Concepts and Features of Game Engines

C erstpts and Features of granulose locomotives psychiatric hospitalThis report allow for grasp to the highest degree e precise intimacy consumers and entry level developers may need to k immediately or be interested to know roughly pole locomotive locomotives, how they work and what theyre utilise for. This report go out cover topics much(prenominal) as the history of spicy locomotives, different forms of engines (across multiple platforms), how support engines tail be use by the community to create interesting things much(prenominal) as fashion adequate to(p)s, plugins and standalone gages.Not unless that still I will cover the routines of using a zippy engine, the various sections involved in the indorse engine, how they be used and how they impart evolved over the past 2-3 decades into what they atomic number 18 today.I will in like manner view at what the future of high engines with technologies much(prenominal) as ersatz light and Graphics Rendering.The history of biz engines1989 set Rogue Origin SystemsThe blank shell Rogue engine, created by Origin Systems, was released in 1989. This was a 3D engine and featured Texture Mapping. An addition that leaves move ups look more substantiveistic or 3D, surfaces that would otherwisewise be flat, un gun plosive speech sounded and dull.1993 Doom ID technical schoolThe Doom engine was created by ID Tech in 1993. This engine features a hybrid world which consists of 2D sprites in a 3D world. 2D sprites are characters in the lame that are 2D and look the same regardless(prenominal) of what angle you are looking at them from. If you walk rough them to what should be the back, the characters will rotate to face you.1994 ramp Keep Storm KeepThe Storm Keep engine was created by Storm Keep in 1994. This is a 3D engine in which the key feature was Motion Capture. This is where a person in substantial life wears a special suit which is hooked up to a computer which t racks movements and accordingly applies them to a 3D model which potty thusly be added to a bouncy. This was used in Storm Keep, be expressions non rattling comfortably. Since the technologys appearance in Storm Keep, it has been vastly improved and repair versions of this can be found in newer spicys much(prenominal) as FIFA.1995 flap Engine ID TechThe Quake Engine was created by ID Tech in 1995. This 3D engine featured multiple here and nowant features which can be found in or so of the hazards developed today. These take on ripe(p) lighting, for object lesson, shadows and Culling. Culling is the substance a peppy engine notwithstanding bring home the bacons whats in sight. For pattern, if you give birth a large wall in front of you and behind the wall is any(prenominal) mountains provided the mountains are covered up by this wall, the character would non be able to gull the mountains behind the wall. If the wall was removed and nothing else was barr icade the view of the mountains, the mountains would be rescueed.1997 Renderware desperate bouncyThe Renderware engine was created by Epic Game and released in 1997. This 3D engine was used in the organic evolution of hundreds of PS2 plots and could be used across multiple platforms.1998 vapid UnrealThe Unreal engine was created by Unreal and released in 1998. The premiere game to be released on this engine was Unreal, quest fored by Unreal Tournament. This engine was designed for the ripening of first person shooters, but was later used to develop play games. This engine also features a map editor.2001 Cryengine CrytekThe Cryengine was created by Crytek and released in 2001. This 3D engine featured contrive element shaders, instead of vertex shaders. Pixel shaders leave in more detailed textures because instead of taking relatively braggart(a) portions of a texture and applying colours, like with vertex shaders, pixel shaders split these vertexes into unmarried pixels and texture each of them one-on-onely. As a result of the extra detail pixel shaders provide over vertex shaders, games that run the Cryengine require the substance abuser to take on an insanely spotful PC to fall the world and for the game to be playable.2006 cryopathy Electronic ArtsThe Frostbite engine was created by Electronic Arts (or EA) in 2006. This 3D game engine was used in making the study games and Dragon Age. One of the key features of this engine is the abolishable environment. This means that developers have to tools to give impostors the ability to use explosives or rocket ballistas to blow ambuscades in walls which they can then walk with, or collapse expressions with tanks like in field of operation 4.2D enginesThe purpose of a 2D game engine is to right a fashion and easily enable a developer to reach a 2D engine with divulge having to recode the core elements on the fashion. Examples allowScripting languagesArtificial science, or bot sControlsphysicsAmong others.Features of 2D game engines includeScripting languages cheapjackVisual script draw and droppingArtificial wisdomPhysicsSounds self-moving scrollingBuilt-in controls.Examples of 2D game engines includeGame discombobulater make up 2DUnity 2DScratch.2D engines are designed for the training of simple games with basic features such as sprites. This is different to a 3D