We continue our live broadcast series covering the latest developments of GameGuru MAX, and reveal the first version we are happy to call a beta build. It still has a ways to go, but we are happy finally be able to share the terrain sculpting and painting functionality, and the new multi-grass painting feature:
We had plenty of questions in our extended time live chat, and here are your answers:
Q> Hey Lee is the game guru officially launched?
A> No not yet, the official date is the 1st December UK time
Q> Will FBX import be available?
A> Yes you will be able to import AssImp supported FBX files via the Importer
Q> Will GGM have an actual manual!?
A> Yes you will find it from the HELP menu.
Q> Also how about making weapons?
A> There are no plans to add a 'Weapons Maker' into GameGuru MAX, though we will illustrate how to create your own GameGuru MAX compatible weapons if you are a technical artist and happy to model and animate your own.
Q> Best way to report bugs for the beta is thru GitHub right?
A> Yes, we will opening up the GitHub Issues Board to MAX bugs soon - watch for the announcement
Q> Will we be able to import our own characters?
A> You can import animated characters, but you will need to script all the behavior yourself. If you want characters out of the box that talk,. move and suchlike you can use the built-in Character Creator.
Q> Will importing bought 3rd party animated characters and weapons be the same process as it was in classic?
A> Not the same. In MAX we are using AssImp to import and prepare the model for use in MAX.
Q> With multi grass can you make your own grass and import it?
A> Yes you can select the grass type [...] button and replace it with a custom texture of your own.
Q> Any chance of getting a mini-map added that will show your quests? I think that is on thing Gameguru is missing that would knock it into a AAA game builder.
A> We will be restoring the existing LUA script-based UI stuff such as the RADAR in the BIG ESCAPE, but there are no plans to add new in-game panels or gadgets for release.
Q> Do you plane to expose those sun/Light settings via LUA?
A> There are no plans for the early betas, but I think it is a great idea that all the properties in the editor can be adjusted in script.
Q> Would I be able to make a muzzle flash by making a light in front of the gun and make it disappear instantly?
A> With some LUA commands you can move an entity light to your gun position, adjust the light then remove it, sure.
Q> With VR, will you be able to physically grab objects instead of the floaty tether grab?
A> There are no plans to have 'grabby' hands for the release, just the tractor beam style carrying of entities in-game.
Q> Once GameGuru Max is out what will happen to classic guru?
A> GameGuru Classic will continue alongside MAX, for as long as there is a Classic community. The source codes have common hooks so fixes in one may result in fixes to the other, thus keeping them both relevant.
Q> Will there be a water paint tool? If we want a stream on a mountain but don't want t ok flood the map.
A> There are no plans for a water paint tool for release. For this, you need to do it the old fashioned way with models and scripting, at least for volume water bodies.
Q> How do you import GGC models into GGM?
A> For the most part, GGC models are already compatible with MAX, you just need to copy them over to your entitybank, find them and select them for your level.
Q> Will game guru classic become free when Max comes out?
A> There are no plans to make Classic free when MAX is released. It is likely sales of Classic will fall off when MAX ascends, but every little helps and we need every penny to continue GameGuru development.
Q> How big is the team?
A> The internal team is relatively small (when compared to the big boys), we have Lee (me), Mike (terrain), Paul (VR, engine, particles), Preben (UI & many things), a number of excellent artists, a part-time project manager, and some admin bods. The credits screen is not very long in our software
Q> When do you plan to release the official GameGuru MAX?
A> The 1st December 2020.
Q> What demo levels will come with beta and first version?
A> The only internally created level will be the Cellar Demo (escape the zombie level). We are hopeful to secure some community creations for the final release, as some are out of this world already!
Q> In what ways will GameGuru Max compete with other engines like Build Box or Lumberyard?
A> GameGuru MAX will sit alongside them but only compete as far as MAX offers features and benefits devoid in similar tools. There is no one right choice, it really boils down to what you want to do.
Q> Will there be better support for open-world games? Such as performance and large amounts of assets?
A> There are no plans for truly massive open-world levels, but MAX will allow much larger terrains than Classic. Thanks to the virtual texture and geometry system (and 64-bit memory allocations) you should be able to create on a larger scale!
Q> Do you plane import multi-meshes with multi-textures?
A> Yes we intended the Importer to handle multi-texture and multi-mesh models. If you find a model that does not import, please send it to us (if allowed) so we can add it to our testing regime.
Q> Does the multiplayer still have a maximum of 8 players and if it gets increased, is having low graphics quality something that's required for smooth gameplay?
A> Yes the limit will still be 8 to control the amount of work the HOST player PC needs to get through. Performance and latency is something to be judged on a case by case basis and is not necessarily related to the graphics quality level.
Q> Importing a character with bones and animations, because I'm coming from unity I'm just wondering how the characters work is it humanoid, generic & son on?
A> When you import an animated character, it will come in with geometry, textures, rigged bones, and animation data (ideally). This is then saved as an entity, which you can then assign a LUA script to control those animations.
Q> Which will be the best VR Goggles for GGM.. not to break the bank?
A> I would recommend Windows Mixed Reality as a good balance between cost and quality. My go-to headset was a Dell Visor.
Q> Can we see underwater?
A> You can certainly go underwater and see things, but it is very basic underwater with no special effects down there.
Q> Dare I ask, is source code on github likely in December?
A> No plans to release source code for MAX at this time, we will look at this again in 2021 to see if the benefits outway the issues.
Q> Will game guru max have templates?
A> There are no plans for templates for release, but we hope to provide some sample levels from which you can learn and edit.
GameGuru Classic will continue to be supported with bug fixes and functionality additions.
