AE's Evolution Engine
Horizons showcases AE's Evolution Engine in a MMORPG environment. As such, it states the computer requirements for this functionality as such:
Q: WHAT ARE THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR MY PC?
A: 850 MHz or faster Pentium III / AMD Athlon processor, 256 MB or more RAM, 64 MB or greater supported Direct 3D and Hardware T&L capable video card / Intel Extreme Graphics 2 (with 2GHz or higher system processor), DirectX 8.1a or greater and a dial-up Internet connection.
Our recommended specs are a 1.4 GHz Pentium IV / AMD Athlon processor, 512MB RAM, GeForce 3 / Radeon 9000 or greater, DirectX 8.1a, and a DSL or Cable modem Internet connection.
Q: WHAT GRAPHIC ENGINE ARE YOU USING?
A: We have licensed the Intrinsic Alchemy engine for our core renderer. We have extended its functionality for our own needs to provide new features for this game. The server uses the Evolution Engine.
Q: IS IT BROADBAND?
A: Customers will be able to play Horizons via a dial-up modem or through various broadband connections
http://www.istaria.com/page.php?pg=faq&mid=General
Now, lets go into the business side of Artifact Entertainment. Forget the game for now . . . and ponder on some of the content on their site at http://www.artifact-entertainment.com
"The Mission of Artifact Entertainment is to provide subscription based quality online entertainment experiences using superior technology, proven design methods, broad market appeal, customer satisfaction and the highest quality staff." Read carefully, it is broad and means much more than a single MMORPG (as you can see below).
After "over 18 months" of development (closer to over 30 months), AE's proprietary "Evolution Engine" is still "being developed." It is not completed, because "once completed, the "Evolution Engine" will be licensed as a fully featured simulation engine." Their site lists many examples of how their engine can be used besides powering a MMORPG or RTS game. Also, it would not rely on a browser for a gaming function.
The time has yet to come when "Artifact will provide the most stable, reliable and enjoyable online experiences" in Horizons. It mentions achieving "this through superior technologies that simplify and enhance the development process, a dedication to recruiting and retaining the most talented staff and focusing proven design methods to broad market appeal."
Of course, this is all dated 2003 per the date of the content's copywrite on their site.
To license the "Evolution Engine" it seems best to refocus on its performance. Content can and should come later. After all, Horizons is being used to showcase the capabilities of the Evolution Engine in a MMORPG setting. Now, I found this line from their website interesting . . . "The single most dominant passion behind nearly every member of the Artifact team is gaming." Sadly, that can't be true or they would truely prioritize getting their Evolution Engine up to the standards for MMORP and RTS licensing.
An investor, Tulga Games?, can provide the needed cash to finish the Evolution Engine as players leave, but they know a finished Evolution Engine running Horizons will give them "stable, reliable and enjoyable online experiences" later. Then it can be licensed for its myriad of applications. Then content can be added toHorizons. Again, it will show prospective MMORPG licensees the benefits of the Evolution Engine to provide playing content with their "superior technologies that simplify and enhance the development process" to appeal to the "broad market."
So the subject for non-spamming, non-flaming, and constructive replies is in AE's mission statement:
"The Mission of Artifact Entertainment is to provide subscription based quality online entertainment experiences using superior technology, proven design methods, broad market appeal, customer satisfaction and the highest quality staff."
I suggest the following priorities:
* Optimize the site to load their Macromedia Flash based content faster
* Update the site content to 2004 and to appeal to potential lincensees of the Evolution Engine
* Finish the Evolution Engine for the intended broad spectrum of capabilities (for added revenue streams from licensees)
- Fix the Server side of pushing dynamic content to the graphics renderer (Intrinsic Engine)
- Fix the Client side of its persistent memory leak
* Recognize that we, your subscribers, are your customers - later licensees will be your customers
* Provide additional MMORPG content in Horizons
Then, when financially feasible, update the Intinsic Engine to 2.5 for rendering graphics (license it from Vicarius Visions).
Certainly, the subscriber base will jump past the current level of Horizons being "played by tens-of-thousands of fans in nearly 40 countries" when the Evolution Engine is finally finished and AE can focus on content.
Originally Posted by zerbot
