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N codebase usage

Posted: 2012.02.07 (06:16)
by Variasaber
Hello all, I registered here because I'm not sure where else to ask about this.

I am currently putting together a team of game developers for a small, most likely 2d game project. Right now it's just a concept and still being brainstormed, but -- given N's fantastic physics -- I thought it would be great to use N v1.4's codebase to build the game around. The game would have nothing to do with N besides using its codebase.

Of course, the codebase isn't open source as far as I know. Given the initially negative reactions from the folks in charge that NReality received when it was first made public, I get the impression that the owners do not give away development rights often, nor lightly. I came here to ask if using the codebase would be at all possible, and if so, who I need to get in contact with to discuss this matter.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Re: N codebase usage

Posted: 2012.02.07 (07:39)
by aids
Depending on whether or not you want the creators' approval, you can ask them at metanet AT metanetsoftware DOT com

If you don't care and want to use it anyway (none of my business), then get in touch with Unreality and see if he'll send you the codebase.

Either way, this sounds nifty.

PS: If you are willing to wait for N 2.0 to come out, M&R said they'll make N 1.4 open source.

Re: N codebase usage

Posted: 2012.02.07 (11:48)
by Paradox
Aidiera wrote:Depending on whether or not you want the creators' approval, you can ask them at metanet AT metanetsoftware DOT com

If you don't care and want to use it anyway (none of my business), then get in touch with Unreality and see if he'll send you the codebase.

Either way, this sounds nifty.

PS: If you are willing to wait for N 2.0 to come out, M&R said they'll make N 1.4 open source.
Also, Stuff about N & its physics

Also, Aidiera, why did you type 'AT' instead of using a @ symbol? Same with the dot

Re: N codebase usage

Posted: 2012.02.07 (11:52)
by sidke
Paradox-Dragon wrote:Also, Aidiera, why did you type 'AT' instead of using a @ symbol? Same with the dot
spambot deterrent 101

Re: N codebase usage

Posted: 2012.02.07 (19:06)
by Variasaber
Thanks for the info! I'm not sure what to do just yet... I do want creator approval if I can get it. I wonder how Unreality got the codebase. I'll have to look at those tutorials, perhaps I can reproduce what I need of N's physics...

Any word on a release date for N 2.0? If the date's close enough, that would solve everything.

Re: N codebase usage

Posted: 2012.02.07 (19:46)
by Paradox
Variasaber wrote:Thanks for the info! I'm not sure what to do just yet... I do want creator approval if I can get it. I wonder how Unreality got the codebase. I'll have to look at those tutorials, perhaps I can reproduce what I need of N's physics...

Any word on a release date for N 2.0? If the date's close enough, that would solve everything.
Read the last 5 or so posts of the Metanet Software Blog, some is about a competition they held for the new year, they have changed the physics in 2.0, the beta should still be downloadable

Re: N codebase usage

Posted: 2012.02.09 (03:25)
by Variasaber
[quote=metablog]the rules are a bit different from what you’re used to in N v1.4: you only “collect” the gold’s time bonus when you beat a level, and the timer is not reset when you die.[/quote]
O_O
The timer doesn't reset when you die?!
That will ruin everything! If it's still in the episodic level style with 5 levels per episode, what happens when the timer runs out? Do you have to restart the episode?
I remember one level in v1.4 that was so hard, I spent 6 hours playing it again and again trying to beat it. By the time I finally finished, I had the first half of the level down to muscle memory. If the timer hadn't reset every time I died, I would have had to replay the episode (which was also excruciatingly difficult) dozens of times. They aren't seriously considering doing this for v2.0, are they?

Re: N codebase usage

Posted: 2012.02.09 (04:09)
by Paradox
Variasaber wrote:
metablog wrote:the rules are a bit different from what you’re used to in N v1.4: you only “collect” the gold’s time bonus when you beat a level, and the timer is not reset when you die.
O_O
The timer doesn't reset when you die?!
That will ruin everything! If it's still in the episodic level style with 5 levels per episode, what happens when the timer runs out? Do you have to restart the episode?
I remember one level in v1.4 that was so hard, I spent 6 hours playing it again and again trying to beat it. By the time I finally finished, I had the first half of the level down to muscle memory. If the timer hadn't reset every time I died, I would have had to replay the episode (which was also excruciatingly difficult) dozens of times. They aren't seriously considering doing this for v2.0, are they?
That was 2.0 beta, to see how it was like, we think the timer thing was just for the holiday challenge, something special

Re: N codebase usage

Posted: 2012.02.10 (20:19)
by Spawn of Yanni
Ignore the timer thing, that was a special challenge mode that was running only during winter. It was pretty well received so there's a chance that it'll find its way into some aspect of the final game somehow, but (I believe) there's a lot more that needs to be done on N v2.0 before things like that are taken into consideration.

Re: v2.0 release date - this game's been coming for about ohhh... eight years now? There've been a lot of things happening in between and it's been delayed several, several times, but in these past few months it looks like there's been more work done on it than in the previous few years. Soo... we always say this, but hopefully there's gonna be a release in a few months time? I wouldn't rely on that too much though.

Unreality asked Mare & Raigan's permission to have some sort of special access (I don't remember if it was to the source code or to the highscore database) and they gave it to him, which is how he got Nreality running in an approved manner. So emailing M&R is probably your best bet if you want access to the source code, although I know that they've tended to sound pretty self-conscious about their style of coding for v1.4. Considering that they're now re-writing pretty much all of it so the code is better to work with, there's a pretty good chance they'll ask you to wait for v2.0's release. But nothing lost in emailing them anyway, I figure.

Also, Aidiera said that they said when they release v2.0 they'll make v1.4 open-source - I think their plan is to make v2.0 open-source on release, but I could be wrong. I forget the details.

Re: N codebase usage

Posted: 2012.02.17 (00:12)
by otters~1
Spawn of Yanni wrote:So emailing M&R is probably your best bet if you want access to the source code, although I know that they've tended to sound pretty self-conscious about their style of coding for v1.4.
Just a bit of business 101, also: any email you send is going to be much better received if it has a detailed, feasible plan of action for your game attached -- a lot more than what you gave us in the OP, that is.

That said, I agree with Yanni that your chances are much better of waiting for them to finish the 2.0 code, hopefully within six months or so...