But gameplay and design are strongly dependent on the technology, that's the point.
The engine, as I understand it, is pretty feature complete and highly customizable. I could be wrong. But I don't see how an in-house game engine necessarily has an advantage over a licensed engine. DAoC is a perfect example. Mythic did not write the engine (at least the client side, not sure about server side), they licensed it because quick entry into the market was important to them. And while the DAoC interface is definitely dated by today's standards, it was a much better client than EQ or UO at release. Outsourcing the engine was a major factor in the success of DAoC.
any criticism of Bioware is just too early
But the important things happen *now*, while we see the outcome in a few years.
I'll eat my words if, a few years from now, the failure of this game rests on the fact that they out-sourced the engine. I don't think that will be the case though. The success or failure of this game will depend on marketing and how fun it is to play. Success also might be determined by how quickly they can get it to market. The MMO space is crowded, and it's only going to get more crowded. The time it takes to develop a custom engine might even possibly doom the project.
Re: Bioware takes the shortcut
But gameplay and design are strongly dependent on the technology, that's the point.
The engine, as I understand it, is pretty feature complete and highly customizable. I could be wrong. But I don't see how an in-house game engine necessarily has an advantage over a licensed engine. DAoC is a perfect example. Mythic did not write the engine (at least the client side, not sure about server side), they licensed it because quick entry into the market was important to them. And while the DAoC interface is definitely dated by today's standards, it was a much better client than EQ or UO at release. Outsourcing the engine was a major factor in the success of DAoC.
any criticism of Bioware is just too early
But the important things happen *now*, while we see the outcome in a few years.
I'll eat my words if, a few years from now, the failure of this game rests on the fact that they out-sourced the engine. I don't think that will be the case though. The success or failure of this game will depend on marketing and how fun it is to play. Success also might be determined by how quickly they can get it to market. The MMO space is crowded, and it's only going to get more crowded. The time it takes to develop a custom engine might even possibly doom the project.