Y1 gd engine_terminologY

Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
IG2 Task 1
Produce a glossary of terms specific to the methods and principles of Video Game Design and Video Game Terms. Using a provided template,
you must research and gather definitions specific to provided glossary terms. Any definitions must be referenced with the URL link of the
website you have obtained the definition.
You must also, where possible, provide specific details of how researched definitions relate to your own production practice.
Name: Elliot
Black
RESEARCHED DEFINITION (provide short
internet researched definition and URL link)
DESCRIBE THE
RELEVANCE OF THE
RESEARCHED TERM
TO YOUR OWN
PRODUCTION
PRACTICE?
IMAGE SUPPORT (Provide an image and/or video link of said
term being used in a game)
VIDEO
GAMES /
VIDEO
GAME
TESTING
Demo A game demo is a freely distributed piece of
an upcoming or recently released video
game. Demos are typically released by the
game's publisher to help consumers get a feel
of the game before deciding whether to buy
the full version. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_demo
Creating a playable
demo for our game
allows us to present our
work through a
playable means.
This picture shows a screenshot of the E3 gameplay demo
shown live.
Beta A beta version of a program, game etc... is an
unfinished version released to either the
public a select few or whoever signs up to
beta test it for bugs or glitches. -
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php
?term=Beta
If we needed to show
various stages of our
work for our unit, we
may have to show a
beta build of our game.
Also we would have a
beta build for testing
bugs in our game.
This picture is a screenshot of Destiny When it was in its beta
stage.
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IG2 Task 1
Alpha Alpha is the stage when key gameplay
functionality is implemented, and assets are
partially finished. A game in alpha is feature
complete, that is, game is playable and
contains all the major features. These
features may be further revised based on
testing and feedback.
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_d
evelopment#Alpha
Again, if it was needed
that we provide various
builds of our game for
examples, then creating
an alpha build will be
necessary. Also, having
an alpha build would be
a key element in testing
gameplay functionality
in or game.
The picture shows destiny when it was in its alpha stage.
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IG2 Task 1
Pre-Alpha Pre-Alpha is a standard term to denote a
number of interim milestones between
prototyping and alpha, each of which
includes new functionality and/or game
content. Pre-alphas often mandate
incremented improvements on a number of
parallel areas in a project, but rarely expect
any one of those areas to be complete. -
http://www.whatgamesare.com/pre-alpha.
html
Creating a pre-alpha
would be necessary to
begin with if we were
producing all the stages
of development for this
unit. Pre-alphas are also
vital for prototyping our
game in with the bare
minimum
implemented.
This picture shows Dark Souls Being played by a developer in its
pre-alpha stage.
Gold The final stage is sometimes called the gold
stage, where the game has gone through
complete testing and has passed a final
review. -
http://www.3dcognition.com/theory/game-development/
2/
The gold stage would
be the final stage we
would have to produce
in order to present the
stages of development
for our game. The gold
stage will be the
completed version of
our game.
This picture shows the final release title screen of MGSV
Ground Zeroes.
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IG2 Task 1
Debug A debug menu or debug mode is a user
interface implemented in a computer
program that allows the user to view and/or
manipulate the program's internal state for
the purpose of debugging. Debug menus are
used during software development for easy
testing and are usually made inaccessible or
otherwise hidden from the end-user. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debug_menu
A debug menu will be
handy in order to see
what is going wrong in
the game during
development and help
fix the problem.
This picture shows a level in unity being debugged in the
developer console.
Automation Automation or automatic control is the use of
various control systems for operating
equipment such as machinery, processes in
factories, boilers and heat treating ovens,
switching in telephone networks, steering
and stabilization of ships, aircraft and other
applications with minimal or reduced human
intervention. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automation
We could add a level
automation to our
game by adding scripts
that automate certain
functions and gameplay
elements.
This picture shows the various stages of testing including test
automation.
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IG2 Task 1
White-Box
Testing
Also known as glass box, structural, clear box
and open box testing. A software testing
technique whereby explicit knowledge of the
internal workings of the item being tested are
used to select the test data. -
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/White
_Box_Testing.html
White box testing will
be required in order to
fix more complicated
bugs that are to do with
fragile lines of code.
This picture shows the flowchart of white box testing.
Bug A software bug is an error, flaw, failure,
or fault in a computer program
or system that causes it to produce an
incorrect or unexpected result, or to behave
in unintended ways. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_bug
We may have bugs in
our game when it
comes to implementing
lines of code in our
game, as certain parts
of the code may be
wrong.
This picture shows game characters bugging out with their
limbs being stretched.
