Yeah, yeah. Okay so it isn't that important. But maybe this will teach you all on why it is a bad idea to trust Wikipedia.
Now everyone seems to automatically see Zero Edit and puts two and two together to get five. The result Zero Engine. Or if you are like 99% of the population and you need information where are you going to go? Wikipedia of course, the source no 1. of unreliable information ever since it was created. (Wikipedia lists SWBF engine as being Zero, despite no source being cited. If I were to go and try pull something like that they would threaten to ban me probably.) Now I have never seen any real reference to SWBF's engine being called Zero Engine; thus it greatly annoyed me when people present it as fact without any real proof.
So the other day I decided to just end my question as to if it was true or not once and for all. Basically I asked psych0fred about it, today he replied. Isn't he a nice chap? He deserves a medal for having put up with all our stupid questions all these years. Anyway his reply is below.
Quote from: Psych0fredThe engine itself did not have a name. The level editor was called Zero based on one of the earliest games it was used to build which was called something like Ground Zero at Activision but I don't know that it was ever released (this was in the 90's and would have been a PC game. ). The same engine was used on many games and modified independently for each one. In short the engine evolved and the code branched, features kept or discarded by each different team as needed. I think it was even updated and used for the Lord of the Rings game Pandemic made after SWBFII. Some of these games include Dark Reign, Dark Reign II, Triple Play, Battlezone (I think) Battlezone II, Star Wars Clone Wars, Full SPectrum Warrior and Mercenaries. They are all branches of the same game engine, all with different code and functionality but all branched off from the same code. The engine didn't have a name though, each game had a unique codebase that was modified to meet the needs of each game. Zero was just the name of the level editor.
Well there you have it. The engine is not Zero or Zero Engine. Sorry if you now feel you don't have a name to call the engine.
This just really got on my nerves a lot.
How about "Battlefront Engine" and "Battlefront2 Engine"
[spoiler]Or shall we all be in agreement to keep calling it "Zero Engine" just to have SK go crazy! Ok. Have him go more crazy for the "politically correct" people.[/spoiler]
It's disappointing not to have a name for it. (dejavu)
I understand your frustration with Wikipedia. I guess word from a developer isn't enough, it has to be on a webpage somewhere as part of an official press statement. (even though the current entry has incorrect info ??? )
It's a good starting point for research, but it should be just that, a starting point into further research. All you have to do is look at the discussion page for any entry to see why. Wikipedia makes me miss going to the library to use the old card catalogs. Never had to argue with a librarian over whether a paragraph was actually in a book or not.
Battlezone II was a fun game. Really different at the time. Wonder if it's on steam... (-edit nope :( )
We should name it!
How about.. Sally
Sally the Battlefront Engine
Quote from: Snake on July 25, 2013, 08:35:09 AM
We should name it!
How about.. Sally
Sally the Battlefront Engine
I'm good with that.
Im still calling it zero
Quote from: Snake on July 25, 2013, 08:35:09 AM
We should name it!
How about.. Sally
Sally the Battlefront Engine
Sally the Battlefront Engine it is.
But what should we call the SWBFII engine?
How about.. Jerry
Jerry the Battlefront 2 Engine
Just refer to it as the SWBF Engine if you can't actually think up of a good engine name guys...
Quote from: Ltin on July 25, 2013, 09:15:41 AM
Im still calling it zero
Why? Zero isn't the name of the engine, it's the name of level editor. Don't spread misinformation.
Quote from: tirpider on July 25, 2013, 08:30:15 AM
It's disappointing not to have a name for it. (dejavu)
I understand your frustration with Wikipedia. I guess word from a developer isn't enough, it has to be on a webpage somewhere as part of an official press statement. (even though the current entry has incorrect info ??? )
It's a good starting point for research, but it should be just that, a starting point into further research. All you have to do is look at the discussion page for any entry to see why. Wikipedia makes me miss going to the library to use the old card catalogs. Never had to argue with a librarian over whether a paragraph was actually in a book or not.
Battlezone II was a fun game. Really different at the time. Wonder if it's on steam... (-edit nope :( )
So last night I marked the section stating SWBF uses Zero as citation needed, by Wikipedias guidelines this was a perfectly reasonable course of action. Aannd it's already gone... Last time with the Gamespy shutdown he called me out for not following the rules... All I really want is it to say it uses Zero for level creation... Is that too much to ask?
Quote from: Kit Fisto on July 25, 2013, 11:26:41 AM
Sally the Battlefront Engine it is.
But what should we call the SWBFII engine?
How about.. Jerry
Jerry the Battlefront 2 Engine
Don't be daft. That's a daft suggestion, let us attempt to cling onto what little sanity we still possess.
