Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The great boon of PC development is that anyone can program one; you don't have
to get a license from the manufacturer or buy an expensive development station.
Consequently, personal computers are at the cutting edge of innovation in com-
puter gaming. They're the platform of choice for small-scale, low-demand projects,
interactive art, and other experimental forms of interactive entertainment.
The great bane of PC development is that no two machines are alike. Because
they're customizable, millions of configurations are possible. In the early days of
the game industry, this was a real nightmare for programmers. Fortunately, the
Windows and Macintosh operating systems have solved many of these problems by
isolating the programs from the hardware. Still, games tend to require more from
the machine than other applications do, and configuration conflicts still occur.
PC games may be divided into two general and quite different categories: stand-
alone games, which the player installs on his machine like any other program, and
browser-based games that run inside a web browser such as Safari or Internet Explorer.
STAND-ALONE GAMES
A stand-alone PC game can use the full power of the PC, assuming the player isn't
running any other applications at the same time. Of all games played on consumer
equipment, stand-alone PC games can be the most visually spectacular. Home
game consoles are sold in distinct hardware “generations,” and a given manufactur-
er's machine won't change until the next generation. By contrast, personal
computers evolve constantly, so game developers can take advantage of the latest
hardware innovations. Crytek's
Crysis
is a good example of a game that requires a
very powerful machine for a player to enjoy it fully.
This doesn't mean that stand-alone PC games always demand high-end equipment,
or that they should; it only means that if you want to develop for the highest-end
gear, you should build stand-alone PC games. That choice usually limits the size of
your market to the truly dedicated hobbyist gamer. On the other hand, many
stand-alone games are aimed at the middle of the range and do very well. Most
edutainment games are stand-alone games because it's easier for a parent to help a
young child with a keyboard and mouse than a handheld controller.
BROWSER-BASED GAMES
Browser-based games are a rapidly growing sector of the game market. They have
one huge advantage over stand-alone games: Because they run in a web browser,
they are isolated from the machine's hardware. A browser-based game can run on a
Windows PC, Macintosh, or Linux machine with no modifications. This advantage
comes at a price, however; browser-based games cannot take full advantage of
the machine's capabilities, and this usually includes 3D rendering. Most browser-
based games—and there are thousands—are 2D games aimed at the casual player.
They are often written in Java or Adobe's ActionScript language, which works with
Flash Player.
