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MCCodes' next engine

Added March 15 2012 by MCCodes

MCCodes v3 Announcement

It has been several years since the release of MCCodes version 2 now, and a fair while since the release of Redux (2.5) too. MCCodes are proud to finally announce the development of Version 3 of the engine.

It was said when Redux was released that it was to be a taster of things to come. This is true to an extent, but Version 3 promises to be so much more than improvements to Redux. It is being redeveloped from the ground up to create a great experience for game developers and the players of their games alike.

Modifications/Modules

MCC v3 has a fully modular feature system. That is to say, all the pages that you interact with are modules that can be dropped in and out, subject to you keeping modules that other ones rely on. To the extent that is possible, these dependencies are minimised to make it easy to customise the features you want on your game. To make new features on your game or use ones made by other people you just install the relevant module(s), which will be easy to do in the admin panel.

Each module has its own folder containing a descriptor file and several other files - the technical details of this system will be exposed to a much greater extent in a future update.

Great Possibilities
Via the use of "mod projects", groups of modules, MCCodes v3 will be able to be used to run many different types of text-based MMORPGs with drop-in engines. The base engine that comes with v3 will be the familiar crime/mafia-based RPG, but other official (and potentially unofficial) possibilities will be released after the initial release, along with a bare-bones package allowing you to develop your game from only a small amount of essential modules if you so choose.

Language Support
It will be possible to translate MCCodes v3 to run games in other languages using its inbuilt language system which will also tie-in to the module system. You can even allow your users to choose their language if you want to run a multi-lingual game. At the moment, we only plan to have the official release in English to begin with but there is certainly a possibility of further official language packs in the future.

Layout Engine
As with Redux, the main layout of v3 is seperated into skins which each provide their own custom look & feel for the game, its login/register pages & potentially certain complex graphical mods. It will be easy to drop in & install new skins, and you can offer users their choice of skins if you are willing to maintain more than one.

MCCodes Site Integration
Coinciding with the release of v3 will be a restructure of the MCCodes.com main site. This will allow us to roll out two major things - a new support system for more structured official support, and most importantly, a marketplace for v3 modules & module packs.

The marketplace will accept free & paid mods from anyone, provided they are up to certain minimum standards. Unproven module authors will have to go through manual verification of every mod they submit, but we intend to allow certain users the right to submit modules directly provided they have a good track record. For module authors, they will be able to sell their mods directly on MCCodes.com and receive income from these sales, subject to commission.

There will also be special sections on the marketplace for skins & language files, which will be regulated seperately under rules which are yet to be determined fully.

For module purchasers, there will be the ability to rate modules, comment on them, and of course purchase/download them for installation to your game. The staff panel of v3 games will be integrated directly with the marketplace to allow direct installation of most modules available. You will also be able to report severely broken mods directly to MCCodes so we can disable their download/purchase until they are fixed, if the report is true.

All marketplace privileges granted are of course subject to revocation if abused.

Alright, when can I get my hands on this?
The official release date is not certain, but is planned to be in late Q2 / early Q3 2012 - that is, June or July.
How will the engine be tested, and how can I show interest to be granted early access?
Our current plans are to release alphas and betas to a select group of testers as progress is made on the engine. While we already have a fair few ideas as to who will be the testers, we strongly encourage those of you with moderate to strong development experience with MCCodes or any other PHP scripts/engines who want to participate in testing to contact us - either PM me or ColdBlooded on here, or email us at [email][email protected][/email]. The nature of development means that people who are not experienced coders will not really be helpful in this early role, so please provide proof of your coding experience if you do indicate interest.

What happens to the old MCCodes versions?
MCCodes version 1 is set to be discontinued as a purchasable product in the very immediate future - we don't have the time nor the resources to maintain it to a good standard. Version 2 and Redux will continue to be sold as is until the release of Version 3, at which time they will either be heavily discounted or discontinued themselves.

A whole lot more information will be coming out over various mediums throughout the next few weeks/months. Look out for more technical explanations of how particular things will work and more announcements about progress/testing.

For further discussions please visit:
http://www.makewebgames.com/showthread.php/41286-MCCodes-v3-Announcement


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