cry 3 map editor, and i find that it is about 4 times funner and fulfilling than playing both Minecraft and EQ landmark. Due to the fact that you can create your own Game content. And great content is what makes a game great. That's why Everquest 1 is so great it has loads of content you cant find anywhere else, and although visually non stunning still stands the test of time. Unity is one of if not the best map editors around, for both world building and for content insertion. The reason i know Pantheon will be great is because i know that the people involved are responsible for some of the greatest game content ever created. With the Unity Editor/Visionary Realms content creating prowess we are at the Dawn of a truly amazing game. And you can't even disregard this as Fanboy-ism because facts are facts, and for that i am truly glad to be apart of this project. Best 200 dollars i ever spent :)
The real key is to use a solid database and then make tools to make it easy for game designers to create and modify content in that database. Then have the servers load in and parse that data. Data driven is a must if you're making a game like Pantheon that is all about content (both quality and quantity). We also use Unity to actually place the mobs, create patrol paths, flying paths, etc. -- there's a lot of things you want to do in a 3D environment. So two primary content tools -- first a solid tool to get data into the DB and to edit/modify it. Then an 'in-game' (in our case, inside Unity) tool to place the mobs and do other 3d content creation.
We did this with Vanguard as well and it worked nicely. EQ 1 is a little more indirect and the tools more cryptic, but it's still data driven.
Scripting is the next piece of the puzzle. While the majority of mobs don't need it, special ones do. The ideal solution is to actually use a language like python or something C-like and be able to attach that script to specific mobs. Or, less ideally, you can do it with a database and just make a series of records each command.
But the key is to make sure the majority of your content comes from a database and that the data is easy to manipulate. I remember way back when developing EQ, Raph Koster (then on UO) told me there was no way we could create enough content for a PvE MMO. When I got to know him better and understand the UO setup more, I see why he thought that was an issue: everything in UO required you to write a script. While the idea of everything being scriptable sounds great on paper, it actually really takes time to write scripts and so you want to limit it to special mobs.
Aradune said:
The real key is to use a solid database and then make tools to make it easy for game designers to create and modify content...
Pff! What does this guy know? :-)
I don't speak a lick of whatever Brad just said, but even from my amateur art aspect, I found Unity (out of the box) to actually be quite a terrible map editor in terms of terrain. I'm almost certain the team has had to add modifications into Unity, as well as take the time to generate their own terrains in other software such as world machine, mudbox, or Z-brush. A lot more goes into it than just Unity to achieve the great visuals they're getting.
Gadgets said:
I don't speak a lick of whatever Brad just said, but even from my amateur art aspect, I found Unity (out of the box) to actually be quite a terrible map editor in terms of terrain. I'm almost certain the team has had to add modifications into Unity, as well as take the time to generate their own terrains in other software such as world machine, mudbox, or Z-brush. A lot more goes into it than just Unity to achieve the great visuals they're getting.
This is true. One of the great things about Unity are the plug-ins and programs you can use with it. We use programs like world machine and z-brush, because creating zones with just the stock unity functionality doesn't cut it. Same with networking. The built-in networking doesn't cut it for an MMO, so we are currently using uLink. Using Unity and then choosing the right middleware for your project is the key to success.