26
votes
4answers
3k views
Multi-threaded game (engine) design resources?
What are the best resources on multi-threaded game or game engine design and development? As this is obviously where computers are headed, I intend to study this topic and I'd like to know what ...
25
votes
16answers
26k views
What are some famous games developed with .NET and/or XNA? [closed]
Are there famous games written in .Net and/or XNA?
25
votes
11answers
2k views
What are your favourite game-specific coding gems? [closed]
I'll start off with John Carmack's the Fast Inverse Square Root in Quake III:
float Q_rsqrt(float number) {
long i;
float x2, y;
const float threehalfs = 1.5F;
x2 = number * 0.5F;
y = ...
25
votes
3answers
3k views
2D water with dynamic waves
New Super Mario Bros has really cool 2D water that I'd like to learn how to create.
Here's a video showing it. When something hits the water, it creates a wave. There are also constant "background" ...
25
votes
14answers
2k views
Why is there a lack of games for Linux?
What is wrong with the Linux/*nix family for games? What makes the development of games for this platform too slow compared to Windows or even OS X?
25
votes
5answers
969 views
Why do GPUs require game specific drivers?
PC GPU driver updates often cite improvements made to performance of specific, recently released games. Why is this game-specific updating needed? How do the game-specific changes interact with the ...
25
votes
7answers
11k views
What are some ideal algorithms for Rogue-like 2D dungeon generation?
What are some good resources regarding procedural content generation in the context of dungeon generation?
Closest article I could find was ...
25
votes
4answers
3k views
Proper OO game engine design: how to parcel responsibilities
(note - I don't have the reputation to create new tags, so mod action may be needed to re-tag)
I'm in the midst of developing a 2D sprite-based game for Windows 7 Phone using XNA. The training and ...
25
votes
9answers
875 views
What is the best way to avoid colorblind issues?
About 5-10% of males have some form of colorblindness. What's the best way to ensure you are not turning away 5-10% of your male population from your game?
Just to note colorblindness does not mean ...
25
votes
4answers
815 views
Version control with game development - When should I branch?
I recently started using Version Control with my projects (even though I'm working alone on them). I find that it gives a nice way to keep history of the whole development process (with issue ...
25
votes
3answers
886 views
In which directory to write game save files/data?
I need a definite list of directories, one or more per platform, of where to put game save files and other game generated data. Either based on the OS developer specification, or because it is common ...
25
votes
5answers
3k views
Moving ships between two planets along a bezier, missing some equations for acceleration
OK, I already posted this over at math.stackechange.com but didn't get any answers :(
First of here's a picture of my problem, the description follows afterwards:
So I got all the points and ...
25
votes
3answers
6k views
How does hardware tessellation work?
I would just like someone to explain in relativly clear terms how hardware tessellation works considering it is the new buzzword with DX11.
Thanks.
25
votes
2answers
875 views
How'd they do it: Destructible environments in BF:BC2 and BF3
How did the folks at Dice create the destructible environments in the more recent Battlefield games?
Did they just assemble the buildings out of predefined sub-regions that break apart when there is ...
25
votes
6answers
2k views
What's a way to implement a flexible buff/debuff system?
Overview:
Lots of games which RPG-like statistics allow for character "buffs", ranging from simple "Deal 25% extra damage" to more complicated things like "Deal 15 damage back to attackers when hit."
...
25
votes
3answers
908 views
What can cause ALT-TAB to be 'annoying'/slow/glitchy?
This is more of an open ended question, but I hope to get some good insight on how to avoid the issue.
When playing Games on Windows, I might want to ALT-TAB out of it. Some games have no problems, ...
24
votes
12answers
1k views
Minimizing chances of Piracy
I am planning to make a small game in the near future. How can I minimize the chances of it being pirated.
24
votes
15answers
3k views
Interesting/Innovative Open Source tools for indie games [closed]
Just out of curiosity, I want to know opensource tools or projects that can add some interesting features to indie games, preferably those that could only be found on big-budget games.
EDIT: As ...
24
votes
3answers
1k views
How can I make water appear darker with depth, like in Minecraft?
In Minecraft when you look at water the deeper you view the darker it gets. Does anyone know how to code something like that?
Minecraft with effect
similar game without effect
24
votes
8answers
1k views
In-Game Tutorial Decisions
I'm working on a game with confusing mechanics such as energy storage and the coolant temperature. What is the best way to get a new player learned quickly? What are the pros and cons of different ...
24
votes
19answers
1k views
Are there many games involving the manipulation of water?
I'm in the very, very early brainstorming stages of a game which centers around the manipulation of water and the terrain around it. (i.e., changing the water's state between solid, liquid, gas; ...
24
votes
2answers
3k views
How to create adjustable formula for RPG level up requirements?
I'm trying to create a formula that can be modified simply by changing two values: number_of_levels, and last_level_experience. This is to enable people modding the game to change the levelling ...
24
votes
8answers
9k views
How can I make a peer-to-peer multiplayer game?
How can I make a p2p multiplayer game?
I would like to have a server-less multiplayer game. But then, how all the clients know each other?
Why the p2p-protocol is so famous in file transfer but not ...
24
votes
4answers
1k views
How do patches in games work?
Console and PC games have patches sometimes to fix bugs which the developers missed/didn't have time to fix.
My question is how do these work?
Sometimes the patch files are a few megabytes in size. ...
24
votes
3answers
1k views
How do I protect my game with CD key / serial number?
So I've decided I want to keep pirated copies of my XNA game from accessing official game servers (which are moderated, so people who paid for the game will get the best experience) by disconnecting ...
