Wow, I've been hanging out on the lwjgl forum for years now and never knew about this project. I must have missed it.
Anyway, I've been desperately looking for a solid 3D java engine for my next game (I wrote my last engine from scratch, and would prefer to focus on content this next time around). Before diving into jPCT though, I have a few questions/issues:
I'm a little nervous about not having access to the source code (the infamous, "what happens if you got hit by a bus?" question arises). But more importantly, how long do you plan on supporting your engine? I know some projects come and go and occasionally die quietly in the night. What's your future plans for jPCT?
How do you recommend implementing sound with your engine? Sound is logically attached to spatial orientation and position, so it's kind of hard to separate the two. I noticed a sound project in the project forum... is that "officially" supported, regularly updated, and stable?
Does your engine automatically sort for render order (to get translucent objects rendered correctly)? And does it filter out the drawing of items offscreen? Or do we implement this ourselves?
Does your engine have physics? I noticed the Bullet demo, but couldn't find information on whether or not the physics are built into your engine.
Does your engine support cel shading? (or other types of shading for that matter)
Does your engine automatically detect whether VBOs (or whatever) are supported by the local drivers and automatically adjust tactics? (I hate Intel graphic chips, but understand that I have to live with them).
Any answers are appreciated! I feel like I've been searching for a while for a good foundation to work off of. I kept going back to jME only to be frustrated by their "everything and the kitchen sink without documentation" approach. If jPCT doesn't work out, I'll have to spend the next year or so building up my own "from-scratch" engine to do what I want, so please, "Help me Obewan, you're my only hope!"