So many engines... why not use one?

[Buggi]

I hate to ask this, especially with so much work having been done already.

See I've been watching these forums and this project for years and still haven't seen significant steps taken to update the graphics of the game. So much work has been done to keep the old 16 bit graphics it is baffling to me. Because there are so many options for the developers to revamp the entire look of the game at no cost.

With the Unity Engine, Unreal Engine, and CryEngine all free to projects like this I wonder why those areas haven't been looked at for porting the project. The core simulation could be translated once the foundation is put in place. The openttd development team is very competant and I think it wouldn't take but 6 months to really get something out that works.

Why continue the antiquated graphics? Nostalgia? I'm just wondering out of a desire to see things updated.

[Level Crossing]

There IS a 32bpp project going, but very slowly.

As for improving the base graphics: what would that add to the game? One of the best things about openTTD is that the gameplay itself is what matters, not just fancy graphics.

[Rubidium]

I think it wouldn't take but 6 months to really get something out that works.

Given you have the intimate knowledge of both OpenTTD and the Unreal engine to come to this estimate, you seem to be the best qualified person to perform the porting. I to see your OpenTTD implementation using the Unreal engine in 6 months. Good luck with the porting!

In any case, OpenTTD is OpenTTD because we like it this way. OpenTTD that would use one of those engines would be called e.g. Transport Empire or P1sim.

[kamnet]

If you changed the game engine, then IMO this would cease to be OpenTTD, an open-source re-creation of Transport Tycoon Deluxe. It would be an entirely different game.

[Fraenklie]

From my side,

I really like the style of the game.
It looks better than any other Transportation Simulation like, Lokomotion, Trains and Trucks (which was 3D), Industriegigant (German name),...

The only thing i still miss are real subways but if getting subways means loosing the style of the game i prefer to stay on surface

[V453000 :)]

If I put aside all the points how I love how OpenTTD looks, be it from nostalgia or just liking the style...

You have to ask if any 3D thing would actually fit OpenTTD. OpenTTD is based on a lot of details. When you look at other games which had gotten converted to 3D, they usually became "nicer" but at the same time they lost a lot of detail and became a bit more complicated to look at.
So even if I ignore the points like well accessible newGRF development to basically anyone (which would become quite different with 3D), I still do not think it would make any sense at all in the end.

[maquinista]

I hate to ask this, especially with so much work having been done already.

See I've been watching these forums and this project for years and still haven't seen significant steps taken to update the graphics of the game. So much work has been done to keep the old 16 bit graphics it is baffling to me. Because there are so many options for the developers to revamp the entire look of the game at no cost.

With the Unity Engine, Unreal Engine, and CryEngine all free to projects like this I wonder why those areas haven't been looked at for porting the project. The core simulation could be translated once the foundation is put in place. The openttd development team is very competant and I think it wouldn't take but 6 months to really get something out that works.

Why continue the antiquated graphics? Nostalgia? I'm just wondering out of a desire to see things updated.

OpenTTD is free software, You can create a fork with a different name, work on it and release It with the same license (GPL) and with the sourcecode available.

[drivebyhobo]

Not to mention those engines are also geared towards FPS games which probably would not agree well with openttd's large scale maps.

[mikhog01]

I hate to ask this, especially with so much work having been done already.

With the Unity Engine, Unreal Engine, and CryEngine all free to projects like this I wonder why those areas haven't been looked at for porting the project. The core simulation could be translated once the foundation is put in place. The openttd development team is very competant and I think it wouldn't take but 6 months to really get something out that works.

In case you're interested I've made a terrain/terraforming engine for unity for just that purpose

It's on Unity asset store:
https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/37649

You can check it out in action here:

I'm not sure that the asset store license would be compatible with GPL though in case you wanted to reuse code or assets from openTTD project, you'd have to read it through yourself.

As others have mentioned I don't think that OpenTTD will ever become 3D, that would probably not fit with the project but my hope is that there's room for other projects beside it. I mean we can never get too many Tycoon-games right??

[Chrill]

Transport Tycoon has been released in 3D before.

http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=33101

Then again, we like the so-called 2.5D graphics we experience in this game. It's a style of game I enjoy a lot more for this type of game.

[mikhog01]

Transport Tycoon has been released in 3D before.

http://www.tt-forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=33101

Then again, we like the so-called 2.5D graphics we experience in this game. It's a style of game I enjoy a lot more for this type of game.

Wow I had no idea!

I totally agree the the 2.5D works very well for OpenTTD. For me personally though I just find 3D much easier to develop for which helps me make better games even though maybe not always as goodlooking ones
The only problem I have with the 2.5D is it hurts my eyes after playing TTD for hours on end but I have heard of a remedy for that. Breaks I think they called it...

[Chrill]

It never did look very good, huh?

[mikhog01]

Haha no certainly not! Still there's a certain charm to it though owing to that it really reminds you of the original