Facts about LE3

[Canardia]

I wanted to collect known facts about LE3, basically what Josh has said publicly. Correct me if I am wrong or reply with more facts I didn't know yet.

 

LE3:

• Availability
  
  • will be released in 2013-02
    
  • boxed version shipping to all LE3 owners in 2013-03 >>
    
  • LE2 owners get it earlier via digital download >>
    
  • LE2 owners get it cheaper
    

  [*]Programming

  • can compile for Windows XP, 7 and 8, Android, iPhone, iPad, OSX
    
    • Linux version coming probably this year also, since Steam goes Linux too
      
    • apps compile directly to all platforms from the project manager >>
      
    • scalable architecture, which allows with OpenGL 1.x driver the engine to run on any toaster
      

    [*]is written fully in Visual Studio 2010 C++

    • can be probably recompiled with Visual Studio 2012 C++ or even mingw64 with some additional effort, making a 64-bit version possible
      

    [*]uses LuaJIT 2.0

    [*]has project templates

    [*]BlitzMax module is included, because Editor is written in BlitzMax using the engine.dll

    [*]is multithreading capable

    [*]can be programmed with C++ and Lua on all platforms >>

    [*]has pathfinding

    [*]has an advanced Lua IDE with realtime debugger >>

  [*]Physics

  • ​uses Newton 3.0 Beta
    
    • can probably use Bullet 2.8 also when someone writes a driver for it?
      

    [*]has scalable physics bodies

    [*]all models have physics

  [*]Editor

  • supports .png texture format, because Editor converts it into native .tex texture format
    
  • supports .gmf model format, because Editor converts it into native .mdl model format
    
  • replaces the 3D World Studio product line, and can be seen as "3DWS6"
    
  • has multistep undo/redo
    
  • has CSG, which could be perhaps used to replace 2.5D terrains?
    
  • supports prefabs from all models in editor, not just CSG brushes >>
    
  • can scale models, so it doesn't matter in which size your original model is
    
  • has flowgraphs for scripting, which can be shared across users
    
  • fully automatic pipeline
    

  [*]Documentation and Support

  • ​has online and printed documentation, which is available also as pdf file >>
    
  • has a fully ready game called "Darkness Awaits" included with full source code
    
  • is being developed actively, on daily basis
    
  • 24/7 online support via registered member forums
    
  • networking, terrain and ocean to be added at a later date
    
  • ​has dynamic shadows only in OpenGL 4.x (and OpenGL ES 3.0?) version
    

 

what else?

[ESP]

The big question is when?

[Canardia]

The big question is when?

Josh said today: "not months", so it could mean in less than 2 months, which would fall in the 2013-02 month.

[Rastar]

Josh said the boxed version will be shipped in March and that LE2 customers will get access to it via download earlier than that - could be in February or early March (consistent with what you listed).

[gamecreator]

Networking, terrain and ocean to be added at a later date. I'm not sure if pathfinding will be part of initial release either.

[Josh]

We're focusing on the art pipeline and gameplay. Pathfinding is definitely part of that.

[Guest Red Ocktober]

i find myself singing Carly Simon's hit, Anticipation, while reading this thread...

 

--Mike

[Raul]

"BlitzMax module is included, because Editor is written in BlitzMax using the engine.dll"

 

I have only one question:

We will be able to use its full features with BlitzMax?

Also, are there ant bmax users here anymore?

[ESP]

Blitzmax here

[gordonramp]

I'm wondering if the Editor can export maps. ie. can it be used like 3DWS to export to .fbx and the like?

Also if owners of LE2 are to get a cost reduction, will owners of 3DWS also?

[cassius]

Will le3 example code include a first person or 3rd person example writen in c++ or bmax.I know these two languages and don't want to learn lua?

[Josh]

I'm sticking to Lua for most game examples becaiuse C++ code gets too complicated to demonstrate simple gameplay mechanics easily. However, maybe for the character controller docs we can show nice some camera controls in C++ and Lua.

