Object-Oriented Game Development

by Gold, Julian

• ISBN13: 9780321176608
• ISBN10: 032117660X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: Addison Wesley

Summary

Games software has its roots in a "cottage" industry, ignoring formal methodologies, instead leaving the programmers to find homespun solutions to the technical problems faced. The picture has now changed: the scale of the problems faced by programmers means that more methodical techniques must be applied to game development to prevent projects spiralling out of control, both in terms of technical complexity and cost. The book addresses how program teams can develop ever more complex entertainment software within the constraints of deadlines, budgets and changing technologies. It establishes a set of best practices tempered with real-world pragmatism, understanding that there is no "one size fits all" solution. No member of the game development team should be working in isolation and the book will be useful to producers, designers and artists as well as the programmers themselves. In addition, the book addresses the needs of the growing number of Game Development courses offered in academia, giving students a much-needed insight into the real world of object-oriented game design. 

Author Biography

Julian Gold is a software engineer at Microsoft Research in Cambridge investigating advanced machine learning for videogames, and Senior Programmer for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	xiii
Introduction	1	(8)
What is this book?	1	(1)
But why?	2	(1)
Who am I?	2	(1)
Who are you?	3	(1)
So what will you read about?	3	(1)
A brief history of games	4	(5)
The time that land forgot	4	(2)
It's all academic	6	(1)
My! Hasn't he grown?	7	(1)
From bedroom to boardroom	8	(1)
Summary	8	(1)
The game development process	9	(14)
Philosophy	9	(5)
Context	9	(1)
Iterate!	10	(1)
Not all statistics are damned lies	11	(1)
Don't do it again	12	(1)
Do it again	13	(1)
Don't do it again (again)	13	(1)
See it from all sides	13	(1)
Reality bites	14	(7)
Hard cash	14	(1)
The Hacker's Charter	15	(3)
So why are games different?	18	(2)
Conclusion	20	(1)
Summary	21	(2)
Software engineering for games	23	(46)
The peasants are revolting	23	(1)
The lords are revolting	24	(1)
Stopping the rot	25	(26)
From bedroom to office	25	(1)
Working practices for programmers	26	(1)
Software standards	27	(3)
Good working practice	30	(1)
Good programming practice	30	(3)
Code reuse	33	(5)
Dependencies: the curse of Hades	38	(7)
Reuse granularity	45	(5)
When not to reuse	50	(1)
The choice of language	51	(12)
The four elements of object orientation	52	(4)
Problem areas	56	(3)
Standard Template Library	59	(1)
Templates	60	(3)
A C++ coding policy	63	(4)
General	64	(1)
Policy specifics	64	(3)
Summary	67	(2)
Object-oriented design for games	69	(66)
Notation	69	(2)
Classes	69	(1)
Relationships	70	(1)
The design process	71	(5)
Phase 1: brainstorming	71	(1)
Phase 2: prune the tree	72	(1)
Phase 3: draw the bubbles and lines	73	(2)
Phase 4: validate the design	75	(1)
Patterns	76	(58)
The interface	77	(4)
Singleton	81	(8)
Object factory	89	(6)
Manager	95	(1)
Visitor/iterator	96	(9)
Strawman	105	(3)
Prototype	108	(3)
Russian doll	111	(23)
Summary	134	(1)
The component model for game development	135	(94)
Definition: game engine	135	(1)
Motivation	135	(3)
Your engine has stalled	135	(1)
The alternative	136	(2)
Some guiding principles	138	(11)
Keep things local	138	(2)
Keep data and their visual representations logically and physically apart	140	(3)
Keep static and dynamic data separate	143	(5)
Avoid illogical dependencies	148	(1)
Better dead than thread?	149	(1)
Meet the components	149	(78)
Naming conventions	150	(1)
The application	150	(2)
Container components	152	(6)
Maths component	158	(20)
Text and language processing	178	(3)
Graphics	181	(5)
Prim	186	(3)
Collision detection	189	(3)
Resource management	192	(13)
Newtonian physics	205	(15)
Network gaming	220	(6)
Summary	226	(1)
Summary	227	(2)
Cross-platform development	229	(38)
Introduction	229	(36)
Analyse this	229	(1)
Welcome to Fantasy Land	230	(5)
Same capability, different methodology	235	(16)
Platforms of different capability	251	(3)
Cross-platform component architecture	254	(11)
Summary	265	(2)
Game objects	267	(62)
Open your GOB	267	(14)
Collapsed hierarchy	267	(2)
Shallow hierarchy	269	(1)
Vertical hierarchy	270	(4)
Mix-in inheritance	274	(7)
Game object management	281	(45)
Creation and destruction	282	(14)
Referencing	296	(15)
Persistent damage	311	(15)
Summary	326	(3)
Design-driven control	329	(22)
Decoupling behaviour from game code	330	(1)
Simplifying the creation and management of high-level behaviour	331	(10)
A functional paradigm	331	(4)
Task-based control	335	(6)
Event management details	341	(6)
Language issues	347	(2)
Summary	349	(2)
Iterative development techniques	351	(16)
Introduction	351	(1)
Prioritising tasks	351	(1)
How long is a piece of virtual string?	351	(1)
Incremental delivery	352	(3)
Milestones round my neck	352	(1)
Internal and external milestones	353	(1)
The breaking wheel of progress	354	(1)
Always stay a step ahead	354	(1)
Iterated delivery	355	(11)
Waste not, want not	361	(1)
Ordering using priorities and levels	361	(4)
Scheduling with an iterated delivery system	365	(1)
Summary	366	(1)
Game development roles	367	(20)
The cultural divides	367	(1)
The programming team	368	(7)
Programming roles	369	(4)
Recruitment	373	(1)
Programming production phases	373	(2)
The art team	375	(4)
Art roles	375	(4)
The design team	379	(5)
Design risk management	379	(4)
Design personnel	383	(1)
Putting it all together	384	(1)
Summary	385	(2)
Case study: Cordite	387	(28)
Technical analysis	387	(27)
Low-level file management	388	(3)
Object streams	391	(2)
Collision	393	(2)
Scripted behaviour	395	(3)
Objects	398	(3)
Human control	401	(3)
Particles	404	(8)
And so on	412	(2)
Summary	414	(1)
Appendix: coding conventions used in this book	415	(2)
Bibliography	417	(2)
Web resources	419	(2)
Index	421