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Introduction:

Reason for posting here: This is the conceptual part of the Game Template. I'm asking for opinions, giving a more in-depth conceptual look into the Game Template. I'm looking for ideas, opinions, and concepts I could improve or add to improve on the Game Template.

I'm looking to improve my Game Template with the help of the community. I really would like to release a complete set of standard classes that everyone can use in there projects.

Lets face it. We've all created a game and failed because of that infamous coders block. I bet we all have had coders block for various reasons. Creating a video game is a lot of work. Help fight coders block to help everyone design that game they never finished!

Have you ever attempted a game and never finished it because there was so much code or you ever gotten coders block?

Game Template Link: http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=187213&b=1

Background Information:
I've attempted to make a few games as a programmer but never actually finished one. I've been very close though. I've spent a lot of time on the mechanics of the game and not much on the actual game. lol I've dropped working on making games for a while to work on this project because I want to create a video game where the mechanics push the limits of what I can actually do. I've found out a lot about what actually goes into a game with my project.

The Game Template has two categories: Standard and non-standard code. Standard is code you will use in every video game and non-standard is classes is the opposite. I am beginning to sort out everything into a manageable modular format. Flexibility is very important. I will release the modular format of the classes as I have time.

If you take a look at the project it is close to it's final update with a few classes. They are listed in the updated classes section on my Game Template (Open Source) thread. Just needs a bit more work.

Community Feedback:
I would like to get the community plugged in an improving the template. What I need the community opinion for is to improve the Game Template for everyone's benefit.

Game Template Classes:
- Dynamic Resources
- Load Resource
- Load Lua
- Name Item
- File
- Timers
- Performance
- Animation
- Multi-Threading

I'm still working on sorting the functions around so it is easier to manage.

With all the classes I have I'm looking for some new ideas of classes to add to the template. The Game Template is lacking in quite a lot to be enough to develop a complete game.

How to contribute to the project:

I've been working on this project for quite sometime. I decided to make it open source so the community could help in the development of the Game Template. There is a lot of work in progress code that needs work. I don't know everything and most of the works in progress were developed though research.

- Post a bug report/bug fix
- Post an idea, comment, or question
- Post an addition or even a new class. lol
- Share your conceptual knowledge
- Repeat contributors or Join the Team

I've been trying to get together a team or just a few people devoted to the idea. I really some help to pick apart the Game Template classes, make improvements, and to really put there expertise into new classes.

Just a few Questions:
- Would anyone find this Game Template useful or even use it in their projects?
- Has anyone tried to develop a Game Template on the forums before?
- Any ideas of classes, features, tools, utilities, or additions?

I'll be adding more questions as I get time to post more. lol

Next Posts:
- Class Concepts and how they work.
- Posting a full class usage tutorial on the Game Template (Open Source) thread.

Anything would be helpful to improve the Game Template for everyone's benefit.

Post any questions, comments, criticisms, ideas, concepts, or your opinion.

Thanks,

DigitalFury

I would love to be a part of this, and contribute, but I feel this is a little empty here, could you also link to the other thread?

Quote: "Just a few Questions:
- Would anyone find this Game Template useful or even use it in their projects?"

Yes I would as I wish to streamline my first projects rather than bash them together... 'Order is a Virtue'

Quote: " - Has anyone tried to develop a Game Template on the forums before?
"

Quite likely, but as the threads go... they get put into history and archived and never seen again because people hate it when you dig up old posts for whatever reason...

Quote: " - Any ideas of classes, features, tools, utilities, or additions?
"

I kind of get the idea... of this, sort of... umm how about checklists?

I have a few project management web tools that might help for this unless you intend to keep this on the forums and not have a focussed location for it.

@MrValentine - Considering that the thread died a long time ago because it was a project I didn't have time for with everything going on. I re-released it with some new updated classes I've been working on just a few weeks ago. I plan on keep updating it and providing a complete example showing how easy it is to port your current project into this one.

Right now it is like cutting up your project and pasting them where it would fit best. I'm working on a tutorial at the moment. Should be done in two weeks.

Anything to add to the template is always a benefit. The projects main goal is to grow at the same time reduce how much code is actually in the standard version. I might eventually want to write the whole thing into a plugin but i've been having issues with stability of the build when I was working on creating plugins for other projects.



The whole point is to start a project using the game template. I'm actually going to create a template that can be installed in DBP so you can just start a project that way. The project is currently in beta stage and I re-wrote the final classes and working on writing the rest.

Anyone that wants to contribute to the project can. The project is intended to grow.

