Humble Bundle, Ultra Engine Pro, if I buy Leadwerks Game Engine + Professional Edition (addon) on Humble Bundle

[LtJohnny117]

Hello, I saw your software on-sale in the Humble Bundle store. Never heard of this engine or company before. Seems very cool.

SteamDB says the software goes on sale for $15 (standard edition) and $30 (professional edition). I am interested in buying the Professional Editions. I noticed on Steam there is: Leadwerks Game Engine and Ultra Engine Early Access. I noticed on this site there is only Leadwerks 5 Early Access for sale and no Ultra Engine for sale. And, there is a forum post that says Ultra Engine Early Access is the same thing as Leadwerks 5 Early Access. I want to buy the Professional Edition versions, too.

• https://www.humblebundle.com/store/leadwerks-game-engine
• https://www.humblebundle.com/store/leadwerks-game-engine-professional-edition

Questions before I buy:

1. What version should I buy (Leadwerks Game Engine or Ultra Engine)?
2. Where should I buy your software (this website, Humble Bundle, Steam)?
3. If I buy the Leadwerks Game Engine and the Professional Edition (addon / DLC) from Humble Bundle now, then what version of the software to I get? Will the Humble Bundle purchase update to Leadwerks 5 or to Ultra Engine?
4. Will Leadwerks Game Engine on Steam automatically update to Leadwerks 5 or to Ultra Engine?
5. If I buy the Professional editions, will my software update to the Professional editions of Ultra Engine or Leadwerks 5?
6. -
7. Do both engines allow for multiplayer?
8. Can I publish the finished game to my own website and my customers?
9. Can my customers log-in to their account (made on my website) after they run the game's executable?
10. Is there a DRM feature where I can verify that only the customer has access to the game I sold them?

 

I hope to make a purchase during the on-sale price. Thank you!

[Josh]

Just now, LtJohnny117 said:

1. What version should I buy (Leadwerks Game Engine or Ultra Engine)?
2. Where should I buy your software (this website, Humble Bundle, Steam)?
3. If I buy both Leadwerks Game Engine and its Professional Edition (addon / DLC) from the Humble Bundle store, then what version of the software do I get?
4. If I buy the Leadwerks Game Engine and the Professional Edition (addon / DLC) from Humble Bundle now, then what version of the software to I get? Will that purcahse update to Leadwerks 5 or to Ultra Engine?
5. Will Leadwerks Game Engine on Steam automatically update to Leadwerks 5 or to Ultra Engine?
6. If I buy the Professional editions, will my software update to the Professional editions of Ultra Engine or Leadwerks 5?
7. -
8. Do both engines allow for multiplayer?
9. Can I publish the finished game to my own website and my customers?
10. Can my customers log-in to their account (made on my website) after they run the game's executable?
11. Is there a DRM feature where I can verify that only the customer has access to the game I sold them?

1. Leadwerks 5 and Ultra Engine are the same thing. Within a few months, Ultra Engine on Steam will be renamed to be Leadwerks 5. Leadwerks 4 is our older engine, which supports more old hardware but is not as advanced.

2. Wherever is best for you, but I get the most of it if you buy directly from the site.

3. The Pro DLC adds C++ programming support.

5. No. Ultra Engine will be renamed as Leadwerks 5.

6. No.

7. ? 

8. Yes, using Steam peer-to-peer networking.

9. Yes.

10. I don't know, the engine doesn't have anything to do with this?

11. I don't handle DRM. Steam has a feature to wrap an executable you might find useful, but it's outside the scope of what I provide.

[LtJohnny117]

38 minutes ago, Josh said:

1. Leadwerks 5 and Ultra Engine are the same thing. Within a few months, Ultra Engine on Steam will be renamed to be Leadwerks 5. Leadwerks 4 is our older engine, which supports more old hardware but is not as advanced.

2. Wherever is best for you, but I get the most of it if you buy directly from the site.

3. The Pro DLC adds C++ programming support.

5. No. Ultra Engine will be renamed as Leadwerks 5.

6. No.

7. ? 

