Game Development Using an Open Source Engine

Game Development Using An Open Source Engine teaches complete programming by providing a free, ready-to-use engine, and by teaching programmers how to create a fully functioning game. Although the book demonstrates the process of creating a First Person Shooter (FPS) game, the majority of the concepts covered are applicable to any 3D game. The book teaches programmers the basics of game programming from start to finish. Although the engine is already provided, users will still learn about essential topics that go into engine development, including class hierarchy design, scene graph management, componentization, and global entity control. By understanding these topics and working with the open source engine, API programmers will be well prepared for future projects. Beginning with an overview of the game engine, the book progresses into general game design principles and details potential problems to avoid. From there, programmers set up and compile the game engine and begin development. In the third section of the book, the game evolves from a basic framework to a fully functioning FPS. After the game is completed, programmers will be ready to start creating their own games and can easily apply the concepts to any genre they choose. To support this, the last section of the book demonstrates the process of debugging, beta testing, and distribution of the completed project. The book assumes a basic knowledge of C++ programming, but does not require knowledge of game programming or any rendering API such as OpenGL or Direct3D. In addition, each section of the book discusses the theory of a topic before it covers any implementation methods, so the user will know how to develop with any engine they select.