Epic release free Unreal Development Kit

Think again. Have a look at the 'features' link.

I'm thinking the 'free version' will be stripped of any right to make money from it, yet nothing physically removed.
 
Its the full engine as far as I know, and its not just for noncommercial use. If you make a commercial product that earns over $5000 with it, then you pay 25% to Epic. Pretty amazing deal for indie companies.

If you are creating a game or commercial application using UDK for sale or distribution to an end-user or client, or if you are providing services in connection with a game or application, the per-seat option does not apply. Instead the license terms for this arrangement are $0 (zero) up-front, and a 0% royalty on you or your company's first $5,000 (US) in UDK related revenue, and a 25% royalty on UDK related revenue above $5,000 (US). UDK related revenue includes, but is not limited to, monies earned from: sales, services, training, advertisements, sponsorships, endorsements, memberships, subscription fees, rentals and pay-to-play.
Click to expand...
 
great, I don't have to pay for their shitty games to use engine - i can probably use demo or some other shit as a base
from what i heard, unreal engine is bugfree
 
No engine is bugfree, but its pretty well polished. One of the easiest engines to use considering all you can do with it.
 
We're evaluating this now with a view to switching to it.
 
Anyone wanna start a new company with me? :D
 
Krynn72 said:
Its the full engine as far as I know, and its not just for noncommercial use. If you make a commercial product that earns over $5000 with it, then you pay 25% to Epic. Pretty amazing deal for indie companies.
Click to expand...

This is a really great idea. I wonder if other companies have tried a similar model or if this is just a very enterprising idea from Epic.

I believe this is how iPhone development works, and perhaps Wii indie development as well? I like where this is going.
 
Im going to download this and mess around with it like a mad ****
 
Strictly a two-man project for the time being, sorry!
 
Fine! I'll start my own damn studio!

So you really do own your own studio? I actually have been thinking of starting up one of my own for some time now. Perhaps I could pick your brain a bit?
 
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a studio, no. However, myself and another friend in the business have been collaborating on a project for a while now. with the intention to get something out there.
 
Pi Mu Rho said:
We're evaluating this now with a view to switching to it.
Click to expand...

Who's we and what is "we's" game?:O

Will it have train crashes? I remember an old techvideo you posted years ago using the Source engine of a huge traincrash or something you had made, on IRC, it was cool. I love trains(honestly, I even play train sims)!

Anyway, this is really cool news, I hope more companies do this as it decreases reliance on having to buy the games, but that can also lead to lost sales I guess.

Anyway, it's gonna be nice to see what some talented freeware devs can do with this, I know of a few people that would be interested in possibly making a new Space Hulk game using the UE3.
 
I know nobody here will believe me, but I gave this idea to Mark Rein.
 
screencompare1.jpg

screencompare2.jpg

screen1lg.jpg

screen3fi.jpg


The new lighting system is 10x better than the POS they had for UT3. It looks closer to the old fountain video they released years ago.
 
My last post was half joking, but I did inquire/chat with him about this via email some time ago:

My Email to Marky Mark said:
Mr. Rein

I've recently had a fruitful discussion with a handful of classmates here
at Earlham College about video games and marketing. We sighed and groaned
somewhat at the notion of the Unreal IP declining in value and becoming an
overtly less compelling product to Epic than say, Gears of War. It was at
this moment that I began to think of strategies to resurrect brand
awareness for Unreal.

When asked the most compelling aspects of the Unreal Tournament series,
the average PC Gamer, which, albeit is an increasingly small seeming
demographic (I'll later explain why this isn't actually the case)--will
tell you "the mod community." In fact, this has been the rhetoric from so
many people for so long that it would appear as object truth. Unreal
Tournament is not a product in and of itself worthy of universal appraise.
Though quite enjoyable the series is understandably tired.

So what from there? There's a large number of 20-somethings whose tastes
have largely matured past the UT mentality yet are completely enamored by
the flexibility of the Unreal engine and the availability of the leading
free-to-use mod kits. What's stopping the mod community from taking off?
Where's a reasonable space for cash flow? I have a proposition to make,
and forgive me if it's already been discussed.

Why not create a platform similar to the Apple App Store, where developers
can create games at low cost and distribute them independently under an
Epic software suite or web application? As the PC market sways towards
MMORPGs, the need for an alternative monetization method for PC game
developers becomes increasingly apparent, as evidenced by the success of
companies like Valve and Blizzard.