GAME
ENGINES
Vertex Shader A vertex shader is a graphics processing
function used to add special effects to objects
in a 3D environment by performing
mathematical operations on the objects'
vertex data. -
http://www.nvidia.com/object/feature_verte
xshader.html
Vertex shaders will be
relevant to our work as
we will use them to add
effects to objects in our
games such as shadows
being cast on them.
This picture shows the vertex shading of a character from a
game called Folk Tale.
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IG2 Task 1
GAME
ENGINES
Pixel Shader A Pixel Shader is a graphics function that
calculates effects on a per-pixel basis.
Depending on resolution, in excess of 2
million pixels may need to be rendered, lit,
shaded, and colored for each frame, at
60frames per second. -
http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/feature_pixe
lshader.html
Pixel Shaders will be
used to add effects to
much larger
environments such as
backgrounds.
This picture shows the difference between different pixel
shaders being used on a house model
Post Processing Post processing allows different effects to be
performed on the scene after it has been
rendered, but before outputting it to the
viewport. -
http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/PostProces
sEffectsHome.html
Post processing would
be good to add a it adds
blur to further away
textures and makes the
closer ones more
visually appealing
This picture shows a comparison between post processing
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IG2 Task 1
effects being turned on and off on the in game scene.
Rendering Rendering is the process of generating an
image from a 2D or 3D model (or models in
what collectively could be called a scene file),
by means of computer programs. Also, the
results of such a model can be called a
rendering. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(com
puter_graphics)
We will have to render
many textures and
environments during
the gameplay of our
game in order for us to
have different levels
and objects at varying
distances or in different
levels.
This picture shows the stages of rendering a 3D model of a
motorcyclist.
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IG2 Task 1
Normal Map A normal map is a way of adding high-resolution
detail to a game ready (low
resolution) model, without drastically
affecting the game's performance. -
http://3d.about.com/od/3d-101-The-
Basics/tp/Current-Gen-Gameart-Workflow-
What-Is-Normal-Mapping.html
We may add normal
maps to certain objects
and environments in
order to give them
specific textures,
especially closer up
ones as they will be
more noticeable.
This picture shows normal maps being placed on an image and
resulting in a more realistic looking image.
Entity Entity-component-system (ECS) is a software
architecture pattern that implements
concepts from Composition over
inheritance using a database-like structure.
Suppose there is a drawing function. This
would be a "System" that iterates through all
entities that have both a physical and a
visible component, and draws them. The
visible component could typically have some
information about how an entity should look
(e.g. human, monster, sparks flying around,
flying arrow), and use the physical
component to know where to draw it. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entity_compone
nt_system
Entities give objects AI
and actions to do such
as, moving running etc.
therefore it will be vital
to making a game with
computer controlled
players
This picture Shows an AI being killed by an entity chain.
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IG2 Task 1
UV Map UV mapping is the 3D modeling process of
making a 2D image representation of a 3D
model's surface. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV_mapping
In order to texture 3D
objects that aren’t
exactly flat, UV
mapping will help.
This picture shows a UV map being applied to a floor in Unity.
Procedural
Texture
A procedural texture is a computer-generated
image created using
an algorithm intended to create a realistic
representation of natural elements such
as wood, marble, granite, metal, stone, and
others. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proceduraltextu
re
Procedural textures
would be useful for
texturing environments
that include a lot of
textures like wood and
stone, That when the
player gets closer to
the detail of the image
increases and the same
goes for when they get
further away.
This picture shows the map of the various phases the
procedural texture will use.
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IG2 Task 1
Physics A physics engine is computer software that
provides an approximate simulation of
certain physical systems, such as rigid body
dynamics (including collision detection), soft
body dynamics, and fluid dynamics, of use in
the domains of computer graphics, video
games and film. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics_engine#
Game_engines
Physics in our games
would be expected if
wanted realistic aspects
such as rag dolling or
gravity.
This picture shows a cannon firing into a bunch of physics
objects and sending them flying.
Collision Collision detection typically refers to the
computational problem of detecting the
intersection of two or more objects. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collision_detect
ion#Video_games
Collision detection will
be helpful if we are
making a shooter as
collision detection of
the bullets hit box
hitting the enemy’s hit
box will class as a kill.
This picture shows to character models with their collisions
boxes visible around them.
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IG2 Task 1
Lighting High-dynamic-range rendering (HDRR or HDR
rendering), also known as high-dynamic-range
lighting, is the rendering of computer
graphics scenes by using lighting calculations
done in a larger dynamic range. This allows
preservation of details that may be lost due
to limiting contrast ratios. Video
games and computer-generated movies and
special effects benefit from this as it creates
more realistic scenes than with the more
simplistic lighting models used.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-dynamic-range_
rendering
Lighting is very
important in making a
game aesthetically
pleasing and viewable
as an area that isn’t lit
will make seeing very
hard or impossible
within the game.