Hence forth the engine shall be referred to as
JEFF*It's Moderator approved!*
Is there a SWBFI wiki dictator? That's not SK? :o
Quote from: UNIT 33 on July 25, 2013, 03:16:38 PM
Don't be daft. That's a daft suggestion, let us attempt to cling onto what little sanity we still possess.
Hence forth the engine shall be referred to as
JEFF
*It's Moderator approved!*
Jeff? Jeff?! JEFF?!?!
No way. Jerry is better.
*It's Master Poster approved!*
I vote Jeff. Jerry is too.. Jerry. Jeff is more jeffy. Am I right?
Oh, seems I missing something important...
Are we try to give a name, to the game engine?
Hmm... All names are nice, but they sounds too... usual. Perhaps, she, deserve a realy beauty name?...
How about Izolta?
IZOLTA
*It's Master Modder approved!* :)
I don't think we really should be trying to give a name to it guys... It just feels wrong since we didn't make it.
I'm just gonna slot in a * and assume we can just call it what ever we want at this point.
Since by the sounds of it, the engine never had an official name I would guess that we could just keep calling it Zero Engine cause it fits. There are no developers using it anymore, I mean we are the only developers using it. :slap:
Quote from: SleepKiller on July 25, 2013, 04:28:59 PM
I don't think we really should be trying to give a name to it guys... It just feels wrong since we didn't make it.
Who are you and what have you done with the fun SleepKiller?
;)
I like Sereja's. It sounds... foreign. Probably because it is. ::)
This is all a joke now for those who don't get sarcasm.
Quote from: Epifire on July 25, 2013, 05:07:09 PM
I'm just gonna slot in a * and assume we can just call it what ever we want at this point.
Since by the sounds of it, the engine never had an official name I would guess that we could just keep calling it Zero Engine cause it fits. There are no developers using it anymore, I mean we are the only developers using it. :slap:
Is it really that hard to refer to it as SWBF's engine? Come on guys, don't spread misinformation. Sure this is a small thing but what's to stop you from doing it to something bigger if you can't even stop calling a game engine it's false name?
EDIT: Sorry if I am coming across harsh or mean. It is not my intention.
Well I think the point is a name is a name, and we've used the same one for so long it really makes no difference because we are the only ones using it. I mean no offence but I don't see the point in trying to change what everyone refers to it as, because it's not even current anymore.
-The company that used and built it was shut down.
-The company that supported it financially was shut down.
I would feel more led to call it something else if a developer actually gave us the real name it was referred to internally. Calling it Zero Engine isn't a big deal as I see it, cause it does refer to a game it originally was built under. Sort of legacy support in respect to it's origins. Much like the Quake engine and others using a similar first game, first name sort of strategy.
Quote from: Epifire on July 25, 2013, 05:52:19 PM
-The company that supported it financially was shut down..
EA or lucasarts?
I've seen references to a "frontline" folder in my research.
That's a cool name, but more likely the development title than an engine name.
Quote from: Ltin on July 25, 2013, 06:31:16 PM
EA or lucasarts?
Oh yeah I could be wrong but I thought Lucasarts produced the games. Either way, any of the companies that would have cared about something no longer are around to voice an opinion.
Well the creators didn't name it so we get to! Duh! SWBF1's is Sally.
SWBF2's is being debated between Jerry, Jeff, and Izolta..
Quote from: tirpider on July 25, 2013, 06:48:39 PM
I've seen references to a "frontline" folder in my research.
That's a cool name, but more likely the development title than an engine name.
There's something like that referenced in the exe, I think it's what they pretty much called the ingame interface from looking at developer notes in the .lua files.
I don't mind the name SWBF Engine. Zero Engine also sounds ok but is technically inaccurate. I might just call it the Fred Engine though :P
Quote from: Epifire on July 25, 2013, 06:50:20 PM
Oh yeah I could be wrong but I thought Lucasarts produced the games. Either way, any of the companies that would have cared about something no longer are around to voice an opinion.
Well, lucasarts only funded development of the games they published. So when pandemic/ubisoft (it was them that partnered right?) were bought by ea, it became ea's problem.
I dont think pademic used an in house engin after they were bought by ea though.
Zero engine was an in house engine. Battlefronts engine was an in house engine. So im calling it z3r0
Quote from: SleepKiller on July 25, 2013, 05:16:18 PM
Is it really that hard to refer to it as SWBF's engine? Come on guys, don't spread misinformation. Sure this is a small thing but what's to stop you from doing it to something bigger if you can't even stop calling a game engine it's false name?
EDIT: Sorry if I am coming across harsh or mean. It is not my intention.
Hehe, this sounds like something I'd say.