With this hypothetical business model amateur developers would not only be
introduced to the Unreal platform and foster interest in the corporate
sector in full engine licenses, but would create the chance to the general
population to see complete and intriguing products being delivered under
the "Epic Platform". There's two things keeping PC Gamers from a product
like Unreal Tournament 3, and this is coming from a casual PC Gamer
(myself) who is mostly interested in video games for the sake of
journalism and marketing:

1. General lack of interest in standalone PC titles without brand awareness.

2. The layman being ignored by PC developers via daunting system
requirements and the digression into niche culture (catering towards a
vocal, "hardcore" minority). This is what I believe to the primary cause
of the shift towards piracy--an inability to adapt within the majority of
the formerly glorious PC developers.

Both of these points would easily be remedied in developing an app-store
style transaction platform for the PC. All property rights remain with the
creator of the given unreal "app"--with a large cut going to you,
Epic-also giving you the opportunity to scout a higher tier of talent
(think the approach Valve has taken, but not through the lens a complete
digital delivery platform, the focus here is on Unreal tech and and
increasing population of aspiring developers). Should a feat such as this
be possible, every potential target demographic available to Epic would
show increased interest in both existing IPs and the company name as well.

Moving beyond the niche of simply creating great game with brand awareness
(Gears of War) and licensing technology, a pop culture presence is
possible here, an untapped and ripened market fresh for the taking--a PC
gaming platform with a focus on community development and taking advantage
of the tools that are already in place for UE3. Has Epic ever put thought
into a similar business model? I would appreciate being contacted
enormously on this issue, if not only with a nod of the head or a tip of
what's to come from Epic.

Sincerely,

Life long Epic fan, student, and aspiring Journalist,

[strike]Alexander E. Frank
[email protected]
1-414-418-6472[/strike]
Click to expand...

his reply:

Marky Mark said:
Thanks for your thoughts. We're working on some interesting things. Stay tuned.


Mark Rein
Epic Games, Inc.

Visit us at http://www.epicgames.com
Click to expand...

o09ysy.jpg
 
Borderlands and Mass Effect both use UE3, just to see the scope of this engine.

VirusType2 said:
I believe this is how iPhone development works, and perhaps Wii indie development as well? I like where this is going.
Click to expand...

The iPhone SDK is free, however it costs $100 to register as a developer on the app store, which you need if you want your apps on the app store, and I believe Apple gets %10 of your profits. Pretty good deal, I must say.
 
This is excelent news.


Krynn72 said:
Anyone wanna start a new company with me? :D
Click to expand...

I don't know if you are serious or not, but I would be willing to help. I've been making maps (some with custom content) for UT3 since it came out, so I definitely have experience with this thing.

The irony is at some point I was contacted to join the team that produces Renegade-X and I declined... *facepalm*
 
the cow says moo said:
The iPhone SDK is free, however it costs $100 to register as a developer on the app store, which you need if you want your apps on the app store, and I believe Apple gets %10 of your profits. Pretty good deal, I must say.
Click to expand...
Someone on Shacknews said it was 30% and it's also mentioned here. Epic taking 25% seems good by comparison.
 
StardogChampion said:
The new lighting system is 10x better than the POS they had for UT3. It looks closer to the old fountain video they released years ago.
Click to expand...
I totally don't get the comparison posted. How can you compare a version of a level with an 'overcast' lighting scheme with a version with a 'summer's day' lighting scheme and say one looks better than the other? (also, why is the architecture only similar? Those aren't the same level) The difference is 'like night and day' as they say, only more literally.

Also, the 'overcast' UT3 version doesn't seem to be suffering from the generaly rubbish image quality in the UDK version (I'm glad I'm yet to invest in touch sensitive monitors. Anti-Alias those shadows or I'll cut myself), but I'm sure that's besides the point.

And... is this the 'secret Unreal project' that was teased a couple of weeks ago? I was always going to be disappointed with anything less than a new Unreal-series game :p
 
So im following the startup tutorial at http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/DevelopmentKitProgramming.html

The step "Open UTEngine.ini in the UTGame\Config directory, and remove the ; preceding ModEditPackages=MyMod in the [UnrealEd.EditorEngine] section" wont work because as soon as i try to save it it gives me an Access Denied error :/ Using W7 and running in admin mode. Anyone?

