DimensioneX Change language Competitors


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This section provides you with an overview of some packages competing with DimensioneX.

For each one, there is a brief independent, subjective opinion/review by DimensioneX author Cris, with comparison with our package. At the end, you will find a comparison grid.

Notice to the authors of competitor packages: Please don't be angry with me because of my opinions. Feel free to rectify and tell me what I understood wrong (go to Contacts page), and I will gladly update your review if appropriate. Feel free to contact me to tell me about new products to include and review.

ARIANNE RPG

( http://arianne.sourceforge.net/  )
(from the project page) Arianne is a multiplayer online engine to develop turn based and real time games providing a simple way of creating the game server rules and clients like Stendhal. Marauroa, our server, uses Java and MySQL for hosting hundreds of players on a solo host.
To play the games you need to

(a) Click a button - the client installs via Java Web Start Technology
(b) to register at a central server.

Developed games sample screenshot:

Pros:

  • There are two demos with source to look at. Retrieved them from their CVS repository with no difficulty.

Cons:

  • Playing is difficult if you are behind a firewall, since the server is on a port different from the 80.

BYOND

(http://www.byond.com/developer/start/)
is a suite to build and run multiplayer games. It is freeware.
To play the games you need to

(a) download and install an application and
(b) to register at a central server.

Developed games sample screenshot here

Pros:

  • There are several demos and documentation to look at, good set of online games which are a measure of good success.

Cons:

  • Both playing and registering won't work if you are behind a firewall.
  • The application environment is based on a built-in text editor and involves much scripting, it uses a language derivate from C/C++ which looks fairly complicate to use for beginners.

CYCLON ONLINE GAMING ENGINE

(http://cogengine.sourceforge.net/)
also Open Source from the SourceForge family, it is a tool to create online video games with no programming experience. Currently has a text interface with photo-realistic graphics and compass for movement, in the future release they have announced a MYST-like interface.

Developed games sample screenshot here

Pros:

  • The programming environment has point-and-click tools, then it is not based on text editors.

Cons:

  • I was not able to play the demo game online, the site reported my browser was not java-enabled (it was, instead).
  • There is no guarantee from the package information that the online game you produce will be multiplayer, too.
  • The point-and-click programming environment is aimed at creating the necessary programming logic which is intrinsically complicated to first-time users. Apart from being a nice gadget, using the dev tool looks to me even more complicated than writing a conventional text program. I wondered if people with no programming experience can actually understand what they are doing while clicking here and there.

PLAYER WORLDS 1.4.2

(playerworlds.com)
The site has a cool design and graphics but could't find enough information about this engine. All I could understand is that it includes a server and a client part, which is needed for users to play. The documentation seems to be lacking, but seems to have got a good user's forum. Targeted to windows users. The Pros/Cons list was compiled thanks to Richard S. 

Developed games sample screenshot here

Pros:

  • 10-30 minute learning curve
  • very simple tools, simplistic admin/mod/developer commands
  • the mapper is extremely simple to use

Cons:

  • Requires port forwarding for lans, or opening up firewalls
  • Limited documentation, poor user support
  • Limit to 256 items/shops
  • Only 1 player can occupy a given square
  • User-reported problems when attempting to run on windows XP systems
  • User-reported crashes when connected to the Internet

NEOREALM Alpha 03

( http://neorealm.20m.com/ )
From the site: "NeoRealm is a mean and lean fully customizable isometric MMORPG system. It will be free to use and customize for your own world, module, game or dream. The rule system will be Dungeons & Dragons v3.5 based including spells and new abilities and feats" 
The screenshot is promising, but it is not updated since 2003. Targeted to windows users.  

Developed game sample screenshot here

Pros:

  • claims to be easy to use learning curve
  • Nice isometric view

Cons:

  • Client is actually an ActiveX control: limits player to Windows, IE, low security settings.
  • Impossibile to download anything (the day we've tried).
  • No trace of documentation
  • Alpha version might be unstable
  • You will likely be able to generate only clones of the demo game

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