8. Yes, using Steam peer-to-peer networking.

9. Yes.

10. I don't know, the engine doesn't have anything to do with this?

11. I don't handle DRM. Steam has a feature to wrap an executable you might find useful, but it's outside the scope of what I provide.

Thank you for the quick reply. I understand on Steam there will soon be two products for sale called: Leadwerks Game Engine and Leadwerks 5 (now called Ultra Engine). I want to buy the 'best' version of your engine. I have no problem buying from your site, only if the price is the same as an authorized retailer (like Humble Bundle or Steam). I see the sale price is about $15 (standard edition) or $30 (professional edition). Seems like an awesome product for this price.

• I do not want to use Steam for multiplayer or use Steam for DRM.
• Does your engine have any way to prevent piracy of the finished game?
• Can I include 'computer language code' in the game that connects to my 'server / online database' to verify my customer's purchase?
• Can I integrate any kind of modern day 'DRM / anti-piracy features' into my game if I build my game using your game engine?

I hope my website can act as an online store where customers can create an account; can purchase the game or game subscription; can gain access to a download link to the game after their purchase; after installing their purchase / game, only then does customer have access to their purchase / game; the customer cannot copy the download link to a friend or copy the install folder to a friend or to a torrent piracy site. Anyone can run an exe program if they have the install folder. In a lot of AAA games and AAA software (like World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, MapleStory, Minecraft, League of Legends, FL Studio, etc...); there is an initial log-in screen that requires an internet connection. After they log-in to the game/software for the first time, then they are granted an offline access of their purchase. Or, the game is online only with strict DRM rules. Or, the customer is given a unique one-time-use serial number / keygen. Or, the customer is given a unique file for offline use.

Thank you!

[Josh]

Just now, LtJohnny117 said:

Thank you for the quick reply. I understand on Steam there will soon be two products for sale called: Leadwerks Game Engine and Leadwerks 5 (now called Ultra Engine). I want to buy the 'best' version of your engine. I have no problem buying from your site, only if the price is the same as an authorized retailer (like Humble Bundle or Steam). I see the sale price is about $15 (standard edition) or $30 (professional edition). Seems like an awesome product for this price.

• I do not want to use Steam for multiplayer or use Steam for DRM.
• I hope my website can act as an online store where customers can create an account; can purchase their game or game subscription; can gain access to a download link to the game after their purchase; after installing their game/ purchase, only then does customer have access to their purchase / game; the customer cannot copy the download link to a friend or copy the install folder to a friend or to a torrent piracy site. Anyone can run an exe program if they have the install folder. Does your engine have any way to prevent piracy of the finished game? Can I include code in the game that connects to my 'server / online database' that verifies the customer's purchase?
• In a lot of AAA games and AAA software (like World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, MapleStory, Minecraft, League of Legends, FL Studio, etc...); there is an initial log-in screen that requires an internet connection. After they log-in to the game/software for the first time, then they are granted an offline access of their purchase. Or, the game is online only with strict DRM rules. Or, the customer is given a unique one-time-use serial number / keygen. Or, the customer is given a unique file for offline use. Can I integrate similar DRM / anti-piracy features into my game if I build my game using your game engine.

Thank you!

1. Multiplayer is very hard to do without something like Steam's built-in system. There are probably third-party systems available for this, but I'm not sure. We also support ENet networking, which is how the Lua debugger works, but I don't recommend this because it does not support NAT punch-through.

2, 3. This is outside the scope of what I provide. One solution might be to use Invision Community Software. They have a web API, and it does allow you to have the user log into their account, check their purchases, and could probably be used as a license validation system.

If you have not created a successful game already, I would recommend setting your scope to a smaller project and completing that, before making a lot of effort to build a system outside of Steam.

[LtJohnny117]

I will search third party software that is responsible for only the multiplayer, P2P, and/or NAT punch-through.