24
votes
3answers
2k views
Assets Management, database or versioning system?
While developing the assets for the game, (meshes, textures, sounds, videos) ho do you manage them?
Keeping them together with the source code
inside the versioning system? (perforce, git, etc…)
Or ...
24
votes
2answers
1k views
What are milestones for a game developer to gauge their progress?
I know actually completing a game is a massive milestone, a complete polished, holistic experience. Something that I've not yet been able to commit to.
There are of course classes and degrees to ...
24
votes
3answers
3k views
What is the purpose of the stencil buffer ? More precisely, what is a stencil in computer graphics?
I read the stencil word a lot, and I don't have a clue what is its real purpose in computer graphics.
Seeing the picture in black and white on wikipedia, I'm still having problem with it.
Why do we ...
24
votes
2answers
6k views
Entity/Component Systems in C++, How do I discover types and construct components?
I'm working on an entity component system in C++ that I hope to follow the style of Artemis (http://piemaster.net/2011/07/entity-component-artemis/) in that components are mostly data bags and it's ...
24
votes
3answers
1k views
Algorithms for rainfall + river creation in procedurally generated terrain
I've recently become fascinated by the things that can be done with procedurally terrain and have started experimenting with world building a bit. I'd like to be able to make worlds something like ...
24
votes
3answers
4k views
How does Flow Field pathfinding work?
Supreme Commander 2 has something called flow field path finding. How does it work? Is there some article available I can read up on how it works?
24
votes
4answers
685 views
What viable way for an indie dev to test for epilepsy reactions on a game?
So I've been developing a game which is a bit.. blinky in terms of color and lightness contrasts. It's a game for the iPhone, so the screen's not gonna be so big..
But I've heard about wipeout XL ...
24
votes
5answers
4k views
How can I achieve a good fire effect with alpha blending and particles?
Using the following setting for the OpenGL particle effect:
SRC: GL_SRC_ALPHA
DST: GL_ONE
Creates an additive blend, which looks spectacular on a black background but terrible on brighter colours, ...
24
votes
6answers
7k views
Should I be using Lua for game logic on mobile devices?
As above really,
I'm writing an android based game in my spare time (android because it's free and I've no real aspirations to do anything commercial).
The game logic comes from a very typical ...
24
votes
2answers
661 views
Modeling speed of light information propagation in space combat sim
I'm working on a space combat sim that takes place over relatively vast areas (a cube of space ~20 light minutes to a side) and uses (mostly) realistic physics. One of the key elements I want to model ...
24
votes
0answers
319 views
How are game console reverse engineered so emulators are created? [closed]
How do people reverse engineer consoles such as the Wii, to create emulators for their game executables?
23
votes
32answers
3k views
Tools for creating assets? [closed]
There are similar questions about finding existing resources that are free for use (free sprites/images, music, sound), but I'm interested in creating the resources myself. What tools do you use for ...
23
votes
7answers
1k views
What are some non-obvious topics to learn for game development? [closed]
I've been writing games for around 10 years now (from QBasic to C# and everything in-between). I need to start stretching my skills into different areas. What are other, surprising topics I should ...
23
votes
6answers
917 views
Vertical vs horizontal hex grids, pros and cons
With hex grids, you can choose to arrange the tiles with the pointy sides up, so that you can move along the west-east axis, or you can arrange them with an edge up, so that you can move along the ...
23
votes
6answers
5k views
Why are textures always square powers of two? What if they aren't?
Why are the resolution of textures in games always a power of two (128x128, 256x256, 512x512, 1024x1024, etc.)? Wouldn't it be smart to save on the game's file size and make the texture exactly fit ...
23
votes
4answers
1k views
Can I run into legal issues with random names?
I'm currently building a game whose NPC's are going to be assigned a random gender and a random name for the right gender. To do this I will be using a "database" of names (actually a text file with ...
23
votes
8answers
1k views
Why should I choose to design a health bar rather than heart containers?
When designing any hero-based game, be it adventure, RPG, brawler, or similar, you eventually need to decide on your health system. Barring any regenerative systems with zero UI (like Call of Duty), ...
23
votes
11answers
10k views
How do you come up with ideas for new games?
What is the best way in your opinion to find new ideas for games? I want to invent something really new (like Gish, World of Goo, Crayon Physics etc), but I'm having problems coming up with new, ...
23
votes
9answers
8k views
Is ruby a suitable language for game development?
I want to move into some game development, but the only language I know really well is Ruby. Most of what I have read seems to point towards lower level languages like C++ for game development, or ...
23
votes
6answers
2k views
Designing a game - Where to start? [closed]
A friend of mine and I are planning a game together to work on in our free time. It's not an extensive game, but it's not a simple one either.
He's working on the story behind the game while I'm ...
23
votes
9answers
6k views
What C++ GUI library can you suggest?
I'm building my own game engine in C++ and I'm currently deciding on what user interface I should use.
Should I use a library? Should I make my own?
23
votes
8answers
6k views
What is a good tool for producing animated sprites? [closed]
Has anyone come across a software package that allows you to build animations in a similar way to how you can in Flash (i.e. using techniques such as tweens & bones & easings, etc) and then ...
23
votes
6answers
8k views
23
votes
6answers
3k views
What 3D level development tools are available to indie developers?
People who build in Unity or UDK have immediate access to a 3D level editor. People who build their games in XNA or from scratch have no such thing. I'm looking for 3D level development tools ...
23
votes
5answers
8k views
How do I get into Facebook game development? [closed]
I have some ideas that I think might make interesting games for a Facebook-like platform, in that they are social and casual. Does anyone have advice on how to get into Facebook development from a ...