This picture shows two kinds of lights being used in a scene.
AA – Anti-
Aliasing
In computer graphics, antialiasing is
a software technique for diminishing jaggies -
stairstep-like lines that should be smooth.
Jaggies occur because the output device,
the monitor or printer, doesn't have a high
enough resolution to represent a smooth
line. Antialiasing reduces the prominence of
jaggies by surrounding the stairsteps with
intermediate shades of gray -
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/antiali
asing.html
Anti-aliasing will be
helpful if some textures
appear jagged due to
the aspect ratio as they
will add grey around
the pixels to make them
more blurred.
This picture shows the difference between anti-aliasing and
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IG2 Task 1
non-anti-aliasing on a character model during a cut scene
LoD – Level of
Detail
Level of detail is a general design term for
video game landscapes in which closer
objects are rendered with more polygons
than objects that are farther away. Generally
speaking, the level of detail is dictated by the
game's system requirements. -
http://www.techopedia.com/definition/1179
1/level-of-detail-lod
A level of detail will be
quite useful whilst
making our game as
having far away objects
less detailed and
keeping only closer
textures detailed will be
less taxing on the game
engine and allow it to
run smoother.
This picture is a good example of LoD, showing the reduction of
polys as the camera draws further away.
Animation The creation of moving pictures in a three-dimensional
digital environment. This is done
by sequencing consecutive images, or
"frames", that simulate motion by each
image showing the next in a gradual
progression of steps, filmed by a virtual
"camera" and then output to video by a
rendering engine. -
http://animation.about.com/od/glossaryofte
rms/g/3danim_def.html
Animation of 3D
models such as people
or sprites, will be need
in order to add actual
movement to the actual
models such as legs
moving when the
character runs etc..
This picture shows a model being animated with the key frame
points visible, showing where the character has, or will move.
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IG2 Task 1
Sprite A sprite is a bitmap graphic that is designed
to be part of a larger scene. It can either be a
static image or an animated graphic. -
http://www.techterms.com/definition/sprite
Sprites will be used as
character models and
objects if we make a 2D
game.
These picture shows a range of 2D sprites from a medieval
game.
Scene Scenes contain the objects of your game.
They can be used to create a main menu,
individual levels, and anything else. -
http://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/CreatingSce
nes.html
Scenes will be helpful in
keeping the objects and
files we use for a level
in one place.
This picture shows a typical scene shown from an isometric
viewpoint.
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IG2 Task 1
Library In computer science, a library is a collection
of non-volatile resources used by programs
on a computer, often to develop software. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_(compu
ting)
Keeping a library of all
our files will help keep
them organised.
This picture shows a file library in-engine on the far right.
UI In computing, a graphical user interface is a
type of interface that allows users to interact
with electronic devices through
graphical icons and visual indicators such
as secondary notation, as opposed to text-based
interfaces, typed command labels or
text navigation.
-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_
interface
A UI would be good to
be implemented into
our game in order for
the player to see the
statuses of the game
character i.e. health,
bullets etc…
This picture shows the UI for the witcher 1 on the level up
screen.
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IG2 Task 1
Frames Frame rates in video games refer to the
speed at which the image is refreshed
(typically in frames per second, or FPS). -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frame_rate#Vid
eo_games
The preferred frame
rate at which I would
like my game to run at
would be 60FPS as that
is the optimal frame
rate that most games
aim to run at.
This picture shows the frame rate the game is playing at in the
top right hand corner.
Concept In game theory, a solution concept is a formal
rule for predicting how a game will be
played. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solution_conce
pt
A concept of the game
will help us predict how
our game will be
played; allowing us to
make sure the end
result won’t be terrible.
This picture shows an early concept piece of artwork for a game
level.
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IG2 Task 1
Event What are events? Basically, these are discreet
moments in the game loop where things are
made to happen based on what you have
programmed for them. -
http://docs.yoyogames.com/source/dadiospi
ce/000_using
%20gamemaker/events/index.html
We need events in
order for certain stuff
to trigger and keep the
flow of the game
running.
This picture shows the various events than can be implemented
in the game maker engine.
Path finding Path finding in the context of video
games concerns the way in which a moving
entity finds a path around an obstacle -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathfinding#In_
video_games
If we have complex
levels in our game, the
AI will need a decent
level of path finding in
order to move around
without running into
walls or staying
stationary.
This picture shows the way the AI will walk the character
around the boxes using path finding.
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IG2 Task 1
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