or busy game engine as a 2D engine is not being designed with the thought of having the most advanced and capable features or with the idea of developing a simple and movable game which is optimised for smartphones and tablets.In a similar way to certain platforms not being suitable for certain games, certain game engines are not suitable for the development of certain games. For slip, it is very easy for a developer to make a 2D game on Gamemaker (2D engine), but the same game would be very serious to make on UDK (3D engine). However, it is easy to make a 3D game on UDK (3D engine) , but it would be difficult to make the same game on Gamemaker (2D engine).3D enginesThe purpose of a 3D engine is to quickly and easily enable a developer to make a 3D game without having to recode the core elements on the way. Examples includeScripting languagesArtificial acquaintance, or botsControlsPhysicsAuto scrollingXYZ coordinatesAmong others.Features of 3D engines includeScripting languages flashVisual script dragging and droppingArtificial discussionPhysicsSoundsAutomatic ScrollingControlsXYZ coordinatesMesh (i.e. trees, bushes, etc).Examples of 3D game engines includeRockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)Unreal Development Kit (UDK)Quake EngineSpace RogueRenderwareStorm KeepFrostbite antecedentUnityDoom.My darling game engine of all of them is the Frostbite engine. This is the engine that powers the Battlefield series. I love the way that the destruction component is carried out in this engine. I love the fact that you can collapse buildings with your handheld rocket launcher or hop into a tank and destroy the support beams of a skyscraper. Its also great when youre looking for the edge in a first person shooter, you can grab your explosives and blow a massive hole in a wall which you could then use to snipe out of. I think the destructible environment is definitely one of my favorite features.A 3D game engine is designed to develop a game which has advanced features, one which requires 3D models, terrain, enhanced realism and increasingly a number of other things such as, artificial intelligence, destruction, physics and grave.3D engines are different to 2D and mobile engines as a 3D engine is not being designed to be lightweight, simple or portable. 3D engines are designed for developing games which require ruling computer thornyware to run its games. Games developed using a 3D game engine are likely unsuitable for devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets as they have insufficient graphics cards and inadequate cooling solutions.Mob ile enginesThe purpose of a mobile engine is to quickly and easily enable a developer to make a mobile game without having to recode the core elements along the way. Examples includeScripting languagesArtificial intelligence, or npcs/botsPhysicsControlsAutomatic scrolling.Features of a mobile game engine includeScripting languagesArtificial intelligence, or npcs/botsPhysicsControlsAutomatic ScrollingSoundsMeshes.Examples of mobile game engines includeAll Binary Platform EngineAndroid Box 2D.Mobile engines are designed for making games which are lightweight, portable and dont require a large make sense of processing power to run silently. This game engine is designed to make games for platforms such as smartphones and tablets.This type of mobile engine is not suitable for developing 2D or 3D games. This is because these types of games require an engine designed with more features, emend optimisations, in or so cases, a level editor and more powerful computers. For this reason it would be very difficult for a developer to make a 2D or 3D game using this engine. Similarly, it would be very difficult for a developer to make a mobile game on a more powerful and unsuitable game engine such as Gamemaker (2D engine) and UDK (3D engine).Game modsA game mod is a way in which a 3rd party developer can modify a game. This may be by removing, modifying or adding features or gameplay elements. This is usually through with the hope of enhancing a game, making it more fun or easier to play. far-famed examples of game mods includeGarys advancedGarys Mod is a popular sandpile physics game built on the fountain engine, originally designed as a game mod for the Valve game, Half Life 2.In 2006, due to the popularity of Garys Mod it was then developed into its own standalone game which is useable to download today on Steam.Garys Mod has no objectives, but gives the doer a sandbox where actors can do as they wish, free of restrictions.DayZ ModThe DayZ Mod was originally de veloped as a free character reference to the popular game Arma 2. The DayZ Mod was a massively multiplayer online post-apocalyptic zombie game.The idea behind it was that players must survive the harsh original world by gathering supplies, ranging from food and clothing, to military equipment such as assault rifles and warmer proof vests. These supplies could then be used to fend off against zombies or other threats to life.The mod was so popular that in 2013, the developers released a ample standalone version which was better optimised and used a new game engine alto astoundher.The Stanley ParableThe Stanley Parable is a game mod built on the Source engine. The mod was designed as an