Engines

Glest is more than just a game, it is a 3D RTS engine, meaning it can be customized based on the mods used to create the feeling of an entirely different game. Combined with the open-source nature of Glest, this makes it highly versatile. However, the original Glest fork is no longer being developed, with development having instead spread to the MegaGlest and Glest Advanced Engine forks. These two forks expand further on what Glest had, and add new features, making them the most common choice of development for modders today.

MegaGlest

MegaGlest is the most recent fork, having been developed by Titi largely as a method of exploring new particle systems and expanded multiplayer. It features unit particle systems (that is, particles that are always on while the unit is doing something. For example, smoke from a chimney), a master server, background loading images that vary by faction and scenario, and more.

Glest Advanced Engine

Glest Advanced Engine, or GAE, was the first fork to have been developed for Glest, and still in active development. While it cannot lay claim to a master server, it has more gameplay features, such as Auto-repair, effects, emanations, and water units.

Comparison of the Engines

Category	Glest	MegaGlest	Glest Advanced Engine
Multiplayer	3 IP Address	1 Master server, LAN, or IP Address	2 LAN or IP Address
Unit Particle Effects	3 No	1 Yes	1 Yes
Maximum Players	2 4	1 8	1 8
AI Difficulty Levels	2 Normal, Ultra	1 Easy, Normal, Ultra, Mega	1 Easy, Normal, Ultra, Mega
Lua Scripting	2 Basic	1 Expanded	1 Furthest Expanded + Dedicated console
AI Difficulty Levels	2 Normal, Ultra	1 Easy, Normal, Ultra, Mega	1 Easy, Normal, Ultra, Mega
Image Format Support	2 BMP, TGA	1 BMP, TGA, PNG, JPG	1 BMP, TGA, PNG
AI Difficulty Levels	2 Normal, Ultra	1 Easy, Normal, Ultra, Mega	1 Easy, Normal, Ultra, Mega
Faction Loading	2 Loads all factions	1 Only loads used factions	1 Only loads used factions
"Addons"	3 None	2 Mydata folder	1 Addons folder, can be compressed
Command Queuing	3 None	1 Control + Click	1 Shift + Click
Control of Fog of War	2 Turn on or off only	1 Can toggle off Fog of War and Shroud of Darkness individually	1 Can toggle off Fog of War and Shroud of Darkness individually
Control of Fog of War	2 Turn on or off only	1 Can toggle off Fog of War and Shroud of Darkness individually	1 Can toggle off Fog of War and Shroud of Darkness individually
Fields	2 Land, Air	2 Land, Air	1 Land, Air, Water, Deep Water, Amphibious
Multiplayer Chat	2 In-game only	1 Pre-game IRC and in-game	2 In-game only
Transport Units	3 No	3 No	1 Yes
Emanations / Effects	3 No	3 No	1 Yes
Teleporting	3 No	3 No	1 Yes
Stealth	3 No	3 No	1 Yes
Command Line Options	3 No	1 Expanded	2 Limited
Unit Leveling System	2 Set increments	2 Set increments	1 Modifiable, fixes attacking own units bug
Path Finder	2 A*	1 A* and Experimental	1 A* and Experimental
Subfactions	3 No	3 No	1 Yes
Per-faction Loading Screens	3 No	1 Yes	3 No
Faction Logos	3 No	1 Before-game only	1 During-game only
Normal Maps and Shaders	3 No	3 No	1 Yes
GUI	2 Standard	2 Same as regular Glest	1 Expanded
Pets and Masters	3 No	3 No	1 Yes
Normal Maps and Shaders	3 No	3 No	1 Yes
Faction Music	2 One per faction	2 One per faction	1 Multiple per faction + Shuffle
Guard / Patrol	3 No	3 No	1 Yes
Auto-repair / Auto-return	3 No	3 No	1 Yes
Saving and Loading Games	3 No	3 No	1 Yes
Observer Mode	3 No	1 Yes	3 No

See Also

• Glest
• MegaGlest
• Glest Advanced Engine