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How to Make a Computer Game (the Easy Way) An Introduction to 3 rd -Person Perspective Game Creation Software. Jonathan Martin. Introduction. What 3 rd -person perspective is As opposed to 1 st person (Doom) Show a video an actual game in 3 rd person perspective (NWN?) Examples of games
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How to Make a Computer Game (the Easy Way)An Introduction to 3rd-Person Perspective Game Creation Software Jonathan Martin
Introduction • What 3rd-person perspective is • As opposed to 1st person (Doom) • Show a video an actual game in 3rd person perspective (NWN?) • Examples of games • Famous ones and recent!
Game Development Free Trade-offs of the two extremes • Write from scratch • Use middleware package • Modify existing game engine • Specialized game construction software • Genre-specific construction software more Renderware Doom, Source (Half Life), Unreal Programming intensive Game Maker, Torque 2D less RPG Maker XP, AGS, NWN Restrictive
Genre-Specific Construction Software • No Need to Reinvent the Wheel • Requires the least amount of programming • Tend to have the nicest user interfaces • This all comes at the expense of freedom
Adventure Game Studio • What can you do with it? • Adventure games (“point-and-click”) • 2D only • Can import art • Descriptive Meaningful play • Example games • Maniac mansion (remake) • King’s quest (remake)
Adventure Game Studio • Easily create point-and-click interfaces • Extra- feat (but not required): “C-like” scripting language for advanced functions • Lucasarts-style conversation system should you want to use it. • Supports wide variety of file types • Audio: OGG, MP3, WAV, MOD, XM, MIDI • Video: BMP, PCX, PNG, GIF, TGA • Distribute your game on Windows, Linux or OSX (Mac)
Adventure Game Studio • Supports a multitude of display modes • 320x200, 320x240, 640x400, 640x480, 800x600 • 256-color, 16-bit color and 32-bit color • Anti-aliasing and alpha blending supported in certain modes • Inventory Support Built-In • Plugin System for Advanced Users
Adventure Game Studio • Demo • What is going to be shown? • And create a room • What we are going to do?
RPG Maker XP • What can you do with it? • Adventure games (“point-and-click”) • 2D only • Can import art • Descriptive Meaningful play • Example games • Maniac mansion (remake) • King’s quest (remake)
RPG Maker XP Create 2D tile-based RPG’s Point and Click interface similar to AGS Also has databases for Monsters, Weapons, Items, Stats, Characters, Skills…just about anything you’ve seen in a 16-bit era RPG Also see…
Now Let’s Get a Little More Advanced… Game Maker • Room/object paradigm • Doesn’t have built-in functions like RPG Maker and AGS • Simple but powerful scripting language
Also see… Neverwinter Nights Aurora Toolkit • Create RPG scenarios in the 3D Neverwinter Nights engine • Possible to create original content, but requires a lot of work
NVW • http://nwn.bioware.com/players/profile_uofa.html • Talk about its popularity: estimate of number of games created • Mention the U. Alberta thing
NVW • Example scenario
Remember… • 3D graphics not necessary!! • Use the tools you are most comfortable with, not what you believe is inherently “better” • Small amount of programming knowledge still required • Test your game as you are making it—Iterative Design!
Resources • http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/ • http://www.gamemaker.nl/ • http://www.enterbrain.co.jp/tkool/RPG_XP/eng/ • http://nwn.bioware.com/builders/