Introduction to Game Programming

When the home computing boom started in the early 1980s, the only games around were those created by enthusiastic amateurs in bedrooms across Britain. Over the years the computer games market has exploded into a multi-billion-pound industry, creating household names of characters like Lara Croft and making a fair few millionaires in the process. To all intents and purposes it seemed that the good old days of homebrew gaming was dead. Until recently. The appearance of a number of games development systems has helped fuel the creation and distribution of hundreds of new ideas, creating a resurgence of interest of the "old ways", in addition to keeping the spirit of games programming alive. It's important to stress that none of the products in this feature are going to turn you into an instant smash-hit games creator. Most require you to learn a programming language of one description or another--there are no quick fixes in the world of Doom, Tomb Raider or even Centipede! But the good news is that these packages make it much easier to learn what can seem very complex languages.

2-D Game Creation

Acid Software's Blitz Basic was written for the Amiga range of computers in the late 1980s and garnered almost fanatical levels support from its users. The collapse of Commodore, the firm behind the Amiga, seemed to also spell the end for this package but creator Mark Sibley gave the product a total makeover and released it for today's PCs. Supplied on a single CD with a small manual (but stacks of electronic documentation), Blitz is a dream to use. It's built-in IDE and debugger give the programmer more control than many packages costing multiple times more than the asking price. Currently supporting only 2-D creations (no Quake III clones yet) Blitz does it's job efficiently and elegantly, drawing on Microsoft's DirectX technology to provide graphics and sound interface to the home PC and providing blistering performance into the bargain. In addition to the base system, which is updated regularly from the Blitz Web site for free, the install CD contains dozens of working examples and code snippets to illustrate how program functionality sits within the framework of a game design and all are comprehensively documented to give the beginner the best possible opportunity to grasp the fundamentals with the minimum of fuss. Blitz will run on any DirectX-compatible Windows operating system.

Competing with Blitz in the 2-D creation market is FastTrak's DIV Games Studio, billed as an all-in-one creation package. Comprising a code editor and graphics creation package, DIV is an out-of-the-box solution based around the same core language as Blitz--namely BASIC. Designed as an environment rather than an interface, DIV takes control of your monitor, presenting a full-screen meaty looking interface which gives the programmer access to all the tools he or she is likely to use. With full-colour source coding (designed to help the programmer read code more easily), and even a built-in CD player, there's something here for everyone. The built-in help system is comprehensive and well written, essential in all of these types of package, and the provided tools become second nature after a short time. The addition of the graphics editor is particularly useful for those who don't have a copy of Photoshop Elements or Paint Shop Pro handy. DIV is recommended for Windows 95 and 98-based systems.

For the retro-gaming fan and lovers of all things 2-D it has to be said that Blitz Basic is a great buy. Its standard Windows interface, superb debugging tools and comprehensive feature set make it a great all round package for beginners and experienced programmers alike. It doesn't have the built-in graphics editor and sound package provided with DIV (which may sway some newbies) or DIV's simple all-in-one interface but Halfvalue.co.uk's preference is for Blitz as the rapid development tool of choice.

3-D Game Creation

The main games creation package to currently support 3-D games creation is FastTrak's DarkBASIC in addition to the 2-D features of DIV and Blitz Basic. In common with DIV, DarkBASIC is a programming environment containing the tools required to get 3-D code up and running. The introduction of a third dimension into the programming equation is always a problem, due to the added complexity of the code required to create, light and manipulate objects but the DB team have done a good job of providing enough help and support through the internal documentation to allow users of any skill to have a pretty good stab at producing presentable results. DarkBASIC allows programs to be run in two modes--a pre-compiled version and an "instant run" version, which is useful for debugging work and the like. The built-in editor is functional and works well but it's insistence on restricting the screen resolution to 640 x 480 can be an annoyance, especially when dealing with a lot of source code. The package comes complete with the obligatory example code and demo games and well over 1500 pre-formed 3-D objects, sound samples and other useful bits and pieces which can be used in personal creations--a real bonus for those of us who don't know one end of a 3-D computer model from the other. DarkBASIC's feature set is superb and it's possible to produce some stunning results, but be warned--a fairly meaty PC is required to get the best out it.

The Game Programming Starter Kit also supports 3-D graphics. Included in the pack is a set of utilities that you can use to create the different elements of a game, including Microsoft's Visual C++, introductory Edition 6.00, Microsoft DirectX 7 SDK, Shadow Realm Model Animator and Genesis 3-D SDK. Use all these elements individually, then bring them together to make your game. A prior knowledge of programming is helpful when using this package and much of the process relies on using the Visual C++, but if you want to learn how to use this utility the package give you some resources to build up a good starting knowledge. Also included is a demo game, designed so that you can de-construct it and learn how to use the package by example. The Genesis 3-D programme allows you to build your own characters via the Actors Studio; also within this programme the World Editor allows you to create unique worlds for your games to exist within. This utility may look daunting at first but with it's easy-to-use Windows interface and three development views of top, side and front, you will start creating you own play area in no time at all. For an example, import the world from the demo game and you'll be amazed at the complex game arenas you can create so easily. The Shadow Realm Model Animator gives you the ability to create your own characters in all their 3-D glory using wire frame models and a lot of patience. The interface has the three familiar views of top, side and front giving a 3-D perspective from which to work. Skeletons for your charaters can be created in wire frames, and then "fleshed" out with colour using polygon graphics. Once created, animating your model is easy, as is the addition of shadows for that touch of realism, before finally importing them into your gaming world.

Essential Game Programming Books

If the thought of using BASIC for your games programming requirements leaves you cold, then why not move over to a little C++? In his book Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus, author Andre LaMothe goes for the gaming jugular with this weighty look at Windows game programming through DirectX using Visual C++. Covering a myriad of topics ranging from the basics of creating Direct3-D surfaces through to artificial intelligence and real-world physics modelling there's something here to cover all eventualities. It should be stressed however that this is not necessarily a book for the beginner as it expects a fairly good grasp of Visual C++ (an introductory version of which is included on the book's accompanying CD-ROM, together with a couple of bonus publications in electronic format).

--by Chris Russell