v2.7 isn't "official" per se, rather it's being developed by tSB, almost like an offshoot project.

v2.7 is maintaining the same kind of features as WinV2 (and Verge in general) but implementing them differently and adding new things like free movement and lots of graphical goodness!

v2.7 uses Python because tSB said so! ;)

WinV2 doesn't [currently] have some of the abilities that v2.7 does, but it has others that v2.7 doesn't (so I understand, anyway).

So here's the summary:

v2.7 equals Python, equals programming mecca for people with object-oriented experience or knowledge. If you can understand OOP (which isn't too difficult) this is probably best.

WinV2 equals Windows port of VC-based V2, being more like C++. If you know C++ or any near variant, this is the way to go because Python will be more confusing and you'll actually have to work to learn it ^_^

Since you said you have no programming knowledge whatsoever, I would go with a VC-based engine because there's more docs available so you can learn easier. Of course, there's a billion docs available on Python on its official site, but that's heavy programmer stuff, not nice Verge-specific scripting, and there's a LOT to wade through the find what you need.

My recommendation to you [and all newbies from this point forward] is to download WinVerge 0.99 from this site's verge1 engine files section, and read those docs. They're the most complete around, albiet for Verge 1, which is still pretty cool and powerful and easy-to-use. When you're all nice and comfy with VC, if you feel the need for the extra functionality of WinV2, move up. You'll pick up the nuances of the new version in a day or less since you already know VC.

V2 (any incarnation) just doesn't provide enough docs to get started if you don't know _any_ VC or programming theory at all.

That is all.

--invicticide
P.S. Sorry if that was a little messy O_o

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Map artists, programmers, and MOD trackers, email invicticide@yahoo.com to get in on the greatest RPG project of all time! WE WANT TALENT!!! (This project is no longer in Verge, but your help is still welcome!) http://www.angelfire.com/rpg/invic

Well, you're right in that probably the key difference, some might say, between WinV2 and v2.7 is that WV2 is VergeC-based and that v2.7 is based on Python.

There are actually numerous design decisions that andy made in creating v2.7 where he and I simply have a) a different vision of what direction VERGE should go and b) simply what makes a "cool" engine.

Python is definitely a more complete language than VergeC, I won't dispute that. But if I had picked any scripting language to replace VergeC, python would just about be at the drop-dead bottom of my list, for a variety of reasons I've described before and don't care to get into again. I'll simply conclude that whether or not Python is a "better" or "easier" choice for the VERGE engine is up to debate.

If you want to make a VERGE game right now, v2.7 may be the better choice. WinV2 still needs work, and we're in the process of updating all of the development tools to be windows-friendly. I won't get into a pissing contest with v2.7, I'll simply say there are many people who don't want to use it and, the coolest V2 games to date are all made with VC. That they're all made by the same person is sheer coincidence, I'm sure. ^_~

-vecna

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"A VERBOSE HISTORY OF THE DESIGN OF OMEGA"

We've spent the last three years designing Omega.
That's game system, storyline, characters, and
everything. At first, it started as our idea for
the "perfect RPG," combining the best elements of the
best games and avoiding the worst elements.

We went through lots of RPGs and discussed what we
liked and didn't like, and made a lot of decisions
from that. Going through all that information and
making all those tough decisions is why we've spent
so long designing.

Like I said before, it started as our idea for the
perfect RPG, not an actual game design, but it sort of
evolved from that.

Early in the process I discovered Verge, back in the
day of V1. We thought that maybe we could build our
great RPG in V1. We quickly realized that V1 didn't
have the capabilities to do very much of anything
we planned on (though it is capable of making some
very good RPGs!) So we abandoned that idea.

Shortly thereafter, V2 was announced, and we thought
V2 might be viable. We played the waiting game and
when it finally came out, it too was lacking.

Through a few iterations, V2.6 came about, and I
scripted up a pretty nifty window/menu system that
showed that maybe, just maybe, the engine had the
capabilities we needed. But we ran into a few more
roadblocks as our designed evolved even further.

