Engine-design related questions. How code is structured.
29
votes
4answers
2k views
How to avoid the GameManager god object?
I just read an answer to a question about structuring game code. It made me wonder about the ubiquitous GameManager class, and how it often becomes an issue in a production environment. Let me ...
11
votes
2answers
1k views
Is this the right architecture for our MMORPG mobile game?
These days I am trying to design architecture of a new MMORPG mobile game for my company. This game is similar to Mafia Wars, iMobsters, or RISK. Basic idea is to prepare an army to battle your ...
17
votes
4answers
2k views
noSQL - Is it a valid option for web based game?
Out of an opportunity and boredom, a friend and I decided to make a web based game. This is the first 'game' I will be making, since usually I program web apps in django.
I've opted to use the same ...
7
votes
4answers
807 views
Game Messaging System Design
I'm making a simple game, and have decided to try to implement a messaging system.
The system basically looks like this:
Entity generates message -> message is posted to global message queue -> ...
17
votes
6answers
2k views
Is Test Driven Development viable in game development?
As being Scrum certified, I tend to prone for Agile methodologies while developping a system, and even use some canvas from the Scrum framework to manage my day-to-day work.
Besides, I am wondering ...
13
votes
2answers
723 views
Where should collision detection logic be placed?
I am developing a small 2D game engine. The characters have a paint method which currently does the following:
Calculate the new position of the character as per its speed, etc.
Update the collision ...
5
votes
2answers
669 views
Should I use inheritance or composition for modelling game objects?
In terms of game engine modeling, please give your pros and cons for two types of interfacing:
class MySceneObject_Model1 : public IRenderable, public IScriptable, public IAnimatable { ... }
class ...
16
votes
4answers
1k views
Game engine: a decent way, architecture-wise, to implement scripting support?
I am developing a simple game engine (in C#, if it matters), and I can't think of a decent enough way to implement scripting in terms of architecture.
It's a simple turn-based strategy with custom, ...
14
votes
3answers
654 views
How to create a Ghost Replay feature in a game?
When you set a personal best lap time in a console racing game, you have the option
to compete against your ghost.
How can this feature be created for a single player casual type game?
13
votes
3answers
1k views
Dynamic Memory Allocation and Memory Management
In an average game, there are hundreds or maybe thousands of objects in the scene.
Is it completely correct to allocate memory for all objects, including gun shots (bullets), dynamically via default ...
9
votes
1answer
1k views
Separating physics and game logic from UI code
I'm working on a simple block-based puzzle game.
The game play consists pretty much of moving blocks around in the game area, so it's a trivial physics simulation. My implementation, however, is in ...
7
votes
3answers
386 views
Profiling and containing memory per system
I have been interesting in profiling and keeping a managed memory pool for each subsystem, so I could get statistic on how much memory was being used in something such as sounds or graphics. However, ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
Information on seamless MMO server architecture
I'm looking for any material on seamless MMO servers! I do have a few articles in the "Massively Multiplayer Game Development" books and "Game Programming Gems 5." Has anyone experience on that topic ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
MMO architecture - Highly Scalable with Reporting capabilities
A friend of mine is asking me to help out on a project of his, I have done a small amount of game development before, but mainly do application and enterprise development these days.
He is asking me ...
6
votes
4answers
2k views
Per-Frame Function Calls versus Event Driven Messaging in Game Design
The traditional game design, as I know it, uses polymorphism and virtual functions to update game objects states. In other words, the same set of virtual functions are called in regular(ex: per-frame) ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
How to structure game states in an entity/component-based system
I'm making a game designed with the entity-component paradigm that uses systems to communicate between components as explained here. I've reached the point in my development that I need to add game ...
13
votes
3answers
3k views
Finite state machine in C++
So, I've read a lot about using FSMs to do game state management, things like what an FSM is, and using a stack or set of states for building one. I've gone through all that. But I'm stuck at writing ...
12
votes
5answers
746 views
Game actions that take multiple frames to complete
I've never really done much game programming before, pretty straightforward question.
Imagine I'm building a Tetris game, with the main loop looking something like this.
for every frame
handle ...
10
votes
5answers
2k views
How to properly handle collision in a component-based game?
Trying to wrap my head around the ways to properly handle collision in a game designed around components.
I see many examples have some sort of PhysicsComponent that gets added to the entity's list ...
9
votes
3answers
612 views
How do I make complex AI manageable? [closed]
In the past, I've used simple systems like finite state machines (FSMs) and hierarchical FSMs to control AI behavior. This pattern falls apart very quickly or any complex system.
I've heard about ...
8
votes
5answers
1k views
Why use asset manifest files?
Sometimes you'll see people recommend that rather than using graphics/sound files/etc. like this...
// Game code
Image myImage = new Image("path/to/image.png");
... you should use a manifest file ...
7
votes
1answer
746 views
Am I on the right track with this component architecture?
I've recently decided to revamp my game architecture to get rid of deep class hierarchies and replace them with configurable components. The first hierarchy I'm replacing is the Item hierarchy and I ...
7
votes
3answers
7k views
MVC (Model-View-Controller) Game Engine Architecture - Yes or No?
I am reading one great book, Game Coding Complete (http://www.amazon.com/Game-Coding-Complete-Third-McShaffry/dp/1584506806/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295978774&sr=8-1), and that book strongly ...
5
votes
2answers
959 views
Book about Entity System?
I'm really interested about the capabilities of Entity System. I'm trying to search for a good book on this one, but failed.
I don't want to get lost on learning this paradigm so a book will be a big ...
5
votes
1answer
2k views
Developing a card game framework
What sort of design patterns and ideas might one use to build a somewhat general purpose card game framework?
