I'd love for this to happen but I don't think it's possible. Too many different coding styles and experience levels.
True, but those are issues that you'll encounter regardless, and is exactly why something like this should be done. The more different styles that are around the more difficult it becomes to implement each others engines, its a problem that can only get worse and at some stage creating engines will become pointless, as the user will become frustrated with all the work he'll have to go though to make them work and will eventually opt out and create his own.
Such easily implementation methods have already been demonstrated in quite a couple of engines already, why do you think TRW's text engines has always remained popular despite the fact there are several others out there that have all these extra features?
Cross compatibility between different GM Versions, easy implementation, no need to change or modify anything, you just have use it.
Time consuming =(. There should really be an engine that includes every item and every move, instead of 99 "Walking engines". At least we'd have something. Different people and different engines wont ever be matched =(.
Because such things are complicated, and if it were a community project would require a great deal of management and people would fight over having their engines in it. Doing it this way provides the user with a choice of which engines they'd want from a multiple of authors. Everything is time consuming, the purpose of this is to encourage/force people to implement such methods, otherwise people will probably opt out over the easier option.
Instead I would recommend that everyone making an engine fill in Game Information text with as many details as possible about how to install it, what can be edited, possible issues, etc.
And then just, try your best when making it to consider things that might interfere with other parts of the game. And avoid them as much as you can.
Doing that will only work to a limited extent, as you said, there's too many coding styles and experience, installing/editing it will be different depending on the coding style being used as well as the level at which the coder whose created the engine will be able to document their own engine will differ depending on their experience.
Standardizing Implementation methods will inherently ensure that the user will not have to go to that extend as all engines will be installed in the same way and you can be assured that the documentation for the standard will provide enough information in the case for edits or otherwise.
