Recently, a new version of FPS Creator was announced and to be named "First Person Game Creator" (FPGC). It would be a version of FPS Creator without guns, violence, or blood of any kind and will be more geared towards young users and puzzle/adventure games.
It will be similar to FPS Creator, but everything which could be inappropriate for a younger audience has been removed. This includes guns, blood, violence, and damage HUDs. New features will be implemented which will make the FPGC more accessible to people who want to create adventure, puzzle, and educational games.
These features have been taken from a list founded here: http://code.google.com/p/fpscreatorengine/source/browse/trunk/readme.txt
Please note: Current feature list is messy and disorganised as it has been taken straight from Lee's list. I will clean it up over time.
New Features
Controller Hints to show which keys a user can press -
COMPLETE
Mouse buttons reversed so left clicking will pickup/drop an entity -
COMPLETE
Mouse Sensitivity flag added to SETUP.INI -
COMPLETE
Wrench feature added which can be used to fix broken doors -
COMPLETE
New sounds -
COMPLETE
Removed any additional references to guns and ammo from the interface and arena -
COMPLETE
New "Art Mode" Feature -
COMPLETE
New Map Editor Visuals -
COMPLETE
Dropping Equipment/Items -
COMPLETE
Removed ALT-TAB bug where the game is not visible -
COMPLETE
Added HASEQUIPMENT to mirror HASWEAPON so characters can hold equipment instead of weapons -
COMPLETE
Added new WEBLINK action as part of NEWMEDIAINZONE.FPI (used by MEDIA ZONE) to launch web links -
COMPLETE
Added warning bar when user is putting too many entities down -
COMPLETE
MORE FEATURES TO BE REVEALED
UPDATE 02/04/2010
According to the GoogleCode changelist, some new features have been added/issues sorted out. The list is below:
* Ensured pointer does not move irratically if no controller is plugged in
* Added code to include PS2.0 and CONTROLLER HINT files to a final build
* Added new level called CANDLE.FPM which demonstrates candle and alienglobe
* Finished off DECAL BASED PARTICLE support inside DECALSPEC.TXT (alienglobe)
* Added extra functionality to add DECAL MODE 7 (particle fragments), used for candle flame/fire/etc
* Fixed several WW2 switches that where rotated 180 degrees (suspect new matrix calc with pivot!)
* Converted all LIGHT entity media to use new entitylight type (geoemtry+light source)
* Issue of some WW2 switches being double rotated on the pivot. Corrected X models.
* Added LIGHTOFFSETUP and LIGHTOFFSETZ to control position of light relative to entity
* Added new ISMARKER=5 for FPE to create a special EntityLight (Entity with lightsource)
It looks as if FPGC is going to get the same graphical features as FPS Creator, including PS2.0 shaders and the particle system. It also looks like a different lighting method will be involved, based on all like entities being converted to entitylight types.
UPDATE 03/04/10
Lee has kindly answered some questions about the First Person Game Creator.
1. What made you decide to come up with the idea of FPGC?
LEE: We had an increasing number of schools and universities that wanted to use FPSC, liked it a lot, but because it had blood and weapons they felt parents would not like their kids being taught using violent content. We decided to strip them out, add some other nice things to replace it and create an educational product variant. We also wanted FPGC and FPSC to be the same engine, just a few flags and media changes, which means one product benefits the other as we develop.
2. Will FPSC and FPGC be two seperate programs, or a single program where modes can be toggled?
LEE: They are two separate products, with different media and some flag changes. They are essentially the same EXE though 
3. Will FPGC have any features which set it apart from FPS Creator?
LEE: If anything, FPGC will be a dumb downed version so a better question would be are there any features FPSC has that FPGC does not have. For example there is no need for weapons so no need for ammo, gun settings, blood, rag doll, the list goes on. All the story telling stuff like talking characters naturally make it into FPSC as it's the same engine but the media might not be the same, but essentially FPSC will get 98% of everything FPGC has, minus some of the media.
4. What do you hope the future of FPGC will be?
LEE: If we can make it an established tool for teaching kids how to create games, focusing on good level design, good story telling skills, understanding the dynamics of game logic, difficulty curves and also bringing external content into their projects, then I think FPGC will have achieved it's purpose. Kids love playing games, and if you can get that kind of motivation in the class room then you have a room full of self-motivating eager students ready to learn more, which is the lifelong dream of every teacher. What separates FPGC from the other offerings is the level of ease with which you can create something and the quality of the games you can create by the end of the course.
Thanks for your time, and all the good work you're putting into the engines
LEE: Thanks, we try
What do you think of the new variation of FPS Creator? Will you use it? Do you think it will be successful?
[b]FPSC MIGRATION: http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=142497&b=21