EDIT: nvm got it working. I hate how vista and W7 forces you to run each program in admin mode EVEN though you are already logged in as an admin.
 
kupocake said:
I totally don't get the comparison posted. How can you compare a version of a level with an 'overcast' lighting scheme with a version with a 'summer's day' lighting scheme and say one looks better than the other? (also, why is the architecture only similar? Those aren't the same level) The difference is 'like night and day' as they say, only more literally.
Click to expand...
Ambient Occlusion. Global Illumination. If they mean nothing to you then you're out of your depth.

kupocake said:
Also, the 'overcast' UT3 version doesn't seem to be suffering from the generaly rubbish image quality in the UDK version (I'm glad I'm yet to invest in touch sensitive monitors. Anti-Alias those shadows or I'll cut myself), but I'm sure that's besides the point.
Click to expand...
It's a screenshot from before UT3's release which was blurred etc. The Unreal engine has famously never supported AA.

Anti-alias the shadows? What?

And... is this the 'secret Unreal project' that was teased a couple of weeks ago? I was always going to be disappointed with anything less than a new Unreal-series game :p
Click to expand...
Nobody bought UT3 because it played and looked like crap. There's no chance of a sequel anytime soon.
 
StardogChampion said:
Ambient Occlusion. Global Illumination. If they mean nothing to you then you're out of your depth.
Click to expand...
You're missing the point. You cannot hold two fundamentally different lighting designs up and bemoan the differences, because the shortcomings of one may be entirely down to the level designer and not the technology behind it.
StardogChampion said:
Anti-alias the shadows? What?
Click to expand...
Well exactly. Jagged shadows. I thought we were arguing that there was an improvement here?
StardogChampion said:
Nobody bought UT3 because it played and looked like crap. There's no chance of a sequel anytime soon.
Click to expand...
Who said anything about Unreal Tournament? Back to school for you.
 
because the shortcomings of one may be entirely down to the level designer and not the technology behind it.
Click to expand...
I'm telling you that there is zero chance that the old engine could equal those screenshots even if the lighting was setup exactly the same.

And there are no jagged shadows in my screenshots.
 
I have to say that this sounds very interesting. I was always wondering that if I tried to make a portfolio and get a job, I would probably have to other engines in the portfolio than just Source. Sadly I don't really have time for anything else than HE right now. :p
 
The thing is, in it's current, patched form, UT3 is a blast with the right server settings. I just wish I could find servers populated by humans. The standard DM is actually quite a hoot.
 
BHC said:
The thing is, in it's current, patched form, UT3 is a blast with the right server settings. I just wish I could find servers populated by humans. The standard DM is actually quite a hoot.
Click to expand...
That and it's been decreed since at least 2000 that any Unreal Tournament server playing a map other than Deck and its minor variants is an abomination. At least in Counter Strike you get to play Office as well as Dust.

In fact, UT has probably long been a case in favour of axing Dedicated Servers. Just don't tell anyone.
 
Interesting. Wonder what kind of awesome or crappy games there will be. Now it's time to start amping up my crappy computer.
 
Pretty incredible move. Interesting to see what comes of this.
 
Sweet, our studio is going to switch to using this soon! **** yeah!
 
I kinda wish I was in the position to dabble in this, but something else tells me I'd lose interest.
 
I was working on a game using Windows 3.x and VB about 13 years ago, and it was coming along very nice. It was pseudo 3D using a flipbook style level animation and animated icons. The code itself was very simple actually. Maneuver through a maze killing mobs and collecting random loot, etc. In mine, you control only one character, but you can see Dungeon Master for an idea of the basic model I was going for.

The Unreal Engine would be an insane upgrade to the 'engine' I built. I have no idea what to expect here though. I would like to learn 3D modeling so I could use something like this. I could do everything else including sound/music, code, artwork, textures, maps.

Krynn, my game is an RPG that might be up your alley if you want to think about it. I've seen your 3D model of the swordsman in armor and was impressed.

I guess this is far in the future. I'm sure I'd have to learn C. I can get away with modding existing C code, but wouldn't have any ability to start it from scratch.
 
We're going to have a bit of fun with this. We're trying to see if we can get to a playable, pre-alpha state inside a month. If so, we'll use it.
Playing around with engines is far more fun than actually using them, or playing games made with them.
 
The ideas are already done, sorry :p
 
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