{"id":73,"date":"2017-03-22T18:38:28","date_gmt":"2017-03-22T16:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devblog.viking-studios.net\/en\/?p=73"},"modified":"2017-03-22T12:46:52","modified_gmt":"2017-03-22T10:46:52","slug":"how-to-start-game-development-game-engines-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.viking-studios.net\/en\/how-to-start-game-development-game-engines-i\/","title":{"rendered":"How to start game development: Game Engines I"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my last article<\/a> I talked about modding, now it’s time to talk about engines and editors with which you can create games. You could also do this with modding tools, but most (if not all) of them require the original game to launch the mod also it is not allowed to monetize the mod. The engine editors got much more features over the years and are way more user friendly than in the past. There is only little difference between them and bigger modding tools.\u00a0Some tools even allow to create games without writing one line of code.\u00a0In this article, I’ll introduce you to some of the well known – and for beginners easier to use – engines. In the 2. part I’ll give some tips for the first steps in working with an engine.<\/p>\n

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What’s an engine<\/h2>\n

Basically there are several components that are part of an engine. First of all there is an editor, that helps you creating games, it is often mistaken with the engine. The second big part is the engine itself, a large scale software containing all modules that are needed to run and show the game: graphics and sound output, process user input\u00a0(mouse, keyboard, controller, etc.), load and save files\/data; but also specific elements like physics simulation, AI and multiplayer. Using an engine, you could completely focus on gameplay logic, game and level design, without bothering how o render a 3D model or how to get the player character into the game of the other players in multiplayer games\u00a0(if you are really into game development, you should sooner or later dig into all the parts of an engine, you should now at least the basics of them and how they work in theory).
\nThe engine editor keeps you from dealing with all the sub systems and modules directly. You don’t have to put all the parts together by writing lots of code. The editor is built on top of the modules and allows to create game worlds, combine assets and manipulate them. Combined assets are called game objects, these can be placed in the game world and brought to life by using animations and writing scripts.<\/p>\n

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Game development per mouse click<\/h2>\n

Like the games itself, the game development tools were improved over the last 20 years. Creating games is easier than never before. There are even tools that allow you to create games wit ha few mouse clicks.\u00a0Those tools are mostly restricted to simple 2D games, due to their simpler approach. There is no need for rendering 3D models, also there is often no physics simulation needed or at least it is way simpler than physics in a 3D space.\u00a0Also the game mechanics are not that sophisticated and often limited to the essential parts. On the other side, those tools are easy to use and fast to learn. They are mostly used to create Jump ‘n’ Run- or RPG title in the style of the Super Nintendo era.<\/p>\n

One of the most familiar tools is RPG-Maker. It’s popularity is unbroken for more than 20 years. RPG-Maker games have the typical SNES look and feel, that many Indies try to copy\u00a0nowadays. Another reason for its popularity is the unofficial English (and German) translation of RPG-Maker 2000. Back then, there were only licenses for Japan and the translation got (illegally) distributed over the internet. At this theme there were almost no free to use game engines and frameworks, the tools were not that user friendly and documentation and tutorials were rare. For several years now, RPG-Maker is available on Steam, also it is more than a mouse click editor now. The\u00a0Maker is not that cheep but it is often par of Steam sales.<\/p>\n