[fumanshoo]

Yay! I was really hoping that would happen because I get stuck so often without Lua examples

[cassius]

Does lua have an equivilant of c structs or classes or bmax types?

[Josh]

Tables:

mytable = {}

mytable.health=100

mytable.mode=3

 

It's dynamically typed so it's very flexible and quick to work with. The debugger in Leadwerks 3 makes Lua a real viable option now.

[Guest Red Ocktober]

what about providing logic examples instead of code examples....

 

i mean, seeing as we have a situation where we have coders from multiple disciplines and with varying preferences, wouldn't logic examples make more sense (and also be sufficient for most coder monkeys to follow )...

 

when you get down to the nitty gritty, the coding language you use is really irrelevant... it's the logic that you implement that determines whether the thing is gonna work or not...

 

if he/she uses the logic statements as comments, the hacker with even the least bit a familiarity with c, c++, lua, BlitzMax, etc will be successful...

 

logic examples!!!

 

the way to go...

 

 

--Mike

[ChrisMAN]

Tables:

mytable = {}

mytable.health=100

mytable.mode=3

 

It's dynamically typed so it's very flexible and quick to work with. The debugger in Leadwerks 3 makes Lua a real viable option now.

 

I prefer prototypical inheritance and duck typing over classical inheritance generally which lua is quite strong with. Both lua and javascript are direct decedents of Self descends from Smalltalk. When I first started on leadwerks I hated the aesthetic of lua. I even use multiple return values now *facepalm. Yea how the might hath fallen. It still grossly lacks a standard library.

[karmacomposer]

Bmax coder here. I would use Bmax for this - so same question: Can we use Bmax to code all features of LE3?

 

Mike

[Canardia]

Considering that Editor is written in BlitzMax, BlitzMax must have all engine features exposed. I just hope Editor doesn't have too much additional features, which the engine doesn't, like programmatic CSG functions.

[Josh]

I even use multiple return values now *facepalm. Yea how the might hath fallen.

lol

 

Leadwerks 3 Lua is pretty nice:

function App:Start()
       self.window = Window:Create()
       self.context = Context:Create(self.window)
       return true
end

function App:Continue()
       if self.window:Closed() or self.window:KeyDown(Key.Escape) then return false end

       self.context:SetColor(0,0,0)
       self.context:Clear()
       self.context:SetColor(0,1,0)
       self.context:DrawRect(0,0,100,100)

       self.context:Sync()
       return true
end

[Josh]

Regarding BMX, the editor uses a procedural BMX file that declares all the functions in the DLL. It's not that pretty because everything is named like "SetEntityPosition()" and it doesn't match the documentation for C++.

 

What I would really like to see it do is work like this:

SuperStrict

Import Leadwerks.Leadwerks

Type TApp

   Field window:TWindow
   Field context:TContext

   Method Start:Int()
       window = TWindow.Create();
       context = TContext.Create(window);
       Return True;
   EndMethod

   Method Loop:Int()
       If window.Closed() Or window.KeyDown(Key.Escape) Return False

       context.SetColor(0,0,0)
       context.Clear()
       context.SetColor(0,1,0)
       context.DrawRect(0,0,100,100)

       context.Sync()
       Return True    
   EndMethod

EndType

 

The way to do this would be BMX classes that wrap the procedural API, pretty much the opposite of what we did in LE2.

 

Is this something we should bother with, when BlitzMax has been displaced by the far less capable language "Monkey"? If you go on their forums, you see even the "inner circle" talking badly about BlitzMax and trying to convince people to move to Monkey.

 

[cassius]

What does self mean?

EDIT: I mean in lua.

[Josh]

It's like this-> in CPP. It means it's a member of the function's object, in this case the App table.

[ChrisMAN]

self is the implicit first argument of a function when that function is declared using the :

 

function App:Continue() == function App.Continue(self)

 

It is syntax sugar + convention

[Josh]

I take that back, about the OO BMX wrapper. It's a dumb idea and wouldn't work. The best is a procedural API that stays consistent.