My project am i on the right track?

General Discussion
1

first of all im a teenager which makes this whole thing very difficult for. although i am considered smart and i know some python and c++ and loads of html work this is still a big challenge as i have to go to school from 9:007 to 3:17 leaving little time for game production except on my leisure

sorry for bad grammer and spelling i did not want to spend hours writing this

I have been working with panda for a couple of months now and im hoping to start working on my project soon and i decided it would be a good idea to ask if Panda 3d can support some of the ideas im thinking about.

first of all i have done some research i have had my hopes crushed already so dont be afraid to do it to me again criticisim is welecome 9just be prepared to support your arguments). before i did some research and actually started working with game creation prgrams i thought i could make a game like world of warcraft on my own in under a year without paying a cent. so straight away i began to think of ideas for a game like quests classes etc. ( i know very stupid and totally guranteed to fail).
Now i know the basic facts and i have gotten a team together of about 20 people (although more are welecome)
this team contains programers (not huge experience just mild c++ python javascript and basic plus lots of work with html)
graphic designers ( also nothing special simply people who have used blender , softimage xsi makehuman and gimp , they are also fairly fammiliar with all of them) i have peple who are great with ideas , beta testers html designer and people who are willing to do customer service plus surveys of what people want etc

the programs i have and want to use to create my projects are:

Panda3d
source engine ( for non mmorpg games if i eventually create mmorpgs)
blender 3d
makehuman
gimp
softimage mod tool( eventuall softimage xsi)
python
Pype
notepad++
visual basic studio
arcane fx (will buy if compatiable with panda)

Now , what i want to create

basically the team have not created anything major yet just graphics and simple scripts . im having regular meetings and online sessions.
what i am planing to do is to create lots of simple games then go on to basic mini-games ( i already have a website owner wanting to buy these games for his site when created, we should get about $50 from this so we can buy some basic special effects prgrams). as the games get more complex the team have to work harder and more serious skill is required. this will also improve the skills of my team to prepare us for our first major project ( which is nothing too dramatic or so i believe, simple but intresting and i know loads of people hoping to buy it which should get around $100 in total) the project is a basic one player 3d game based on roman wars and mainly , the destruction of pompeii.

after that the team will create a multiplayer (about 24 players at once so obviously a room server system) futuristic shooter with an rpg twist with overdone special effects ( as much as we can do) we are hping to sell hard copies of this game

after a couple of projects in between including bleeding diamondz ( something i have been talking about for ages as the storyline is sensational) we are hoping to create an mmorpg although we should have a larger team and bigger funds by then. i will also use my own budget to invest in more graphics programs. the mmorpg is to hard to describe here but it is serious business.

Now here are the main questions
can panda3D do this in minimal time (compared to other free engines), how many players can the server handle, im currently thinking about writing in python is this a good idea?
have i picked the right programs?

I am under 18 in Australia can i sell games without breaking the law or risking someone copying my work ( i may be 18 by the time i create mmorpg)

please post any ideas to help me createa this

criticisim welcome

any help or knowledge welcome

also what can be done to speed up game speed im worried Panda 3d in python wont be able to handle large games fast enough

i am willing to spend years working my butt of and pay about $200 and when i am older possibly $20,000

i know this is planning far ahead in the future which is why i wanted to check that panda3d can do this

2

panda can do pretty much everything. the only limits are you, your hardware, your knowledge ,and your free time. panda doesnt restrict you software-wise, unlike many engines you find in game-creation-bundles. so as long as your code can handle it, you have no limits.
you dont need to spend a single cent on software to create great games. all the tools you need are open-source already.

creating mini-games is a good way to start.
i read the string “mmorpg” again and again. and no you dont need any money to write them either. you need money to pay the servers :stuck_out_tongue:. means. you wont need money until your game is really ready to be played by people.
if you seriously try to develop you should focus on the server. panda can handle the clients at ease. or at least. comparebly easy to the server.

since there was quite a lot of requests i decided on putting together a small
“how to manage many players in games”-animation which shows basic usage of zone-systems, pageing and things like that. wont have time to start with it until end of next week but might be intresting for you.

aside from the mmo and money thing your approach doesnt sound half as bad. start with mini-games. there was a network-sample released on the forum. it should be quite easy to write a online RPG with 16 players. with some network-code optimisations even 60 are no problem. you’ll see quite soon how many players your code can handle, and where improvements are required.
learning by doing, and always do only one small thing at the time, in the end, thats the fastest way to your desired results