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<blockquote data-quote="renatoram" data-source="post: 4415466" data-attributes="member: 53599">They're developing the thing in-house? Heavens... like WotC was a software company, let alone a videogame developing software company...But let's say they hired some competent programmers, modelers and so on.But there are FREE engines, for heaven's sake. How much graphic effects does a fricking shared table need, anyway?It needs usability. It needs, being the &quot;dnd virtual table&quot;, to have practical access to all the content (creatures, powers, feats, monsters, and so on). But ubersnazzy graphic effects? Really?People have been playing just fine with maptool (and fantasy grounds, and so on) which have 2D graphic with no animation.The 3D equivalent could be handled by the Quake engine, probably, and that's free.Or one of the many free alternatives:<a href="http://www.crystalspace3d.org/main/Media" target="_blank">CrystalSpace</a><a href="http://www.ogre3d.org/index.php?set_albumName=album07&amp;option=com_gallery&amp;Itemid=55&amp;include=view_album.php" target="_blank">Ogre3D</a><a href="http://panda3d.org/" target="_blank">Panda3D</a>But then, obviously there is still a TON of work to be done (almost ALL of it!): modelling hundreds of creatures and texturing them. Plus all the logic and the UI.Really, it would be a daunting project for an expert company. And WotC is not one.If they say they are in Alpha, don't expect to see it in less than a year.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="renatoram, post: 4415466, member: 53599"] They're developing the thing in-house? Heavens... like WotC was a software company, let alone a videogame developing software company... But let's say they hired some competent programmers, modelers and so on. But there are FREE engines, for heaven's sake. How much graphic effects does a fricking shared table need, anyway? It needs [b]usability[/b]. It needs, being the "dnd virtual table", to have practical access to all the content (creatures, powers, feats, monsters, and so on). But ubersnazzy graphic effects? Really? People have been playing just fine with maptool (and fantasy grounds, and so on) which have 2D graphic with no animation. The 3D equivalent could be handled by the Quake engine, probably, and that's free. Or one of the many free alternatives: [url="http://www.crystalspace3d.org/main/Media"]CrystalSpace[/url] [url="http://www.ogre3d.org/index.php?set_albumName=album07&option=com_gallery&Itemid=55&include=view_album.php"]Ogre3D[/url] [url="http://panda3d.org/"]Panda3D[/url] But then, obviously there is still a TON of work to be done (almost ALL of it!): modelling hundreds of creatures and texturing them. Plus all the logic and the UI. Really, it would be a daunting project for an expert company. And WotC is not one. If they say they are in Alpha, don't expect to see it in less than a year. [/QUOTE]

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