Projects from scratch?

If I can make the time to make the assets, my project will be from scratch. Well, it's using a code base that I built from scratch over the last year and a half of spare time. I've been working on it for a long time with alternate agendas. This contest gives me a reason, deadline, and restrictions to put my pipe-dream pet project to a real world test...if I have time. :(

Edit:
I am using Lua, Newton, DirectX, and FMOD (soon to be OpenAL).

I'm only using SDL and nothing else. At least thats what the plan is.

I had been working on an engine for about a month before the contest was announced, but everything in it is from scratch.

I will develop from scratch. I will do something different from my current game project so I will not use it...

I haven't really decided yet. I have been toying around with various engine designs and planned on starting a base for one this summer. If it looks like I could get it mnature enough to handle my game, then I may use it. Otherwise, I'm going to have to use a pre-existing engine, probably ogre for rendering.

--from scratch using SDL

I'm sort of starting from scratch. I started a couple of weeks before the contest started, but about the day before I scrapped everything and started rebuilding my code from my openGL initialization stuff.

The code I’m using is new but the design is quite old. I’ve had this project layout kicking around in my head for years but never put enough time into it to get it to render an object or even compile in past attempts. At least this is a good chance for me to get it all down on paper once again and try to get it working.

The code for my project is "from scratch", I guess, but the idea for the game is an old one that I meant to do for last year's 4E4 but never did. I've adapted it to mesh better with this year's elements, of course, but the general idea didn't need to change, only some details.

Edit:

Some clarification. The code is from scratch in that it doesn't use any middleware, however the engine was entirely written when the contest started, so I have the entire running-time of the contest to focus exclusively on gameplay. [wink]

[Edited by - nilkn on June 23, 2006 8:56:01 PM]

I've experienced that starting 'from scratch' is actually not good for a final product. Of course you learn much about the software and hardware involved, but if you are someone lacking motivation and have productivity troubles, I'd go with existing libraries as much as possible.
1) You get results quick, stimulates your passion.
2) You have more time to focus more on game related structures, that's a Good Thing.
3) If you still don't finish the project, you'll at least have something to show. [wink]

As Pipo said, starting from scratch means that you have to work on not only your game, but also the graphics engine, the sound library, the graphical user interface, everything. If you use a middle-ware library, it will allow you to focus on the actual game.

Quote:

Original post by Rob Loach As Pipo said, starting from scratch means that you have to work on not only your game, but also the graphics engine, the sound library, the graphical user interface, everything. If you use a middle-ware library, it will allow you to focus on the actual game.

True, but some of us do enjoy he actual programming. If I just wanted to push out games as fast as I could, I would be using existing engines and VB.NET... Of course, this is porobably the main reason I never really finish a project.

Finishing the project is sort of a prerequisite for winning the contest.

Quote:

Original post by SiCrane Finishing the project is sort of a prerequisite for winning the contest.

We've had a lot of demos in the past with one or two levels. Granted, by 4e4, those didn't do as well, so presumably, it's more necessary now! [smile]

Quote:

Original post by SiCrane Finishing the project is sort of a prerequisite for winning the contest.

Haha.. that’s funny and so true. At least with about 6 months between now and the end of the contest there could be a few months put aside for engine development. But any more than a few months and you probably won’t have time to actually make the game

You could learn an engine in just one month and then you'll have 5 to finish the game. Since you'll have to make some art too, perhaps that'll take you another month, that would be 4 months left to finish the game. That's still more.[wink]

Quote:

Original post by MrRage Haha.. that’s funny and so true. At least with about 6 months between now and the end of the contest there could be a few months put aside for engine development. But any more than a few months and you probably won’t have time to actually make the game

Six months is a lot less time than you think [grin].

I'll be making my own 2D game engine from bits of old code, helper libraries and a probably a fair bit of new stuff too. If I were solely aiming to make a great competition entry I'd be using a middleware engine, but I've been meaning to work on this engine for a while and the competition will be a good motivator to get it done and tested with a game.

Quote:

Original post by Sr_Guapo Quote: Original post by Rob Loach As Pipo said, starting from scratch means that you have to work on not only your game, but also the graphics engine, the sound library, the graphical user interface, everything. If you use a middle-ware library, it will allow you to focus on the actual game. True, but some of us do enjoy he actual programming. If I just wanted to push out games as fast as I could, I would be using existing engines and VB.NET... Of course, this is porobably the main reason I never really finish a project.

Ditto... I love the process. Never seem to reach the end.