Technologies and Tools
From IndieGuide
For any software you will rely on tools and technology. However you don't have to start completely from scratch when creating your game, you can utilise what is available and suits your game, your skills, your budget. It's important that you determine what you need before you get started.
(not sure yet how to organise this section - it should provide a very broad and exhaustive overview in order to list all choices/options available to a modern-day developer. On the other hand if we talk about EVERYTHING, it will be far too much to handle in a single section. I do however want to list things a developer has to consider upfront. Maybe we touch the areas only lightly here and refer to other sections for more details.) --Uli.s 17:05, 27 April 2008 (UTC)
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Operating systems
You can distinguish between target platform and development platform. You develop your game on your development platform. The target platform are those operating systems you want your game to run on.
It seems obivious but you should consciously decide very precisely on the target platform upfront as it will have an impact on your choices of technologies and how you implement them.
Below you find a list of common platforms. The descriptions will go into following issues:
- Using the platform for development, benefits, problems.
- (.... more ....)
Mac OS
Benefits
1. Unix foundation 2. Lots of programs for common routines See list 3. Has important tools such as Photoshop 4. Can run Linux and Windows using virtualization software! 5. Can dual/triple boot with other OSs 6. Improved usability (for instance, with keyboard shortcuts)
Drawbacks
1. Lacks many smaller tools (often Windows only) 2. No [Direct X] support
To be honest, all the drawbacks can be addressed by running Windows as a guest OS. Aside from guest OS performance, I can't think of a compelling reason not to develop on a mac.
Just my two cents Alex
Linux
Benefits
1. Package support allows you to easily install necessary dependencies. 2. Free! 3. Lots of tools available for various routines See list 4. Large and extremely knowledgeable developer community
Drawbacks
1. Doesn't have Direct X 2. Lacks many common game tools available on Windows 3. Relatively small game developer community 4. OS can be intimidating
Windows
Computer Hardware
Libraries
Game Engines
If you are planning on developing a 2D game then there are several options available. Before deciding it's important to make a list of what features are most important for you. For instance, if you want to have cross platform support then you're going to want a framework which does not rely on Direct X. Please see Finding the Right 2D Game Engine for a closer look at four excellent 2D game engines. I evaluate them based on their ease of use, developer community, and portability to name a few qualities.
Here are the game engines I review, in case you just want to check them out immediately...
1. Pygame 2. Allegro 3. Torque 4. Slick
Alex @ Another Early Morning
Categories of Tools
- Image manipulation
- Modelling (3-D)
- Renderer (3-D)
- Sound editing
- ....
Links
- GameDeveloperTools.com: Database full with books, tools, libraries and engines.
