Personally I prefer how Need for Speed Underground (1&2) have the copyright noticed for the Songs they've used in-game.
On the main menu screen you have a small splash at the bottom which pops up every 2minutes.
As from what I understand it, FPSC will build the project completely; it might be an idea to add something like that into it. Perhaps a Gun that pops up and shoots out the title FPSC, and underneath a nice clean website address or copyright notice.
From previous versions of DarkBasic/Professional, and 3D Game Maker, really I think you need a non-instrusive method like that; As it is a constant reminder that it isn't a paid version, but at the same time would blend nicely rather than stick out.
Sort of like a Subliminal Message after a while
I'd also recommend the Artist doing it, because honestly as it stands, i'm not too keen on the current FPSC Logo; or any of the Splashs from previous products. Remember your trying to capture a mass audience rather than a nitché, so you want everything to scream QUALITY; rather than the real information you want people to see.
I mean if you don't add a webaddress, and some corney thing like 'want to see more?' there, it feels like like some annoying popup advert you want the IE Toolbar to kickin' and block; and more like 'wow... so what is this First Person Shooter Creator, and why is it's logo so cool!?'
People know how to use a Search Engine, it'll help to establish it as a professional product rather than a budget product.
Actually I would say this goes double for the website itself right now; you've used flash for it.. which is alright, but really it has been used like a Uni student would use it. There is nothing there which couldn't have been done with some half-decent html/javascript coding to be honest.
Flash is an extremely powerful tool, you want to make sure you use it to give people a real taste of what they'd be getting in to.
Further more, while I've seen some comments from Simon about the artwork provided; giving people a huge choice of models and styles is a nice idea, but again; you want this to cater to the masses not the hobbiests.
While coders with no desernable art skills will be happy with DirectX7 / Playstation-equse models, the every day punter is used to the GameCube / X-Box / Playstation2 titles... Even more over they will be looking for Doom3, FarCry and Half-Life graphics.
While this is a little unrealistic on a large scale, I think it would probably be a good idea to make more generic stuff.
As you said, the end-user can add whatever models he/she wishs to later...
Right now, the models look sub-Quake3. This isn't a knock on the skills here, but more that perhaps TOO much thought is being taken that the end-user is going to want a HUGE choice of models.
I have always found the thing which takes the longest is Animation, Rigging and the actual Animating itself. Mesh usually take a day, maybe 2 depending on the complexity. Skins can also take 2-3days each.
What you want to do is create a bunch of humanoids who can all use basically the same Skeleton; and use a Skeletal animation format.
Just create a bunch of generic animations the end-user can attach to any character (perhaps one for females and one for males).
You add maybe 2/3 variations of a male/female base model, then you could 'update' with clothes. You'd be surprised just how large a selection of models you can create by consolidating resources.
That way packages like DarkMatter and DarkMatter 2 wouldn't have to be so... sparse.
Remember once people have bought the package you can then always release model packs, for extra: Weapons, Models + Visual Hand Models, etc...
I mean if the model is high-quality enough, like the ones Doom3 have; you can totally forgo thinking about the visual hands, becuase you can simple load that model into the memory and hey-presto instant arms without having to create a seperate model.
Shaders ARE important too. Really I know you've let DBPs lapse with only limited support for them, but they are PARAMOUNT for modern games, and that is what someone is going to want to create nowadays.
They want Doom3 and FarCry... although DBP can't give people that without ALOT of work, FPSC should be an optimised engine capable of similar graphics. I'm not saying that exact quality, but without really pushing some graphical capabilities of Dark Basic Professional; this product will fall into the same limited market.
I know damn well DBP is currently capable of some truely remarkable graphics utilising shaders, it doesn't run them anywhere as fast as DirectX (which is very unfortunate) but some well designed 1.1 and 2.0 Shaders specially optimised could do the trick for
Water/Reflections/Refractions/Field of Depth/Fog/Screen Effects/Metallics/Shadows
FX Composer and NVSDK 8.0 both come with a broad selection of standard shaders which could be adapted and made as standard features.
DBPs don't work simply for the fact they are too limited, as they are literally plug'n'play Shaders, but someone using FPSC will want the shader to work without tweaking; or have minor control over altering it's setup.
Also on the point of the Editor, I hope your going to include a selection of 2D views. As I know when I'm using GTKRadiant, and the level starts getting to complex the program will slug my machine until I either lower the visual range or turn off the rendering.
While a 3D editing views are nice, it may become too demanding for low-end systems to be exclusively a 3D view.
