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Game Engine

The document discusses game engines, describing them as core software components that provide underlying technologies like graphics rendering, physics, sound, scripting, and networking to simplify game development. Game engines offer advantages like reduced development time and cross-platform support but also disadvantages like lack of control over features and dependence on other licensed technologies. Key components of a typical game engine architecture include graphics, sound, physics, AI, and scripting engines as well as hardware abstraction and user interface layers.

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494 views20 pages

Game Engine

The document discusses game engines, describing them as core software components that provide underlying technologies like graphics rendering, physics, sound, scripting, and networking to simplify game development. Game engines offer advantages like reduced development time and cross-platform support but also disadvantages like lack of control over features and dependence on other licensed technologies. Key components of a typical game engine architecture include graphics, sound, physics, AI, and scripting engines as well as hardware abstraction and user interface layers.

Uploaded by

ranpan34
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Overview

Game Engines
Commercial Open source

Game Engine Architecture


Physics, AI, Graphics, etc.

What is a Game Engine?


A game engine is the core software component of a computer or video game or other interactive application with real-time graphics Term Game engine was coined in the mid-1990s due to the development of first person shooters

What is a Game Engine?


Main goals of a game engine: Provide for underlying technologies Graphics Rendering Physics engine Sound Scripting Animation Artificial Intelligence Networking Simplify development process Run on multiple platforms
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Advantages and Disadvantages

Why use a game engine: Less development time required Less testing and debugging Many features directly available Better focus on the game design Why not use a game engine: No control over the implementation of features Adding features not yet in the game engine might be cumbersome Dependent on other licensing scheme for release Other libraries/toolkits linked with the game engine (physics, AI)

The Game Loop

A game is a real-time interactive application Three tasks that run concurrently:


Recompute the state of the world The player interacts with the world The resulting state must be presented to the user (graphics, sound, etc.)

Your Game Game Engine API

Graphics Engine

Sound Engine

Physics Engine

AI Engine

Scripting Engine

Hardware Abstraction Layer DirectX, OpenGL, Hardware Layer sound card, graphics card (physics card, AI card)

Hardware Layer

Physical Graphics card Sound card Physics card Input devices (keyboard, mouse, joysticks, game pads, steering wheels, )

Drivers
Low level interface 9

Hardware Abstraction Layer

DirectX HAL Components DirectDraw, Direct3D DirectSound, DirectMusic DirectInput, DirectPlay (DirectSetup) Still low level routines OpenGL Others

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User Interface

Rather simple Monitors input devices and buffers any data received Displays menus and online help (can nowadays be pretty complex) Should be reusable, especially as a part of a game engine

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Graphics Engine

Higher level interface, tuned to a particular graphics and game type Sprite-based Isometric Full 3D Can deal with higher level modeling concepts Sprites Solids Characters (articulated)

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Graphics Engine

Handles more complicated display aspects Mini map Multiple views Overlays Special effects Some of these engines are for sale or available on the web Often remade or heavily tuned for each game Too much time and money is spent on this

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Sound Engine

Function of sound
Effects to enhance reality Ambience Clues about what to do Clues about what is about to happen Sound formats Wave (high quality, lots of memory, fast) MP3 (high quality, compressed, slower) Midi (lower quality, very low storage, limited, adaptable) CD (Very high quality, fast, limited to background music)

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Gameplay click here

AI Engine

Behaviour & interaction (dialogue) scripts


Especially in adventure games

Flocking Obstacle avoidance Attack strategies


Hiding Attacking player as a team of enemies

Decision making Path planning


Search algorithms Waypoint networks

Crowd behaviours
Panic, riots,

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Gameplay click here

Physics Engine

Handles the simulation of the world Collisions Terrain changes Waves in the sea Explosions Object destruction Limited or non-existent in simple games

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Physics Engine

Physics hardware
NVidia/Ageia PhysX

Physics is more and more integrated into the gameplay and game subsystems Physics-based animation Interaction with objects using physics

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Scripting Engine

Scripting languages in game engines:

Advantages: Easy control of many (or all) features in the game engine Scripting language often provides full control Promotes data-driven design
Disadvantages: Performance Development support tools Learning curve

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Scripting Engine

What belongs in a script and what belongs in the engine?


Graphics Rendering Shadows/Lighting Occlusion Culling Physics Dynamics Collision detection Raycasts AI Pathfinding Fuzzy controllers Planning/A* search 19 Graphics Time-of-Day Add/Remove lights Loading/moving objects Physics Object mass/friction Collision events Raycasts events AI Path selection Decision making Goals/objectives

ENGINE

SCRIPT

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