interactive story modification.The mod features no combat or action-based sequences, but instead the player is able to guide Stanley through a dreamlike environment.The Stanley Parable is available to get on Steam.Due to the success of game modifications, such as The Stanley Parable, game developer s have begun sponsoring teams of game modders in order to promote the development of standalone game modifications for their games.Purposes of game enginesA game engine is the core developer tool used in developing computer games. This software is used to more quickly and efficiently enable a developer to create a game for individual or multiple platforms without having to recode core elements and game usageality.For example, the physics component of a game engine is liable for providing the developer with the tools, or in other words, a reference library of game code which is used to practice physics and other components into their game. So, if the developer wanted to implement a gravity marrow after a player jumps and reaches certain height pulling the player back down, the developer could make reference to a chunk of code in the reference library with a single line of code, in a similar way to how a developer would use an API at that placefore allowing the developer to impl ement the physics element without having to unnecessarily recode, in this case, gravity and jumping.Game engines make game development much faster and more efficient as less code is required to carry out a particular function and less time is spent retyping the same code relieveedly. Utilising a game engine can also result in improved game performance on users PCs, as less processing power, memory and hard dig space is required to download, install and run the game code.Game engines are often wrongly confused for being the computer game itself. Game engines are used to make games development easier for programmers and to be adjustable to suit the needs of the developer and the game being developed.A simple account of a game engine would be to imagine the setup of a car and its engine. The car body is what you can physically see and the engine is what enables it the car to drive. In this analogy, the computer game is a cars body and the game engine is a cars engine.In a game, the game engine is responsible for driving many of the games core components, such as rendering what you see on screen and implementing other technologies including physics, collision spotting and artificial intelligence the most important component being the rendering facility in 2D and 3D engines. A developer will use the design of the game engine (the car engine) to build up the body of the car around it (the game outputted to a display). Car engines can be moved and fitting to suit different car bodies, in a similar way to game engines.There are well examples of game engines, but there are also noisome ones. Game engines which are well designed can be truly impressive those who fail to impress, can be kind of pathetic.An example of a impregnable and modern game engine would be the Frostbite engine, the Source engine or the RAGE engine. Examples of how forgetful quality game engines were used to make poor quality games are clearly present in the games, Big Rigs and Sonic Ge nerations.In the Frostbite, Source and RAGE engine, many of the top tier games available to buy in 2015 and beyond, have been and will be developed using these engines including, Battlefield 4, left over(p) 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2 and Grand stealing Auto 5. Components including graphics rendering, physics, destruction, artificial intelligence and collision catching were decently implemented which has resulted in these games being hugely popular and fun to play.In Big Rigs and Sonic Generations, the gameplay experience was, for the most part, less than satisfactory. clashing spying and physics being some of the notable examples of where the worst these games have to bye are put on show. Things such as hand trucks driving up an almost 90 degree mountain and trucks being able to drive through lamp posts and fences (as if they arent there) or Sonic (the hedgehog) swim through walls, windows and doors.This is a screenshot of rubber collision detection in Sonic Generations. Sou rce https//www.youtube.com/ stick to?v=faoPYBN5Gc4. 14/10/15.Sonic can be clearly seen swimming through a window and if you continue to have the video you will see he is able to walk through walls w/o the game doing anything at all to stop this.This is a screenshot of a truck driving up a cliff face (90 degree angle) very easily and at speed.Source https//www.youtube.com/ visit?v=h6DtVHqyYts. 