5 ms·

It's available at no charge, but it's not free.

by johntaitorg 12y ago

bluesilver07 12y ago
It is free as in beer, which is the natural definition of "free" for most people.
- Argorak 12y ago
  It's free as beer until you take a sip from the glass. Also, the US isn't the land of the cheap sakes, which kind of doesn't fit "for most".
  - hughes 12y ago
    Free until you take more than 3000 sips from the glass per quarter. So still likely 100% free for all but the successful indie devs and larger studios.
  - robotresearcher 12y ago
    Sip all you want. It's free until you serve that beer for money in your successful restaurant.
  - prawn 12y ago
    Just in case this helps you in the future: "cheapskate" is the term you're looking for.
    - Gurkenmaster 12y ago
      I was thinking it's a pun about japanese alcohol.
- hasenj 12y ago
  The natural definition for "free" in the software development world has come to mean "open source". It doesn't matter what the word means outside this sphere. Otherwise, "engine" usually refers to something like a car engine.
  - EpicEng 12y ago
    That's a bold claim. I have been writing software for more than a decade and I still associate "free" with "no monetary cost".
    - hasenj 12y ago
      Are you talking about the product or the source code?
      - EpicEng 12y ago
        As in beer, so, the product. Having source code is great, but when I'm trying to get something done I don't really care about e.g. the EFF's moral stance.
- hawleyal 12y ago
  It's actually not. It has a very restricted license, and you have to sign up to get the source. So it's not free software or open source.
drostie 12y ago
Yeah; the initial title said "is now Free", suggesting by lack of capitalization of "now" and capitalization of "Free" that it was being open-sourced. I'm glad that the edited title uses lowercase for that word.
Argorak 12y ago
I don't see the reason for downvotes. The parent's sentiment is pointed, but has merit. It's initially doesn't cost anything, but if you want to charge for a game, it costs you. You also don't get many freedoms along with it, you gain no rights on the code and are bound to whatever Epic comes up with later.
- morganvachon 12y ago
  > It's initially doesn't cost anything, but if you want to charge for a game, it costs you. That's just it though; if you wanted to use this to make a completely free GNU/Linux game, you could, without ever paying a cent to Epic. If you do decide to make a game for profit, it's only when you "make it" that you have to pay for your tools. I see it as a fair and equitable arrangement, where both sides profit if and only if the developer is successful.
  - bumblebeard 12y ago
    Is the source code actually free though? For example, could I redistribute the source code myself and not take any revenue from the people I distributed it to? Could I make some changes to the engine and redistribute it? How would the revenue sharing work if I did something like that and someone using my version of the engine started making money using it? I'm glad there's another no-cost video game engine available, but I don't think it qualifies as free software in the Free Software Foundation sense of the word free. I haven't seen the actual license though, so maybe it is actually free. It would be awesome if it was.
    - morganvachon 12y ago
      Sorry, I should have clarified; I didn't use the capital-F "Free" because I was speaking strictly in terms of money. I honestly don't have a clue what the redistribution rights are either, I just think it's cool there's a professional level, tried and tested, modern game engine available to build games that target GNU/Linux. I'm excited to see what comes of it over the next few years.
- robotresearcher 12y ago
ctdonath 12y ago
You make money with it, you give them a fair share. Entry cost is $0. They'll ignore the first $3000 gross because hassling lots of "little people" for under $150 isn't worth the hassle for anyone. Pretty amazing, really. I've been in graphics since just drawing a line on the screen of a $6000 (2015 dollars) computer was a big deal for a beginner; now you can get a seriously robust graphics engine for no cost, develop on a week's-pay cheap computer, and publish for $50 per $1000 revenue after you make enough to bother paying for. No reason to whine, save for the sake of whining. You can still start with gcc if you like. ETA: per another current thread, you can get a suitable Linux workstation for $89 http://symplepc.com/blogs/news/16853255-symple-introduces-the-89-planet-friendly-ubuntu-linux-web-workstation http://symplepc.com/blogs/news/16853255-symple-introduces-th... Tack on a USB monitor for another $89, and you can write the Next Big FPS for $178 plus 5% of meaningful revenue.
- gnufied 12y ago
  > For developing with UE4, we recommend a desktop PC with Windows 7 64-bit or a Mac with Mac OS X 10.9.2 or later, 8 GB RAM and a quad-core Intel or AMD processor, and a DX11 compatible video card. UE4 will run on desktops and laptops below these recommendations, but performance may be limited.
  - ctdonath 12y ago
    "Recommend". If you're trying to develop as close to "free" as possible, "performance may be limited." (I'm often puzzled that when I suggest a nigh-unto-free solution to a problem, someone usually complains some form of "but that's not optimal!" Of course it's not optimal if you're not willing to put substantial resources into it. Just because the solution isn't perfect doesn't mean there isn't one; do what you can with what you've got, and you'll make progress toward perfection.)
    - esrauch 12y ago
      I think the point is that it is going to be worse than just laggy UI, it's going to be very painful if you try to use that computer for developing using UE4. Which isn't to discourage people, there is a lot you can do with that kind of mid tier machine, but you are probably much better off trying to something else than UE4.
chippy 12y ago
for an open source (MIT licensed) engine that also works in Linux http://www.godotengine.org/wp/ http://www.godotengine.org/wp/
tsotha 12y ago
It's free to the 99.99% of people who "have this great idea for a killer game" but never get beyond the first baby steps.

