Any chance we could get the source code for the original Exile series?

[ixfd64]

Blades of Exile has seen a huge number of improvements ever since it went open source. Any chance the source code for the original trilogy could be released as well, especially considering that it has been freeware for over three years now?

[Randomizer]

Jeff would have to take out time from new games to locate it and the old computer it's probably on.

[Garzahd]

True, it would be cool if he did though. I would definitely be interested in seeing the source of this game considering that it is one of my favorite games of all time. Getting it on the internet would also help to make sure the code isn't lost, which would be a real shame.

 

Edit: It may already be lost

[Bender89]

Think he would do it for money?

[Earth Empires]

no if he doesn't have sc anymore.

[voiceless alveolar dative]

I think a bigger barrier is the fact that a lot of the material in Exile is, in fact, still part of Jeff's income, as it's been recycled into the old and now new Avernum trilogies. Releasing the engine without any of the text would itself take a lot of work. It wouldn't mean giving up any rights, of course, and much of the text is already quite accessible in script files in the newer games, but it still might feel like a bad idea.

 

—Alorael, who hopes Jeff hasn't lost the source. That's his daughters' birthright. Also there's something a bit sad about losing the code to the game that got your career started, particularly if you're going to keep recycling it.

[Thaluikhain]

Seems a strange thing to lose. In any case, he's probably got more important things to do than much about with that, not like he runs a big company with a whole 5 people in it.

[Throwback to Goriya]

It's been more than 20 years, I dunno. Stuff that I made 20 years ago, that was important to me and I thought I'd never lose... after enough computer changes and enough moves, stuff just falls through the cracks.

 

(The best indications, btw, are that the company currently has 2 employees, counting Jeff. It's never had more than 3. Though maybe you knew that and I am just missing the edge to what you said...)

[Bender89]

True I was joking about the buying it thing. I don't have that kind of money, I would rather him keep it and do something with it. Something about the mechanics of the early exile games though... I mean, maybe a direct EXILE remake?

 

He should, if he can or does have it, would be to archive it or give it to us here. I mean, selling it is different than making sure it stays around. Sad if its gone, but atleast the game itself still exists.

[Celtic Minstrel]

Well, I doubt he'll ever release the source to the original trilogy, but he did release the source to Blades of Exile, so it would in principle be possible to remake the Exile trilogy on that engine. I'm not recommending it, mind you (in particular, permission would be needed!), but it is roughly the same engine as E3.

 

(Of course, BoE also needs to be stable before you can do anything like that with it...)

[Thaluikhain]

(The best indications, btw, are that the company currently has 2 employees, counting Jeff. It's never had more than 3. Though maybe you knew that and I am just missing the edge to what you said...)

 

Yeah, knew it was about that many, but I thought I'd er on the side of caution and say 5.

[Misc Staple]

Well, I doubt he'll ever release the source to the original trilogy, but he did release the source to Blades of Exile, so it would in principle be possible to remake the Exile trilogy on that engine. I'm not recommending it, mind you (in particular, permission would be needed!), but it is roughly the same engine as E3.

 

(Of course, BoE also needs to be stable before you can do anything like that with it...)

Pretty sure people have already tried remaking E3 in BoE. There's a puzzle with numbers that doesn't work in the BoE engine, and I'm sure there's other quirks. Who knows, though?

[The Almighty Doer of Stuff]

Moving walls too. I don't know about number puzzles but CM has expressed interest in implementing the moving walls. He isn't sure how and I can't help him because I've never reached that point in E3 though.

[Celtic Minstrel]

The slime pit (where you need to fireball the pools) wasn't possible in BoE before, but I believe it's possible in OBoE. I don't know about the number puzzle. The moving walls may or may not be possible already; I can't say for sure because I'm not sure how they actually work. There's also Skribbane addiction, joining the Anama... not sure if those are possible quite like in E3. There's also the possibility for towns to be game over if you're caught stealing; I think that's in OBoE but wasn't in the original BoE. Oh, and the dialogs in various places, such as the slime pit, aren't currently possible in OBoE. Maps however are possible now.

[Misc Staple]

Certain low-level spells are disabled when you start a new party in E3, so that you can earn them as rewards. Fresh BoE parties have access to all low-level spells. Is there a way to change that, or is it too hard coded?

[Celtic Minstrel]

Fresh BoE parties still start with all level 1-3 spells, but they can be removed by a scenario. It's not ideal, sure, but it would work if the scenario simply removed them on entry. (OBoE can call a special node immediately upon starting the scenario.)