14/10/15.What can be seen in the video and this screenshot of Big Rigs is completely surrealistic and would not happen in real life. This is an example of poorly designed physics and collision detection in an engine.Components featured the game engine, Frostbite 3, includeControlsPhysicsSoundCollision detectionArtificial IntelligenceDestructionGraphics RenderingAnimationCinematicsVisual EffectsScripting languages dragging and droppingCullingAnd more.I would use this game engine in relative to the components listed to a higher place as they provide me, the developer, with the ability to crea te a destructible environment in which I could use a rocket launcher to blast a intact into a wall which mine and other characters could then walk through. Not only that, but I would also be able to create an environment that looks stunning one with immersive cinematic and visual effects, which are complemented by the impressive sound options offered by this game engine.The development of game engines over the years has aided the development of games significantly. untimely developments of the game engine component, Destruction, that can be seen in this video https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=loDmdpi0q3g are made to look rubbish in comparing to the incredible destructible environment depicted in this video of Battlefield 4 gameplay https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTLRZOcAPnwThis is a screenshot of the destruction component from the videos above in Red FactionThis is example of the destruction component from the videos above in Battlefield 4The first picture, which depicts an early form of the now very well developed game engine component destruction, shows a player with a rocket launcher firing rockets at a wall and blowing a clean whole in the wall with almost no debris left after the explosion. Now, look at the screenshot of the Battlefield 4 gameplay. This shows a tower which has just been hit from the back with a missile collapsing entirely and falling over before smashing into many large pieces of debris. The improvements overtime of how destruction actually works in games is a clear example of how game engines have developed overtime and more specifically the destruction components, to the clear advantage of 2D, 3D and mobile games, such as above.Graphics renderingGraphics rendering is the way in which a game engine loads the environment around you. It does this by taking a fit out- launch model and applying different components to the individual vertexes. Textures which have had these components utilise to them are known as 3D models. These componen ts includeShade illusionTextureReflectionShadowAnd more.We can make a wire frame model 3D using software such as Blender, Cinema 4D and Autodesk Maya. We can then import them into game engines like UDK and import them into a game. This software is very expensive, but there are good deals available, if youre a student.Graphics rendering is used in almost all(prenominal) (good) game available today. There are good examples of graphics rendering, but there are also bad ones. Examples of good and bad include Batman Arkam Knight and Sonic Generations, respectively.This is a screenshot of Batmans cape in the game, Batman Arkam KnightSource https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsjmLNZtvxk. 14/10/15.This is a screenshot of Sonic in the game, Sonic GenerationsSource https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN_nnwlmjws. 14/10/15.The graphics rendering that takes place in Batman Arkam Knight is on a whole new level in comparison to the rendering that takes place in Sonic Generations.The screenshot of Batman Arkam Knight shows Batmans cape. This cape is made up of approximately 20 thousand vertexes, in which graphics rendering components are applied to either pixel individually a technology known as pixel shaders. This game is also known to run at a buttery-smooth 60 frames per second. This is incredible con attitudering the immense amount of graphics performance required to render 20 thousand vertexes and then each of the pixels individually, 60 times per second. close to likely, one of the only reasons this is practical to run is because of the optimisation for certain ironware the game developers will have performed.Sonic, on the other hand, is made up of approximately 200 vertexes and runs at a significantly less smooth 30 frames per second. This means that the game which is already significantly less detailed, only runs at 30 frames per second. That means that the graphics processor only has to render 200 vertexes, 30 times a second. In truth, this may sound like a lot, but in comparison to Batman Arkam Knight it doesnt up to now scratch the surface.One of the reasons it is so complicated designed a game and optimising it to run with computer hardware properly at reasonable frame rates is because, most of the time, especially in sandbox games you dont know what the player is going to do until they do it. So the game has constantly got to render what is in the players view and nothing else. If the game rendered everything all at once, most computers would not be able to run it due to the immense amount of processing power required and if they could, it most likely wouldnt be a very enjoyable or playable experience.Collision detectionCollision detection is the component of a game engine which recognises two objects have interacted with each other when they collide and, in most cases, providing a response.An example of this is a player in a first person piffling being shot in the head which causes the player to die. In some instances, the corpse will have a ragdoll effect (the body will flop to the ground in a random way. Another good example of collision detection is a player that is underwater only having 10 seconds from the time they entered until they drown. In summary, collision detection is interaction and response.This is a screenshot of bad collision detection in Sonic Generations. Source https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=faoPYBN5Gc4. 