[casual_games] Game Authoring Language

[Wade Tinney]

I'd like to add that there is also information relevant to this thread
in the recent issue of the Casual Games Quarterly: 

http://www.igda.org/casual/quarterly/1_1/casual.php
 
 


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From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Nicolás Vinacur
Sent: Monday, August 08, 2005 12:20 PM
To: wade at largeanimal.com; IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [casual_games] Game Authoring Language

 

    I personally think that for this kind of development, which language
to choose is mostly a personal opinion, the one which one feels more
confortable with. Both Java (or anyone else) and C++ could be fine to
develop a casual game. Most games are historically programmed in C++
just because a simple problem: games are the kind of application that
should get every single cycle from the CPU and use it as well as it can
be. Now, games such as casual do not require great computers to run,
which leads to the following problem: 

 

        You could use JAVA, blitzbasic, or any higher development
environment, though making your game need a little better computers. You
will lose some potential customers which just don't have a computer fast
enough to run your games, but you'll make your life easier, using java
or some 3D library for example to enhance graphics, have particles,
alpha blending, hardware rotation / scaling. 

 

       On the other hand, if you have enough experience with any
language you could use it as well as any other, but there are some
little things that you are not able to handle in C++, such as looking
easily inside of STL structures and such things, which I don't know
JAVA, I suppose that it does this fine. But these little things will
bother, a lot, while developing your game.

 

        In my personal opinion, I prefer to leave out some features that
don't make a GREAT difference, such as alpha blending graphics for ALL
the images, mostly 2D graphics through the video card (3D). That's why I
think that using SDL is the best option (also, wrapped through DirectX
5, should run in most customers computers). 

    

    This would be for the difference between C++ vs any other languages.
For JAVA in particular, I have some doubts to use it... Should the user
download the JAVA environment so he can use the game? Because it is huge
and most users would prefer just to try another easier game. Another
thing to have in mind is, will the user need to download the latest
drivers to be able to play the game? I think that we should aim to the
most basic hardware, with no drivers update or framework needed, if
possible.

 

    Of course, I am saying this, supposing that the game is simple
enough so that you shouldn't need anything else than the basic stuff to
run the game. If the game gets bigger, or more complicated, or you want
to make it 3D or something like that (I can't imagine a 2D game that
should * NEED * nowadays hardware to run) then go for it, use the things
you'll need. But try to avoid requirements if possible, just to get as
most audience as possible (don't kill yourself to try to reach those 2%
with 286, but if the difference is about 30% or something like that, you
would like to think again about it). Perhaps some customers hardware's
stats available would be something good to have to make a good decision
on which tools to use.

 

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Wade  <mailto:wade at largeanimal.com> Tinney 

To: 'IGDA Casual  <mailto:casual_games at igda.org> Games SIG Mailing List'


Sent: Monday, August 08, 2005 3:14 PM

Subject: RE: [casual_games] Game Authoring Language

 

Hi Adeo-

 

Are you evaluating technologies for online multiplayer, or
downloadables, or both? 

 

We probably won't use Java for downloadables (we are increasingly
committed to Torque 2D and 3D), but *might* use it for online
multiplayer, especially if there were better libraries available.
Currently, we are using flash for online multiplayer clients. 

 

Wade

 

Wade Tinney
partner, game designer
Large Animal Games
http://www.largeanimal.com <http://www.largeanimal.com/> 
wade at largeanimal.com

-----Original Message-----
From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Adeo Ressi
Sent: Monday, August 08, 2005 1:04 PM
To: casual_games at igda.org
Subject: [casual_games] Game Authoring Language

At Game Trust, we have been evaluating various casual game development
technologies, including ActiveX, Director, and Java. It is our opinion
that Java may be the best way to go, especially considering the
cross-platform capabilities. Java also has a massive install base, great
client/server capabilities, fast performance, and ways to optimize load
times for online play.

 

The downside to Java is a lack of strong development libraries for
games, though Sun is actively working on this. Java has some problems
with sound handling in the most recent JVM versions, which can be
addressed in your code. Ultimately, different games suit themselves to
different languages, which is why we try to support them all.

 

Game Trust has a number of 2D and 3D Java development libraries that we
have used internally for casual games. We have been thinking to make
these libraries Open Source in conjunction with Sun. It would take us a
couple months to polish them up. 

 

I am wondering what people think about Java, and if anyone thinks that
having a strong set of Open Source Java development libraries would help
them?

 

            Adeo / Game Trust


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