Expanding imported engines

Got a cool idea that should be in R'n'D? Let's hear it!

Moderators: Flumminator, Zomis

Post Reply
User avatar
Aurora
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 6:46 pm

Expanding imported engines

Post by Aurora »

This isn't a specific idea as much as a question regarding what may potentially be implemented but since the native engines for Emerald Mine and now Supaplex have been successfully integrated into the game I was wondering whether it will ever be plausible to expand the options/mechanics of these engines. For example, the only unique additions to Supaplex elements and mechanics since the game's release in 1991 have been invisible walls, customizable level borders and new port options, all of which have existed already in the original game in inaccessible or otherwise unnoticeable form.
Since as far as I'm aware the last couple iterations of the Supaplex forum have quietly died and RnD now has the capabilities to provide an accurate version of the game it's now a potential candidate for passing the torch as far as the Supaplex community is concerned and what with the game itself being expanded fairly regularly I was wondering if it's ever a possibility for native engines that are part of the game to undergo a similar treatment. I have zero experience in as far as actually programming an engine goes so I'd be grateful if someone provided an answer. Thanks in advance.
User avatar
Holger
Site Admin
Posts: 4073
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2004 4:13 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Expanding imported engines

Post by Holger »

Although it is technically possible, of course, I'm not sure if it would really make much sense in this case. If you take into account that the standard R'n'D engine is already capable of playing most standard Supaplex levels, it would be the best approach to just use that engine. As new levels designed to make use of expanded Supaplex engine capabilities (as you described) would have no need to be 100% compatible with the original Supaplex engine (which is only a criteria for old, existing levels that have been designed with the original Supaplex game), those new levels could just use the Supaplex game elements of the R'n'D game engine, and most players won't notice a big difference (besides die-hard Supaplex fans, of course). But in this case you would have the whole world of custom elements available to create additional Supaplex-style elements to your heart's content. And all that without programming a single line of code. :-)
Post Reply