Game Engine Architecture

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Game Engine Architecture

• A thorough overview tips for successful
  implementation

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Why Game Engine Architecture?

• Games are
• Resource intensive
• Large scale
• Constantly changing

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Goals of a good game architecture

• Simplify teamwork
• Prevent blocking
• Flexibility
• Efficiency
• Ease of debugging
• Ease of code management
• Ease of content integration

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Some solutions to game architecture goals

• Modularity
• Data Driven Development
• Messaging
• Tools
• Well defined Workflow

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Modular Design Pros Cons

• Pros
• Simplifies teamwork
• Prevents blocking
• Ease of code management
• Flexibility
• Cons
• Requires sophisticated TD programmers

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Modular Design Tips

• As few dependencies between game modules as
  possible
• Plug code functionality
• Emphasis on module interface rather than module
  implementation

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Data Driven Development Ps Cs

• Pros
• Easy Content Integration
• Flexibility
• Cons
• Large dependency on disk space
• Lots of disk I/O

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Data Driven Development Tips

• Use a scalable file parsing model
• Turn as much of your game into content as
  possible
• Level data
• AI
• Game Object Templates
• Etc.
• Create a content management system to make this
  more modular

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Messaging Ps Cs

• Pros
• Ease of debugging
• Flexibility
• Cons
• Difficult to implement properly
• Code complexity

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Messaging Tips

• Take it seriously
• Consider impact interaction with debugging
• Consider replay solutions
• Enforce a uniform system for handling and
  generating messages

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Tools Ps Cs

• Pros
• Efficiency
• Ease of debugging
• Cons
• Takes time to implement properly

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Tools Tips

• Use a Rapid Application Development (RAD) IDE
• .NET (C, etc.)
• Borland C Builder
• Integrate with Data Driven Development for
  efficient content creation
• Add tool development to timelines

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Defined Workflow Ps Cs

• Pros
• Simplifies Teamwork
• Efficiency
• Cons
• Requires competent management

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Defined Workflow Tips

• Document your process from start to finish
• Use an iterative development methodology
• Use web-based project planning / tracking
  software (trac, etc.)
• Use version control software (cvs, svn, etc.)
• Dont feel like you have to stick with anything
  that doesnt work

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Examples

• Straight-C
• Message-based Service System with object
  factories managers
• Component-based w/ homogenous game object

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Straight-C

• Not much support for object-oriented design
• Use naming conventions to show scope
• Use headers to keep code modular and interfaced
• Other mentioned patterns can be followed in C in
  similar fashions

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Message-based system

• Keep interfaces for factories, managers, and
  handlers uniform
• All creation of objects is through factories
• Memory manager implemented underneath factories
• Be careful handling messages internally, because
  of interdependency issues

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Component-based

• Entities made entirely of components
• Entities can be resolved through their component
  structure
• All game objects are entities (Play game button
  -gt final boss)

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Questions?