3d Game programming

[asataylor]

Game programming is a large field as far as roles. There are graphics programmers, game logic/AI programmers, engine programmers, tools programmers, technical artists.

Since you're starting why not try out some small books on beginning games programming so you can get a little feel for the different disciplines? Making a complete game, even if its pong, will get you a clearer view of the different roles involved.

[gamedeveloper]

Although this might not be high-end enough for you, you might want to try the Flash Actionscript 3.0 learning track. Learning Actionscript is VERY useful for prototyping games and since Unity3D uses Javascript as a scripting language, your Actionscript coding skills will be useful there as well. Web 3D gaming is about to explode...

Here's a dump of good Flash/AS3 stuff in no particular order. More if you request it...

(a) Setting up Flash Actionscript 3.0 (download free Flashdevelop, Flash CS4 demo, free Flex SDK)
(b) check out Papervision3D for Actionscript 3.0, or Sandy3D or Away3D (http://blog.papervision3d.org/).
(c) purchase Foundation Actionscript 3.0 Animation, Making Things Move (learn how to roll your own simple 3D engine and other general coding tasks)
(d) purchase AdvancED Actionscript 3.0 Animation
(e) purchase Actionscript 3.0 Image Effects
(d) purchase Foundation Game Design with Flash
(e) if you have iTunes check out the free Actionscript programming podcasts (just search for "Actionscript" in iTunes)
(f) http://flashgameu.com/ (great resource)
(g) purchase Professional Papervision3D http://professionalpapervision.wordpress.com/
(h) purchase Papervision3D Essentials http://blog.papervision3d.org/2009/09/03/papervision3d-essentials/
(i) purchase Essential Actionscript 3.0
(j) get a $25 a month subscription to Lynda.com and learn Actionscript, Flash CS4 IDE, Blender3D and collada export
(k) download the free version of UNITY3D
(l) purchase one of the several UNITY3D game dev books out there and download the free doc PDF
(m) purchase the book Real Time Cameras
(n) purchase the Art of Game Design, A Book of Lenses
(o) purchase Rules of Play
(p) download the free Blender3D
(q) you might also want to look at a Game Engine Architecture book (not too many for AS3) as well as a Game AI book

Again, Flash, AS3, and basic lowpoly 3D graphics may not be high-end enough for you if you want to work on AAA console games, but it is a decent first step.

[jden]

Thanks for the replies.
About five years ago I actually did a little game with actionscript in flash. But
2d games is not what Im looking for.
I think I want to continue with Ai/logic programming.

I know what classes, functions and the most of the basic things do in c++.
Im still reading beginner books. Talking about books, could I just jump from this (http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-C-Through-Game-Programming/dp/1598633600/ref=pd_sim_b_1), to this (http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Game-Example-Mat-Buckland/dp/1556220782/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262965774&sr=1-11)?

At the same time (by reading I guess), I want to know more about all of the other roles of programming how they meet with Ai/logic programming.

[gamedeveloper]

The links I posted were mainly for the emerging 3D AS3 scene.

Definitely NOT 2D stuff. Try visiting these links...

http://kode80.com/
http://papergem.wordpress.com/
http://www.nulldesign.de/projects/nd3d-as3-3d-engine/
http://www.jiglibflash.com/blog/
http://www.everydayflash.com/

[705]

hej hej,

its kinda hard to start from scratch if youd like to go for a top notch 3d game. my advise is to use existing engine. it will help you a lot. currently im trying to make something out of c4 engine. you can but the engine for a very reasonable price, buy the book, and you'll save many troubles. quoting from my lecturer: if someone already built it, try to get it, because it might be better then what you're going to have :D

most of this 3D games book wont get you anywhere near a complete game. it will teach you the very basic but not near enough (unless you are very very very very very very talented genius). i got this book on my shelf:

http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-OpenGL-Game-Programming-Development/dp/1592003699

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Time-Rendering-Third-Tomas-Akenine-Moller/dp/1568814240/ref=dp_ob_image_bk

http://www.amazon.com/Game-Engine-Design-Interactive-Technology/dp/1558605932

but none of them will bring you to a complete top notch 3D game from scratch :)

anyway, im from nrk, english speaker though ;) im tryng to make something from the c4 engine. it come up with source code so you'll learn a lot of game programming after you nail the whole aspect. if you'd like to team up for the Swedish Game Award, im totally open :)


tack

[jden]

gamedeveloper: Im sorry, I was thinking a little bit too much of my own flash experience when I said 2D. But I wonder how powerful this new internet based game center could be,
maybe in the future it could play top games without any graphic card at all? How much does it differ to original way of programming games, can c++ be used somehow?

705: Hej, Im also from Norrköping, (my name says stockholm in this moment).
Im probably not going to make a new engine by my self. But it really seems like I have to read every book out there to get the whole picture.

What are you programming in the c4 engine? Do you ever use the basic stuffs like 'if', classes
and functions? And how do you bind them to a 3d object?

[705]

705: Hej, Im also from Norrköping, (my name says stockholm in this moment).
Im probably not going to make a new engine by my self. But it really seems like I have to read every book out there to get the whole picture.

What are you programming in the c4 engine? Do you ever use the basic stuffs like 'if', classes
and functions? And how do you bind them to a 3d object?

we are probably in the same course :)

yes im basically a programmer, did thousand of if, classes and function ;) but i just started game(graphic) progamming about a year ago. there are many ways to bind engine with 3D objects. c4 engine uses collada. other engine like torque can read a direct scene from houdini. but almost every engine able to read obj, which is supported almost every 3D aps (but not powerfull enough)

[gamedeveloper]

Eventually the Flash player will have access to the GPU for 3D (recent player update allowed GPU HD video playback).

Right now it's all software rendering.

Please take a close look at this site and click through on lots of stuff:

http://ecodazoo.com/

A little physics, well-textured lowpoly assets, billboards, depth of field (most of it is definitely not real time) and nice audio. Great performance even on a 1ghz Pentium M (my old tablet PC). I could easily see reconfiguring the assets on the Ecodazoo site to produce a very high quality Web game. Or wrapping the result in ZINC and calling it a downloadable PC/MAC game.

---

Don't think it will ever be used as the primary engine for top games (as in AAA), as these mostly push the technological envelope. However, I could definitely see the technology be regularly used on the most popular casual or indie games.

And considering all that is happening with the games industry, new gaming platforms, and the global economy, I think this is the way to go rather than trying to position yourself to work on a large (monolithic?) development team targeting consoles.

As far as using C++ goes...

http://livedocs.adobe.com/flash/9.0/main/wwhelp/wwhimpl/common/html/wwhelp.htm?context=LiveDocs_Parts&file=00004602.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hX-Uh3oTcE (watch all or if impatient go to 5:15)



...yeah, I'm feeling a little like a Flash fanboy today! ;-)

[jden]

The c++- AS3 converting is quite interesting. I haven't got myself deeper in the area.
But now I have Game engine architecture to read which looks very promising.

[seejee]

Hi,
You need not to follow any book to learn 3d game programming. Start with a normal 3d game using some normal graphics libraries(OPENGL or SDL) and follow online tutorials for help.
There are tons of it available. you must hv heard of nehe tutorials.

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.