I will search third party software that handles DRM and anti-piracy.

• Other than your engine's Steam integration, does your game engine include any kind of anti-piracy / DRM features (that is not Steam)?
• Is something like C++ (in Leadwerks Professional Edition) a compatibility feature in your game engine if I am searching for third party software that can integrate into your game engine?

Thank you for the quick reply.

[Mortiss Coffin]

26 minutes ago, Josh said:

1. Multiplayer is very hard to do without something like Steam's built-in system. There are probably third-party systems available for this, but I'm not sure. We also support ENet networking, which is how the Lua debugger works, but I don't recommend this because it does not support NAT punch-through.

2, 3. This is outside the scope of what I provide. One solution might be to use Invision Community Software. They have a web API, and it does allow you to have the user log into their account, check their purchases, and could probably be used as a license validation system.

If you have not created a successful game already, I would recommend setting your scope to a smaller project and completing that, before making a lot of effort to build a system outside of Steam.

Speaking of Multiplayer/CoOp, what about the Nakama server? I think it's a server that hosts online gaming for indie devs. If I'm not mistaken, Godot Engine uses it. My question is, Is it compatible with Leadwerks? 

[Josh]

14 minutes ago, LtJohnny117 said:

I will search third party software that is responsible for only the multiplayer, P2P, and/or NAT punch-through.

I will search third party software that handles DRM and anti-piracy.

• Other than your engine's Steam integration, does your game engine include any kind of anti-piracy / DRM features (that is not Steam)?
• Is something like C++ (in Leadwerks Professional Edition) a compatibility feature in your game engine if I am searching for third party software that can integrate into your game engine?

Thank you for the quick reply.

1. No, I don't handle DRM features. We do support exporting the game contents in an encrypted zip file, but that just hides the game files, and I don't handle the game's ownership.

2. The pro version with C++ support would be compatible with third-party libraries, most of which are written in C++, although the exact details of that are up to the end user to integrate,

Just now, Mortiss Coffin said:

Speaking of Multiplayer/CoOp, what about the Nakama server? I think it's an server for that hosts online gaming for indie devs. If I'm not mistaken, Godot Engine uses it. My question is, Is it compatible with Leadwerks? 

Looks like they have a C++ library here, so it should work fine:
https://heroiclabs.com/docs/nakama/client-libraries/cpp/index.html

[Mortiss Coffin]

2 minutes ago, Josh said:

1. No, I don't handle DRM features. We do support exporting the game contents in an encrypted zip file, but that just hides the game files, and I don't handle the game's ownership.

2. The pro version with C++ support would be compatible with third-party libraries, most of which are written in C++, although the exact details of that are up to the end user to integrate,

Looks like they have a C++ library here, so it should work fine:
https://heroiclabs.com/docs/nakama/client-libraries/cpp/index.html

Okay, good to know. Thank you for the quick response. Very much appreciated

[LtJohnny117]

44 minutes ago, Josh said:

1. No, I don't handle DRM features. We do support exporting the game contents in an encrypted zip file, but that just hides the game files, and I don't handle the game's ownership.

2. The pro version with C++ support would be compatible with third-party libraries, most of which are written in C++, although the exact details of that are up to the end user to integrate,

Looks like they have a C++ library here, so it should work fine:
https://heroiclabs.com/docs/nakama/client-libraries/cpp/index.html

Thank you. Please talk to your team / co-workers about DRM and anti-piracy that is not Steam integration.

I do not know computer code. I own a lot of websites with millions of viewers. Some of my users are legitimate and others are malicious hacker types. If I publish any kind of music, movie, book, or game to my website; then my users will download and exploit the content. I do not want to make a game if the first legitimate customer has the ability to share the install files via mediafire or a public google drive. From my understanding, I would need to integrate the game I make to my 'server / online database' so that I know my customer is the only person able to play the game they purchased. The same log-in to the website is the same log-in they use after opening the 'exe program / game'. I don't know computer code, yet I know 3D animation, picture, video, audio, type of software, etc. I can follow a How To video or follow a forum post tutorial. All of my websites use free web hosting like Google Sites because buying a server will be simply hacked.

