A while back, I had this clever idea to use the half-life engine and world editor to design my neighborhood (or at least my house) in half-life or counterstrike. I fiddled with it for a while and ended up abandoning the project since I had so much stuff going on in life. School, work (three different jobs), etc., etc.

After fiddling with 3dsMax3.5 on my computer for a while, I decided it would be fun to take up the project again, but instead of using the half-life engine, I've been directed to the unreal engine, which allows for walking, driving, and flying, which is super cool. I've never played unreal, but I hear it's one of the best first-person shooters out there, and there's TONS of resources for developing. Combine that with the 3d program Maya (version 6 has a free "student" version I can download), and I might just be set to create to my heart's desire.

I would like to build my house, first. I like the idea of super-personalized games. I just want to run around in my own house, kick things around, and see what my house looks like from inside a video game. After that, I might branch out into my neighborhood... but I'm not sure what this game engine can handle. Maybe I'll build in transporters or something that'll let you go from one section of neighborhood to another. haha... rad.