Casual Game Engines
description
Transcript of Casual Game Engines
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Why Lil’ Ol’ Me? iWin As Web Developer
• Java Applets• Flash
iWin As Downloadable Developer• Homegrown Framework: SDL/DirectX• Flash• PC/Mac• Multiplayer
iWin As Publisher• Popcap• BlitzBasic• Torque 3D• Orbital
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A Buncha Technologies Flash Shockwave Silverlite Java C# C++ Basic Delphi
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A Fistful of Frameworks BlitzBasic VirTools Torque DarkBASIC Playground SDK PopCap Framework SDL DirectX
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In 20 Minutes! Yeah, Right.
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WHAT METAPHOR?
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Cars?
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DirectX/SDL
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PopCap
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Playground SDK
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Java
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Unreal Engine
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Celebrities?
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Flash
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Torque
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C#
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Python
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Found It!
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Formalism == C# Post-Structuralism == C++ Marxism/Feminism == Flash New Historicism == BlitzBASIC Deconstructionism == DirectX Psychoanalysis == Java
Literary Theories!
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HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS
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Flash CS3 $700 Vector-Based Movie clips and timelines (Visual OOP) MP3 support, embedded markers, etc. ActionScript (like JavaScript) Flash 8 improved math/rendering speed Window, Mac, Linux, Mobile Phones,
PDAs, all Browsers Artist-Friendly “Real” Programmers Rare/Expensive
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Flash Gotchas Great Prototype Tool Horrible GUI for Coding (use Eclipse) Painful Debugging Must write C++ wrapper for EXE
• Fullscreen Support• Right click handling• Logs• Support for other graphic/audio formats• Writing to disk
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Flash Tricks Embed flash in C++ using f-in-box
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Flash
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Director/Shockwave $1,200 Lingo or JavaScript/ ECMAScript Good for Downloadable
(Windows/Mac) OK for Web Games – Poor Penetration Good 2D sprite manipulation Strong audio support (streaming,
panning, embedded markers,etc.) Real time 3D (Shockwave3D) Havok physics engine Flash support Can expand with C++ XTras
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Silverlight Web-focused Runs atop Visual Studio 2008 AJAX, VB, C#, Python, Ruby Cross-browser/platform (but Windows
focused) Poor penetration Unproven
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Java Highly portable (Any browser, PC,
Mac, Linux, Mobile) < 90% browser penetration Version headaches Desktop use requires large JDK
download. Poor 2D library Java3D API Can be work w/ C++ using JNI
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C# C++-like Language w/Java Features Microsoft’s Visual Studio Huge .NET Runtime Download (19MB) Vista/XP Focus
C#: Install huge .NET RuntimeSoon? Static .NET Linker/
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XNA Game Studio 2.0 Express is Free For students, hobbyists, indies. Based on Visual C# Express 2005 Windows (XP SP2 only) and Xbox 360
C#: Install huge .NET RuntimeSoon? Static .NET Linker/
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BASIC/Delphi/Other… BASIC Delphi Phython and PhyGame PHP … Assembly Language
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C++ Many seasoned programmers out
there Need to be a “serious” coder Fast, flexible, robust Best IDE: Visual Studio 2008 Many cheap/free frameworks Won’t work in browser (except
ActiveX)
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Majority of Hits Are C++
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(Director!)
But Not All…
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*Based on 50 of the best selling games in Real Arcade from 2004-2006
Frameworks Vary
Director10%
PopCap6%
BlitzBasic2% Flash
2%Torque
2%
C++68%
Delphi10%
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ENTER THE MATRIX
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The Basics Deal with Mouse/Keyboard Input Draw Animated Sprites Write Text With Fonts Play Music and Sound FX Resource Loading
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“Hard” Features Matrix Price (Upfront + License) Runtime Performance Min Sys Reqs Size Dev Support and Documentation Vista Support Unicode Support Cross Platform (Mac, XBLA, Mobile) Localization Tools Other Tools
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“Medium” Features Matrix
3D Acceleration Vector Support Flash Support 3D Model Support Scalable Fonts Multiplayer Scripting Languages Particle Systems Encryption or Obfuscation of Assets
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“Soft” Features Matrix Learning Curve Known Bugs Custom Coding Required Different Game Genre Support Performance of Your Game Proven?
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THE FRAMEWORKS
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$80 Basic/C Hybrid (Arrays, Pointers, OOP) Windows/Mac/Linux Modular Design Own IDE/Debugger OpenGL Support Lots of Source Code Also Blitz3D Good for Beginners
BlitzMax
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Torque Game Builder 1.7 $100 Hardware Accel SceneGraph Driven Parallax Scrolling / Layers / Camera Advanced Physics/Collision System Tools Up the Wazoo
• Tile Editor• LinkPoint Editor / Collision Polygon Editor• Particle Editor• GUI Editor• Level Editor
Windows, Linux, or Mac OSX Multiplayer with TorqueNet Lite Script in TorqueScript (TGE)
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Playground SDK Free! DinerDash 2 (& Other PlayFirst Games) Easy-to-use, Developer Friendly API Hardware Acceleration / 3D / Flash Particle System Lua Script Support Cross-Platform (Mac, Web) Powerful Localization Compact Runtime Documentation / Community Support
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Sexy Framework Free (Just credit Popcap) Used In: Bejewelled, Zuma, etc. DirectX 5.0 Windows Only (98 to Vista) FMOD and BASS sound engines. Hardware Acceleration Option Easy Image Manipulation “Widget” Metaphor Memory Leak / Smart Pointers Performance Profiling Routines Sample Apps
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Home Grown SDL Free cross-platform multi-media
development API Graphics / Video Control Input / Events Audio / CD-ROM audio Threads Timers Win32/Linux/BeOS/~MacOS
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Home Grown DirectX Versions 5.0 to 10.0
• Features Vs. Penetration• Win98/Me = DX7.0• XP = DX8.0• My Advice? Stick to 7.0 or 8.0
Well-Tested Code Your Way
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THE BOTTOM LINE
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(Almost)
Framework Doesn’t Matter!
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Prototyping? Web Only? Mobile Only? Full Cross-Platform Play?
Know Your Purpose
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This ain’t rocket science.• Polygons? Frames Per Second? Resolutions?• Polymorphic 3D surround sound?• Gesture based vibrating controller?
Publishers (usually) don’t care
Players won’t know (unless they can’t play)
For 2D puzzle game, easy switching cost
Know Your Game
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Programmers ain’t bitching. Artists don’t have to code. Designers can find fun fast. Biz team can maximize profits.
Good Framework If…
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2D Downloadable Game? Don’t roll your own!
Bugs are inevitable:• Proven || Strong_Support || Open_Source
Easy to get started. No special knowledge. Easy to expand and write tools.
My Recommendation
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Take a Picture Now!Casual Games SIG/Whitepaper/Technologyhttp://www.igda.org/wiki/Casual_Games_SIG/Whitepaper/Technology
Development Platforms for Casual GamesBy Phil Steinmeyer http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050324/steinmeyer_pfv.htm
What About Flash? Can We Really Make Games With It?By Scott Bilashttp://www.drizzle.com/~scottb/gdc/flash-paper.htm
Casual Games Technology SurveyBy James Smithhttp://www.igda.org/casual/quarterly/2_1/index.php?id=8
Technology Face-Off Panel from Last Year’s Summithttp://www.casualgamessummit.com/presentations/
presentations.html
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G’luck! Want the Matrix or Links?
• See Handout!
• e-mail me at [email protected]
• www.casualgamessummit.com
• Casual Games Whitepaper