14/10/15.In the screenshot, Sonic can be clearly seen swimming through a window and if you continue to watch the video you will see he is able to walk through walls w/o the game doing anything at all to stop this. This is an example of bad collision detection.This is a screenshot of good collision detection in Fifa 16. Source http//www.balls.ie/football/the-5-most-significant-changes-to-fifa-16-review. 15/10/15.The screenshot above shows a football player in Fifa 16 who is about to kick a ball. This is an example of good collision detection. This is because as soon as the players foot makes edge with the ball, the foot doesnt go through the ball it stops on the surface and the ball goes flying across the pitch. This is how collision detection should and does work in Fifa 16.This is, however, not the case in Sonic Generations. When Sonic walks hit the building in Sonic Generations, he should hit the wall and have a sore face not go swimming through as he can be seen doing in the screenshot and videos above.Poor collision detection not only makes the game look broken and unfinished but it can sometimes make the game almost impossible to play. A simple example of collision detection would be to consider the game, Operation. This is when you have to extract bones from the character on your operating table without mite the sides of his inners which would result in a buzzer sound.Artificial intelligence (AI)Artificial intelligence is the component of a game engine which enables developers to make non-playable characters imitate real-life humans or animals in a game. This can be do by using scripting languages and artificial intelligence components of a game engine to implement pathfinders. A pathfinder is the way an npc is made to go from point A to point B, walk back and so on.In coat peddle Solid 5, artificial intelligence is used to make npcs follow predefined paths and mimic real life humans. The npcs continuously follow their paths on repeat until they detect the presence of a character that should be there.An interesting thing players can do to disguise themselves (and trick the npcs) is by wearing a cardboard box with a picture of a saluting soldier on the side of it and lie still whilst the npcs looking or investigating them. The npc then sees the image of the solider on the side of the box and is made to believe the picture to be a real soldier in the game, before returning(a) to the pathfinder its been set. If the npc does investigate and find that the player is there when they shouldnt be, the npc will read in combat with the player, us ually until the player or npc is dead.This screenshot shows a soldier on a cardboard box being used as a disguise as the enemy.Source https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=czS6MZI2ib8. 15/10/15.Other examples of ways the npcs can be tricked is by displace a picture of a naked lady on the side of the box. This causes the npc to come running towards the box believing that the picture is a real lady. At which point, the player can then sneak past or kill the soldier whilst he is distracted. This an example of good collision detection in a game.This screenshot shows a naked lady on the side of a cardboard box being used as a distraction.Source https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=czS6MZI2ib8. 15/10/15.An example of bad artificial intelligence is in Mario Kart 64. When you are in a race, once your character is a certain distance ahead of bots youre acting against, they automatically get a speed boost to catch up with you. This doesnt make sense, it is unfair and is a clear example of how artifici al intelligence can be very poorly implemented and not very well thought out in gamesThis screenshot shows a Mario Kart game where the player is playing against bots and is in first place. He has just completed a lavish lap around the bots and as soon as he reaches them, they get a speed boost and suddenly they are all travel much faster him.Source https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JV-kMYLYCo. 15/10/15.When you compare artificial intelligence in Mario Kart 64 and Metal Gear Solid 5. Metal Gear Solids artificial intelligence is on a completely different level to Mario Karts. In Metal Gear Solid, the AI is well thought out, it makes sense and it performs as advertised. In Mario Kart 64, as soon as youre winning the race by so much the game compensates for the poor driving performance of the bots and gives them a completely unrealistic and quite frankly, ridiculous speed boost advantage.An early example of artificial intelligence and collision detection is Pacman. In Pacman, the haunt s move around in random directions. If the ghosts go within a collision detection box with pacman inside it, the ghosts are then able to see Pacman and then head towards him for a meal.The screenshot below shows a pacman being chased by a ghost in Pacman.Source https//www.google.com/doodles/30th-anniversary-of-pac-man. 15/10/15.The future of artificial intelligence in game engines is coming to be a reality very fast. Developments of