Game Engines; their Properties and Purposes
A game engine is a piece of software that provides the initial framework and core functionality in which a video game can be created and developed. People tend to get mixed up between the Games themselves and the Game Engines referring to each as the other and vice versa. The following piece of writing will go through the Purposes of Games Engines and give examples of different Engines and their uses.
Examples of Game engines;
2D: 2D game engines (as the name suggest) are pieces of software that specialise in the the creation and development of 2D games. Examples of these engines include; Gamesalad, GameMaker, Box2D, Cube The main differences between these engines is the scripting they use, many of them varying between Java and C++ although some engines have been ported across multiple scripts. An example being Actionscript. For the purpose of this piece of writing, I will compare Action Script and Gamesalad.
Gamesalad is a very user- friendly program compared to that of Action Script. This is because Gamesalad does not use any direct coding, instead it uses a visual scripting system that allows users to drop and drag rules and attributes straight into actors. This makes it very simple to use as well as effective to those who aren’t confident in straight coding. A contrasting piece of software that could be classed as a 2D engine is Action script, which involves direct coding and therefore will be extremely difficult for people who aren’t very code acquainted.
3D: 3D game engines are pieces of software that specialise the creation of development of 3D games. Examples of 3D game engines include; Unity, Quake Engine, Cryrengine and UE3. Like the 2D engines, the main differences between 3D engines are the scripts they use, also ranging from Java to C++. Focusing on Unity, it is a mix of visual scripting as well as code based scripting. It also has a very difficult to understand interface, this is most likely mainly due to the fact people using unity will either be being taught by experienced users or experienced users will already be using it. Unity is a very popular engine and has ben used on popular games such as Need for Speed World as well as Tiger woods PGA Tour.
Mobile Game Engines; As the name suggests, Mobile Game engines are pieces of software specifically designed for the development of Mobile based games. Whats seperates these from the simple 2D and 3D engines, is that these mobile only engines come with the ability to use 2D and 3D. The most commonly used engines for mobile use is App Game Kit and Marmalade. Other engines such as Gamesalad in regards to 2D and Unity in regards to 3D can be used to create mobile based games, however, they are not mobile specific.
App Game Kit is a cross platform engine meaning it can be used on Windows PC and Mac. It was created by The Game Creators with mobile game creation in mind. What interesting about AGK, is that is a two tier scripting system. Tier 1 involves basic coding dialect with an interpreter, while Tier 2 contains sets of C++ libraries. So it can be used on an intermediate level as well as an experienced level.
Game Mods; Mods are user generated content created using a certain Games original engine. They are not stand alone pieced of software an require the original game to run. There are multiple types of Mods. Total Conversion mods refer to a mod that completely changes every aspect of a games artowrk and even core gameplay that can sometimes result in a complete genre swap. Total overhaul is when a games gameplay is altered but the game still remains within the original game universe. Mods have had a major impact on the gaming industry with some mods having done so well compared to their oringinal games, such as Half life’s multiplayer mod Counter-strike, that they have become their own game in their own right. Another good example is Team Fortress which was based on the original Quake engine. It has now has its own franchise released follow ups such as Team fortress two.
Garry’s Mod is a sandbox physics game that uses a modified Source Engine. Considered a full game, GMod as its commonly referred to, has no objective. It allows player to manipulate objects and props from other games that run the Source engine. All it requires is that the player have at least one game installed on their steam account that uses the Source engine. It was originally a modification for Valve’s Half life 2.
Game Engine Purposes;
Graphic Rendering – Graphical Rendering in essence, is when the games engine draws out and colours in the original design that was created in the engine. More technically, it is the process of generating an image from a model. In 3D rendering, it can be rendered slowly which is known as pre-rendering or it can be rendered in real time. In video games, all rendering is done in real time in order to show as much information on screen as possible in a short space of time.
Collision Detection;
Collision Detection in regards to game engines refers to the Physics side of the engine. Collision detection happens when two objects in game which are represented by shapes overlap each other. This can be used on a multitude of in game rules that can be associated with collisions, such as when a player character hits a wall or when a weapon collides with an enemy.
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
AI is a core engine component used to create an illusion that an NPC (non playable character) is intelligent. The amount of AI that is incorporated into games often depends on the game itself, Games such as League of legends use a very simple AI as the minions in the game follow a straight path that doesn’t change, and often hit the closest enemy to them. However, other games such as Gears of War, use more complex AI which can be seen in how enemies hide behind walls in order to avoid player attacks. AI can be catered depending on the game type, FPS games are a good example for this, especially whats which feature human conflict as the AI may have to be edited in order to make the game fair. If an NPC in an FPS had perfect aim constantly compared to that of someone playing the game with their hands and controller, not only would it be unfair but also unrealistic.
Sound;
When in comes to Sound in regards to a game engine, it is fairly straightforward. The engine will already have pre-set rules of when to play certain sounds or music. For example, if a player character dies, the engine will read the players health, see that it has reached zero and then know that it has to show things such as a death animation as well as play the sound of the player dying.
Physics;
Physics in game engines are used to depict more often than not, realistic real world physics. These physics can be very basic. The best example would be the use of Gravity in games, without it, objects and character would fly all over the place. Physics become more complicated depending on the complexity and how realistic the developer wants the game to be. For example, a realistic style game such as Grand Theft Auto 4 has to incorporate real world physics. A good example would be when you crash a car. The force can knowck the player character through the front window.
George M. Pollock 