Thanks,

DigitalFury

Resources

Everyone should know Resources aren't limited! It is important to manage your resources because it affects everything. You have a limited polygon count, FPS decreases when you use more resources, and the computer can only handle so many resources. You are limited.

Dynamic Resources is a multi-part library. I built on it until everything was completely automated.

Garbage collection was a concept I wanted to add but I realized it wasn't that fast. I figure out coroutines will only run one index at a time. I was able to check every resource type for that one index. It is the fastest way to garbage collect when your deleting and creating a lot of objects in game. I might eventually develop a way to turn on and turn off the garbage collector. I could automatically turn it on and off as you create more or less objects. I could even give an object a life if I wanted but that is for future builds.

The delete resource arrays are a way to store all the deleted resource indexes for recycling. I might monitor that array and put a cap on it. I could just use the garbage collector to find those indexes again. I could also remove the garbage collector and just use the arrays and delete resource commands or I could get rid of the delete resource commands and just use a garbage collector. I'm still working though how to make it as fast as possible.

I also have the option of using lua and a database to store indexes and names for easy lookup. You can get the name of any resource by providing an index and the index of any resource by providing a name.

I'll explain how anything works or if you have any questions let me know.

Thanks,

DigitalFury

Please don't double post.

Naming Dynamic Resources: Part 1

I found it annoying to have to keep track of index with variables. I wanted an easy way to access the index somewhere else like a function with ease. I found lua arrays are quite useful for this. You can provide a name instead of an index. That is what made naming resources possible. I just posted a full example if anyone is interested.

Edit: @BiggAdd: Sorry about that BiggAdd I'm just double posting then posting downloads and adding on to the topics. I just wanted everything in once place. Sorry for the clutter.

DigitalFury

Performance: Part 1

What it boils down to is how many instructions are being carried out by the processor. I took that approach and design a simple performance class to keep the performance constant no matter what changes. Unlike sync I can keep the cpu usage minimal. Sync isn’t very constant when things change in the game. You can have lag if the game isn’t running on some sort of precision. It is critical! When you create a multi-player game precision and packet management is what keeps lag from occurring. It is kind of like a heart beat keeping the clients in sync. The packet must be received at the same time and the game must be running at the same rate.

Will post more on the topic of performance soon!

DigitalFury

Ideas

I thought of a few ideas for the Game Template.

How it should load:
- Search for changes in files on another thread while displaying the Game Template/Other Logos.
- Load the media while in the menu
- Editor flag can be on or off allowing for easy in game editing/testing.

Some other additions include:
- GetResourceName: Gets a name of a resource loaded by file, database, or via lua. This accesses an array with a complete list of resource names.

Till next time

DigitalFury

what?where?

also umm your starting to come across as slightly confusing... perhaps make a list of the technologies you are using? are you making use of DBPro official add-ons? STYX? Enhancements? I believe you can use it to use object names instead of ID's... anyhow you mentioned LUA a bit above... Lua Unity?

Just stating my view here... perhaps I missed something... perhaps you are not being clear enough? perhaps I am just having another catch 22 day... perhaps I did not state the above...

Eitherway looking forward to your reply... perhaps it will be written? >.<

{But yeah looking forward to your reply I am interested in this project... just need a clearer idea of whats involved and required and how it all comes together etc.}

EDIT



I really want more on this precision code and lag preventitave highly interested was going to make a new thread asking about it but figured may as well ask here first.

@MrValentine - Everything is designed to be independent of plugins. There are some plugins that are highly recommended. Some are free some are not. Dark Data is a good plugin but cost a bit. Lua is free if you use barnski's or you can buy unity (lua).

The project is fairly extensive and hard to keep up with this project working on 2nd shift. If I have help I could make this project into an editor. Hell maybe even a full game development suite. I only spent like a few years on editors and stuff. lol

Checkout the link. There is everything you need or could ever want. There is like a bunch of code, tutorial, and stuff you can look at.
Game Template Link: http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=187213&b=1

I bought pretty much all the plugins and still have a few more to get..... will be buying everything eventually...

An Editor? like DBPro? wouldnt that defeat the point... thats like re-inventing the wheel and making it exactly the same... unless you mean an open source version...

If I could help structure this... I would like to help if its to help make my DBPro experience a breeze...

But about that performance thing... is it on that linked thread you showed?

MrValentine - Yes it is. By the way you have to realize that video game development isn't exactly easy. I have spent more then 3-4 years on it. lol It is good to have a good standard sets of classes you reuse though.