BMax rant

So I'm starting to get the impression that the 3D mod for BMax is a myth. I've been watching this site for over a year now waiting for it to show up and it never does. Could this be a product that is earning itself the dubius title of vaporware? What's the deal?

uhm.. you think that after bmax(2d) BRL is financially in, and can afford not to do max3d?

It's still in development, nothing more to be said really.

*Sigh*
No, it's taking a long time.
Everything Mark does takes a long time, because he seems to like getting them right.

End of story.


Edit:
Congratulations sir, 3 replies in under a minute!

@Craig,

Dont wait for it then. Use one of the wrappers available, ie 3dtv.
Or minimax3d (Or whatever)

Just go to the worklogs and view Marks latest worklog. Things are coming along nicely with Max3D from what it seems.

IT'S NOT VAPOURWARE!

Tho it makes you think what's next.. imagine that in half a year max3d is up and running.. then what? BB migrated to OO, migrated to multi-platform. In a way there would only be updates (which are free), but would there also be something radically new in the making? (like Bmax was radically new while we were still using b3d/+) One would think that, to keep the chimney smoking, BRL would have to do something new in order to have a sellable product..

You don't think they'll have enough to do adding a DX9 renderer to the 3d module, fixing bugs in BMax, adding features to BMax, fixing bugs in Max3D, adding features to Max3D and perhaps working on a few smaller modules?

If they *don't* have enough to do, they could always spend less time developing and more time marketing the existing product. I think the financial rewards for that work would be at least as high as spending it on developing new stuff, if not more so.


Why? The developers of Pretty Good Solitaire have been pretty much selling the same game for years. Just because some people's business model is to keep churning out new stuff doesn't mean it's the only business model that works.

On the positive side, I think we've broken the BR record for the amount of time that this question has been asked. Or at least in seperately created topics anyway :)

I'd rather wait a year then have to deal with a second-rate 3d core.

IIRC, the last time Mark mentioned any guesstimation of a release date, he was hinting at around xmas.

Programming something as complex as a modern day cross-platform 3d module is a gigantic task - especially for a very small team.
We've waitied this long - a few more months won't hurt. It will be worth it in the end.

Rubbish. The size of the team has nothing to do with the complexity of a task. You should have a read of Fred Brooks' Mythical Man Month and other essays. I think you'll find it enlightening.

I seem to remember an xmas estimate as well. Would be nice.

Even though BMax has been in development for 3+ years, that's still a shorter a time to most people even finishing writing a game.

It seems that a x-mas release may be difficult to keep as well..

acoording to this: http://www.blitz3dfr.com/phpfrench/news.php

Continualy moaning about the lack of an official 3d mod, just shows how totaly useless you would have been at writting games pre-3DFX.

Oh I have no problem about getting news about the 3d Mod, I just dont see why its so life and death that every week there is at least two threads either damanding news, argueing about news, or moaning that its not ready yet.

If you really really must program with 3d, then just use on of the wrappers or Eliza (Sadly closed this week), or Simons mini3D. Use this keeping the game data and the display data seperate paradin, then just swap engines if Max3d is better for your project when it comes out.

But come on people, no 3d doesnt mean that you cannot write games. NOTHING on the Amega, ST, Commadore 64, BBC, Spectrum (Or pre 97ish PC) etc was accelerated 3d.

What stops Civ IV being better than Civ III, the stupid 3D graphics that crash the game in about 1962. In fact Alpha Centuri and colonization are bettet than Civ IV

Whats the best RTS? Its not earth 2160 isit? No its starcraft.

Whats the best Squad control game? UFO Aftermath or Enemy Unknown (X-Com1)?

Im not saying that some games from this period dont need 3d, Boileds Eli err Asteroids rewrite is looking good with 3d, but after all hes writing that in a languge with a 3d engine. Isnt he?

This strikes me as an odd thing to do. If I want a new car I'd go down to a car dealership and see what's on offer. I wouldn't sit around waiting for the latest concept car I saw on the TV to go into production. In exactly the same way, if my current project was in 3D I'd have a look about and see what's available. Not wait about for Max3D. But I'm sure you have your reasons.

Well, it's that time of year I suppose. MaxGUI had these threads popping up every few days from now until it's release nearer Xmas. Max itself had these threads popping up every few days after 3 or so years of it not being released... some people were REALLY sure Max itself was vapourware... now we have 7 or 8 months passed since BRL's last major release (MaxGUI) and people are already getting antsy. Over a next gen really-not-easy-to-code 3d engine. I mean seriously.

So you're saying the "second system effect" is going on here then? ;)

SO HAY HOW ABOUT THIS MAX3D

IS IT EVAR GOING TO BE RELEASED I THINK NOT

A good point, although I certainly hope not. Anyway, no that wasn't what I had in mind.

Yeah, but ... aren't we using Blitz to make our lives easier? Calling everyone a pussy for wanting to use an official module seems sort of against the entire idea of Blitz.

The problem is you have to wait for that official module to be released, whining and starting a new 'when will it get here' thread every two weeks will not make it come faster.

I can't wait to get me mitts on it. Dunno what I'm gonna do with it mind... suppose I'm really hoping I can throw away all else. We'll see. Christmas is coming! It'll all have blown over by then!

[finger in ear, holding nose]
All I want for Christmas is a new thing from Blitz.
It's what I want for Christmas, you can keep the Ritz
It's all I want for Christmas it's for counting bitz
[pause]
Juuuust give me that for Christmas and I'll be like a pig in shitz
[Harmonica break]

I wasnt calling anyone a pussy, I was specificaly saying that by inference Craig would have been a totaly useless at writting games pre-3DFX

What that has to do with cats is totaly your problem WarrenM.

I don't think he was refering to cats. ;)

I've noticed a lot of swearing on the boards lately. ARe the mods slacking?

lol

Pussy isn't swearing.

okay kidz..I'll tell you what I think...well..i think that Blitz3D withh add ons already existing (stencil shadows, EBMB, physics libs easy to use..) is good thingy to play and produce some very nice things until Mad3D see light of the day..soo..I am very happy with my old B3D and of course I will buy Max3D when it comes out BUT I will not ask about it..if BRL think that its not important for them to be finished faster, then its fine with me..long as my Blitzie working on newest GPU's as well as on Vista, I'm okay...so, I'll just calm down, use my Blitz3D, and wait Max3D...simple as that..

Still arguing I see, all I can say is, if you've been waiting a year, that's plenty of time to have written a game in the meantime. Is it really THIS easy to procrastinate these days?