Python was tempting to us because it was so much more
open than VC in that the entire language was
implemented, standard libs and all. But V2.7 is still
pretty unfinished, and even it, with all its cool
power, is lacking a few key features that we need
to do our design justice.

You see, by this point, we're so attached to our
"perfect RPG" that we absolutely will not settle for
anything less than, well, perfection.

That's probably pretty self-defeating, but at least
we're committed, and that's gotta count for something.

Ultimately, we decided that a proprietary engine is
the only way to go. Another friend of mine, not a
member of the Verge scene in that he's a programmer
and finds scripting too limiting, have been tossing
around another game idea that would implement some
pretty impressive routines that no one has done in
a game yet, like true physics for solids _and_
liquids.

Yeah, I know that one's a pipe dream right now, but
the point is, he's interested in building a cool
game, and he has the knowledge to handle lots of the
technical aspects of both 2D and 3D programming.

I've talked to him about a proprietary engine and he
likes the idea. Now we have to commit our designs
to paper and get to work!

Right now, I'm thinking it'll be a PC release, and
we're messing around with the "standard" RPG interface
a lot. Hopefully, this'll be a genre-bending game,
like Deus Ex, and unlike any RPG you've ever seen ;)

Hopefully.

That is all.

--invicticide

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Map artists, programmers, and MOD trackers, email invicticide@yahoo.com to get in on the greatest RPG project of all time! WE WANT TALENT!!! (This project is no longer in Verge, but your help is still welcome!) http://www.angelfire.com/rpg/invic

That they're all made by the same person is sheer coincidence, I'm sure. ^_~

And yet people continue to deny the existence of my recent(or not) game, which is an RPG that's achieved a level that's close to completion. Phooey.

http://dwl.sourceforge.net

-rpgking

P.S. Zara's games DO rock and are probably what people really want with fangames.

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Out of clutter, find simplicity. -Einstein

My brother and I went through the same discussions over what did and didn't work in every RPG we had played in order to narrow things down to the best elements of the genre. We've been trying different engines for a while as well, (Started with RPGMaker2 and the OHRRPGCE) we've just decided to stick it out until V2.7 is more complete. A custom engine wouldn't do us much good unless we could get a team of super talented modelers and artists to work for us for free, and since the odds of that happening are worse than the odds of us winning the lotto and being able to pay them, we're sticking with 2D. (I feel 3D is only good when done right, although many people seem to feel that even bad 3D is better than 2D. See most PSX/N64 games for example.)

-Devon

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--- Square's making money. We're making art.

The only reason it doesn't pop up in discussions like these are for lack of publicity. I had never heard of DWL before you recently posted an update (like, a month ago or something?)

Also, Zara has this long history of really well-made, popular games with a patently Verge sense of humor, so his name has become something of an icon in Verge society. Yeah, it's unfair ;|

So here's the part where I tell everyone to PLAY DRAGON WARRIOR LEGEND BECAUSE RPGKING ROCKS AND SO DOES HIS GAME. Yeah.

That is all.

--invicticide

P.S. One suggestion on DWL: you move really fast, and it doesn't quite feel like a DW game in that respect. Consider setting the player speed to 3 and see how it goes. Feel free to ignore me at your discretion, as I have no credentials after 3 years of this shit :)

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Map artists, programmers, and MOD trackers, email invicticide@yahoo.com to get in on the greatest RPG project of all time! WE WANT TALENT!!! (This project is no longer in Verge, but your help is still welcome!) http://www.angelfire.com/rpg/invic

Right now, I'm in the process of porting to WinV2 due to v2.6's compatibility issues. I got the same problem you had when I just tried running it as is. After commenting out the intro, I got another problem where I was able to load my savefile, but then the map loads with another black screen. I sent these 2 errors to vecna, and he said they SHOULD be fixed in the next beta.

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Out of clutter, find simplicity. -Einstein

Cool. I look forward to the new release...

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-loretian