Week 17: Game Engines

So this weeks task is on game engines eh. What would we do without them? We wouldn’t have any games to play! Could you imagine that! A game engine is a core software component of a PC, Video game or interactive application with real-time graphics. It Provides the underlying technologies, simplifies development and enables games to run on multiple platforms and desktop operating systems. Its core functionalities which is provides include rendering 2D & 3D models, as well as containing a physics/ collision detector, sound, scripting, animation, artificial intelligence, networking and scene graphs.

The key engine technologies include things such as being able to make games for multiple platforms and desktop use. As well as the fact that it supports character animation and helps create things like good shadowing on the characters and interior spaces.

Subtractive and additive, when referring to a game engine, refers to the way in which the 3D world is created. Additive is when the beginning of the scene, is created using emptiness, also known as a void, such as a hollow cube. Its endless and empty. The world must always be kept separate. The void is surrounded by a 'skybox' which prevents the void from 'leaking' into the rest of the scene. Game engines which are additive are:

• Quake Engine (Quake, all entries)
• MaxFx Engine ( Max Payne)
• Half Life Engine (Half-Life)
• Lith Tech Engine (Alien Vs. Predator)

Subtractive engines however, are obviously the opposite to additive. In these there is no void at all. There is an infinite solid before the world, such as a solid cube. It creates hollow spaces as things are extracted from it, rather than things being added to it, However, its harder to manipulate than an additive engine. Game engines which are subtractive are:

• Unreal Engine (Unreal Tournament Games)
• Serious Engine (Serious Sam)
• Dart Engine (Thief)
• Geo-Mod Engine ( Red Faction)

www.Whatis.com Says that Proprietary technology is a technology or product which is owned exclusively by a single company that carefully guards knowledge about the technology or the products inner workings. It also says that some proprietary products can only function properly if at all when used with other products owned by the same company. It gives the example of Adobe Acrobat, in the way that their PDF (Portable Document Format) file format can only be read with the Acrobat Reader.

Advantages of this method are that by carefully guarding knowledge of your company, means that nobody will know how your company works. Also, because of this, if your methods are successful, other outside companies will pay you to use your services. They will use your method of work, to sell their products. A disadvantage however would be that if your company isn’t successful or doesn’t draw enough attention, outside companies may not contact you to use your services. It can be expensive to run if nobody wishes to pay you for your methods.

Next generation game engines have a lot to compete with. There are so many different engines out there now for different games, it can be hard to decide which one to use, or whether to create one. All of the engines of course also have to be frequently updated due to the fact that modern technology is advancing very fast. They need ot be able to keep up with the vast increase in detail on characters and they way in which they move. The better graphics which are around, It can be a vicious cycle if you ask me!!Everything and anything in the gaming world can provide a challenge. Whether it be to developers, artists, directors or publishers. Something, somewhere, always provides a challenge.