• Does your company sell a service that can solve the tech problem I have? I need a solution for my tech problems that will hurt the hackers on my website and that will rewards any legitimate users/legitimate customers. I don't know computer languages. I believe a log-in screen with constant internet connection is the modern day solution. I do not want to spend hours making a game when the first customer I get would be able to upload the install file to their public google drive.

Thank you for your reply and your help.

[Josh]

If you don't sell your game on Steam, it's probably a lot less likely to make any money at all. There are some DRM features on Steam, but I think the main advantage it has is convenience. When it's easier to just click and buy on Steam than to download a questionable torrent, piracy stops to be such a big problem.

I do not offer any such service, because those things do not need to be tied to a single game engine, and it's not something very many people ask about.

I know you want to build something independent from Steam, but as someone who has tried that, I can tell you that 98% of my sales come through Steam, and that percentage has only increased over the years.

[LtJohnny117]

39 minutes ago, Josh said:

If you don't sell your game on Steam, it's probably a lot less likely to make any money at all. There are some DRM features on Steam, but I think the main advantage it has is convenience. When it's easier to just click and buy on Steam than to download a questionable torrent, piracy stops to be such a big problem.

I do not offer any such service, because those things do not need to be tied to a single game engine, and it's not something very many people ask about.

I know you want to build something independent from Steam, but as someone who has tried that, I can tell you that 98% of my sales come through Steam, and that percentage has only increased over the years.

Congratulations on your website, game engine, and your attempts to create your own ecosystem on your website. I like your company's message: royalty free licensing and learning how to program / how to 3d animate. I saw your game on Humble Bundle, watched the videos on YouTube, and it seems very cool. I hope you can incorporate some sort of DRM / anti-piracy features that are independent from Steam. Steam Integration is a good start, yet Steam is filled with a lot of crappy indie games. A lot of early access and indie games on Steam simply exploit people of their money and their information. Or, the Steam game is upselling users to buy $100 worth of DLC...

 

There are thousands of websites that make money selling videogames on their website. And, websites that make it convenient to purchase products... EA app, Ubisoft, Battle.Net, Riot games, Runescape, MapleStory, Minecraft / Mojang, Amazon.com, Netflix, Walmart, eBay, Target, Khols, various department stores have websites, etc... Most people don't ask these questions becuase they are students or kids. Most people learning 3d modelling and learning programming do not own a website. And, most people's website do not have millions of viewers. Most people learning how to make a videogame do not understand the economics of online businesses.

 

• What are your intentions with Leadwerks?
• Do you go to trade shows? Do people ask you about investing in your company? Do people want to buyout your company or dev team?
• Is Leadworks a one-man army type of company, no dev team?

I am not rich buying out corporations, yet I do own a lot of websites with viewers. And, Leadwerks seems very affordable and nice! My website has malicious users and legitimate users. I am shopping for a technical solution. I have a lot of plans against hackers/ piracy, yet I do not see a solution for sale. No one sells a product called "impossible to hack software". Again, I just saw your product on Humble Bundle yesterday and watched some YouTube videos. LeadWerks looks very cool and it is priced very good. And, I like your company's message about royalty free perpetual licensing for a one time purchase. It allows beginners to create and to learn. 

 

Thank you for replying quickly. 

[Josh]

1 hour ago, LtJohnny117 said:

• What are your intentions with Leadwerks?
• Do you go to trade shows? Do people ask you about investing in your company? Do people want to buyout your company or dev team?
• Is Leadworks a one-man army type of company, no dev team?

1. I am building a development platform and game studio.
2. I have spoken at the GDC and I/ITSEC, and I had booths at both trade shows. Investors only want to ride your coattails when you don't need them.
3. Currently it's mostly just me working on this, although others have done some work for specific tasks at various times.