It's available at no charge, but it's not free.

bluesilver07 12y ago

It is free as in beer, which is the natural definition of "free" for most people.

Argorak 12y ago
It's free as beer until you take a sip from the glass. Also, the US isn't the land of the cheap sakes, which kind of doesn't fit "for most".
- hughes 12y ago
  Free until you take more than 3000 sips from the glass per quarter. So still likely 100% free for all but the successful indie devs and larger studios.
- robotresearcher 12y ago
  Sip all you want. It's free until you serve that beer for money in your successful restaurant.
- prawn 12y ago
  Just in case this helps you in the future: "cheapskate" is the term you're looking for.
  - Gurkenmaster 12y ago
    I was thinking it's a pun about japanese alcohol.
hasenj 12y ago
The natural definition for "free" in the software development world has come to mean "open source". It doesn't matter what the word means outside this sphere. Otherwise, "engine" usually refers to something like a car engine.
- EpicEng 12y ago
  That's a bold claim. I have been writing software for more than a decade and I still associate "free" with "no monetary cost".
  - hasenj 12y ago
    Are you talking about the product or the source code?
    - EpicEng 12y ago
      As in beer, so, the product. Having source code is great, but when I'm trying to get something done I don't really care about e.g. the EFF's moral stance.
hawleyal 12y ago
It's actually not. It has a very restricted license, and you have to sign up to get the source. So it's not free software or open source.

drostie 12y ago

Yeah; the initial title said "is now Free", suggesting by lack of capitalization of "now" and capitalization of "Free" that it was being open-sourced. I'm glad that the edited title uses lowercase for that word.

Argorak 12y ago

I don't see the reason for downvotes. The parent's sentiment is pointed, but has merit. It's initially doesn't cost anything, but if you want to charge for a game, it costs you. You also don't get many freedoms along with it, you gain no rights on the code and are bound to whatever Epic comes up with later.

morganvachon 12y ago
> It's initially doesn't cost anything, but if you want to charge for a game, it costs you. That's just it though; if you wanted to use this to make a completely free GNU/Linux game, you could, without ever paying a cent to Epic. If you do decide to make a game for profit, it's only when you "make it" that you have to pay for your tools. I see it as a fair and equitable arrangement, where both sides profit if and only if the developer is successful.
- bumblebeard 12y ago
  Is the source code actually free though? For example, could I redistribute the source code myself and not take any revenue from the people I distributed it to? Could I make some changes to the engine and redistribute it? How would the revenue sharing work if I did something like that and someone using my version of the engine started making money using it? I'm glad there's another no-cost video game engine available, but I don't think it qualifies as free software in the Free Software Foundation sense of the word free. I haven't seen the actual license though, so maybe it is actually free. It would be awesome if it was.
  - morganvachon 12y ago
    Sorry, I should have clarified; I didn't use the capital-F "Free" because I was speaking strictly in terms of money. I honestly don't have a clue what the redistribution rights are either, I just think it's cool there's a professional level, tried and tested, modern game engine available to build games that target GNU/Linux. I'm excited to see what comes of it over the next few years.
robotresearcher 12y ago

ctdonath 12y ago

You make money with it, you give them a fair share. Entry cost is $0. They'll ignore the first $3000 gross because hassling lots of "little people" for under $150 isn't worth the hassle for anyone. Pretty amazing, really. I've been in graphics since just drawing a line on the screen of a $6000 (2015 dollars) computer was a big deal for a beginner; now you can get a seriously robust graphics engine for no cost, develop on a week's-pay cheap computer, and publish for $50 per $1000 revenue after you make enough to bother paying for. No reason to whine, save for the sake of whining. You can still start with gcc if you like. ETA: per another current thread, you can get a suitable Linux workstation for $89 http://symplepc.com/blogs/news/16853255-symple-introduces-the-89-planet-friendly-ubuntu-linux-web-workstation http://symplepc.com/blogs/news/16853255-symple-introduces-th... Tack on a USB monitor for another $89, and you can write the Next Big FPS for $178 plus 5% of meaningful revenue.

gnufied 12y ago
> For developing with UE4, we recommend a desktop PC with Windows 7 64-bit or a Mac with Mac OS X 10.9.2 or later, 8 GB RAM and a quad-core Intel or AMD processor, and a DX11 compatible video card. UE4 will run on desktops and laptops below these recommendations, but performance may be limited.
- ctdonath 12y ago
  "Recommend". If you're trying to develop as close to "free" as possible, "performance may be limited." (I'm often puzzled that when I suggest a nigh-unto-free solution to a problem, someone usually complains some form of "but that's not optimal!" Of course it's not optimal if you're not willing to put substantial resources into it. Just because the solution isn't perfect doesn't mean there isn't one; do what you can with what you've got, and you'll make progress toward perfection.)
  - esrauch 12y ago
    I think the point is that it is going to be worse than just laggy UI, it's going to be very painful if you try to use that computer for developing using UE4. Which isn't to discourage people, there is a lot you can do with that kind of mid tier machine, but you are probably much better off trying to something else than UE4.

chippy 12y ago

for an open source (MIT licensed) engine that also works in Linux http://www.godotengine.org/wp/ http://www.godotengine.org/wp/

tsotha 12y ago

It's free to the 99.99% of people who "have this great idea for a killer game" but never get beyond the first baby steps.