This stems from I made an attempt to build a clone of the popular Steve Jackson game ...
5
votes
6answers
2k views
How to implement a component based system for items in a web game
Reading several other questions and answers on using a component based system to define items I want to use one for the items and spells in a web game written in PHP. I'm just stuck on the ...
4
votes
2answers
506 views
How do I store Items in MySQL?
I'm working to my first game containing items (built a small one before, strategy type but not very complicated). I was thinking something like this for the db design since it will be almost the same ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
Player sprite animation in 2D platform game
It's pretty easy to get animations rolling from a sprite sheet. Though which ways there are on combining the animations with player dynamics and motion?
I've figured there's two starting points ...
13
votes
2answers
612 views
How should I check if a player has completed an achievement?
I'm making an MMO game and I just got to a point where I need to implement achievements... How do I do that? The most straight forward thing to do would be to run this once every 100ms,:
for a in ...
9
votes
2answers
453 views
What role does developing with events have in games?
Most application development is based around developing with events, but considering the game-loop style of developing games and the (often) need for high performance/throughput, what role does ...
8
votes
2answers
379 views
Correct way to abstract an XBox Controller
I've got a XBox360 controller which I'd like to use as input for an application.
What I can't work out is the best-practice way to expose this via an interface.
Behind the scenes, the class which ...
8
votes
4answers
839 views
“Time Control” in a 2d Platformer
I am making a 2d platformer where the player can press a button, and restart the level, only their previous character will also run the level at the same time, like they are traveling back in time.
I ...
4
votes
3answers
727 views
How would you structure a weapon class such that it works for many types of weapons?
How would you go around creating a reusable weapon class? I can't really wrap my head around creating a class, which will work for both melee and ranged weapons.
Example given, that you have a knife, ...
4
votes
2answers
497 views
Handling collisions with ground
How do you usually solve collisions between entities and the ground? Sending collision events hardly seems appropriate since almost everything touches the ground at almost all points in time. Calling ...
4
votes
2answers
802 views
Container classes in tile-based games.
I've recently begun working on a tile-based tactical game, and I have questions regarding a couple of key moments.
Is it feasible to organize the tilemap as an array of containers, which can hold the ...
2
votes
4answers
679 views
Creating a database with special items, like in Diablo
I am in the middle of creating a browser game. I need to add 'special items' like in Diablo, but simpler. Item names are fixed (e.g. 'ring of power'), so only their attributes change.
In my game ...
1
vote
2answers
152 views
persistence of objects between game states
What are the possible ways of sharing different objects between game states and how do other engines implement such system?
Lets say a game has a couple of states (a menu state and a game state for ...
1
vote
2answers
552 views
Is there any option other than Component Based for game architecture?
Having read a lot recently on Component Based systems (for games), i find it hard to go back to my earlier state of mind.
If static object hierarchies fail to model "objects with a dynamic set of ...
1
vote
1answer
456 views
What threading strategy does a game like Transport Tycoon use?
Transport Tycoon is a simulation game where you control a transport company, place railroad tracks and trains, airports, bus depots, boats etc. Now the game is about 15 years old and I remember ...
7
votes
4answers
623 views
Any learning/studying material for C/C++ that use game programming as learning context out there?
As most of game programming is done - I read on this very site - in C/C++ I was wondering if there is any learning/studying material for C/C++ that would target specifically game programming.
I am ...
4
votes
3answers
274 views
Calculating game map changes overtime when user is not even online e.g. farmville
With a game like farville, there is both processing during gameplay and when the user is offline (plants are growing, etc.)
So many of the elements on the game map depend on time.
Is there a trick ...
3
votes
2answers
549 views
Use a SQL Database for a Desktop Game
Developing a Game Engine
I am planning a computer game and its engine. There will be a 3 dimensional world with first person view and it will be single player for now. The programming language is C++ ...
1
vote
4answers
693 views
How do I create a 2D tile map?
I'm new to game development and I want to try it out, like many others amongst us :)
I need to create a gridmap. The map needs to be divided in squares. Each square represents a location. For ...
1
vote
2answers
203 views
Game states affecting each other's objects
If I had given this question any other title it would have immediately looked like a dupe of this one. Although that has some nice ideas none of the answers actually address what I need.
I'm ...
-1
votes
3answers
2k views
C++ GameState management
I have been attempting to make a game engine in C++ and have come across the dilemma of game state management. I have done a lot of research and found numerous ways of accomplishing from game engine ...
10
votes
3answers
270 views
64-bit platform for game?
until now I've seen that many games are still compiled in 32-bit architecture although nearly 50% of current windows users are on 64-bit O/S? why is it? if the reason is for getting larger audience ...
8
votes
5answers
978 views
What is Java missing that might make it difficult to develop fully-featured 2D games?
Without using any external libraries, does Java, including all officially supported APIs give you enough to develop fully-featured 2D games? The reason I ask is that I hear a lot of "bad-mouthing" ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
GameState management hierarchical FSM vs stack based FSM
I'm reading a bit on Finite State Machines to handle game states (or screens). I would like to build a rather decent FSM that can handle multiple screens.
e.g. while the game is running I want to be ...
4
votes
1answer
409 views
Communication between objects in games?
I want to make a simple game where I have some characters fighting on a plane (level). I find the trickiest part as figuring out who should do what here.
I want my terrain to have friction (so you ...
3
votes
1answer
213 views
How to synchronise the acceleration, velocity and position of the monsters on the server with the players?
I'm building an MMO using Node.js, and there are monsters roaming around. I can make them move around on the server using vector variables acceleration, velocity and position.
acceleration = ...
