Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Produce a glossary of terms specific to the methods and principles of Video Game Design and Video Game Terms. Using a provided template, you must research and gather definitions specific to provided glossary terms. Any definitions must be referenced with the URL link of the website you have obtained the definition.

You must also, where possible, provide specific details of how researched definitions relate to your own production practice.

Name: Callum Deighton

RESEARCHED DEFINITION (provide short internet researched definition and URL link)

DESCRIBE THE RELEVANCE OF THE RESEARCHED TERM TO YOUR OWN PRODUCTION PRACTICE?

IMAGE SUPPORT (Provide an image and/or video link of said term being used in a game)

VIDEO GAMES / VIDEO GAME TESTING

Demo “A sample playable demonstration of a game that is intended to entice the player to purchase the full version.”http://www.factmonster.com/science/computers/video-game-glossary.html

When we made a previous 2D game we used a preset of demos to help us, for example I had used a preset demo game of a top down aeroplane shooter, but modified some of the assets such as incorporating my own sounds and effects.

An example of the old demo discs for PlayStation 2 usually released in old issues of

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

PlayStation Magazine, these usually came with a handful of demos of upcoming games set to release later in the year/next year, sometimes there would even be content in the demos that would not be in the full retail release.

Beta “A beta test refers to the distribution of pre-release game software to a select group of people so that they can test the game in their own homes.”http://www.techopedia.com/definition/27136/beta-test-gaming

When making my game I will beta test the near finished build to some other people so they can test how the game runs as well as look for any bugs/glitches.

This is a promotional image for the Destiny Beta, which was released in July 2014, in this beta people could test a portion of the full game before it got a retail release, this is so people could test the game and give an opinion on what they think of it as well as check for bugs for the developers to fix before release, this is also very smart business move because it gained a lot of attention which probably helped a lot in sales.

Alpha “A game's Alpha build usually complies with the following points: The game is playable from start to finish.

All the game's features are implemented to at least first pass quality.

Some art may

When making my game as soon as it has a decent playable build of the full game I will play through it whilst keeping an eye out for what could crash the game and how I can prevent it.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

still be place holder.

Crashing bugs may be present.”http://technicalgamedesign.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/alpha.html

This is an image of one of the early alpha’s of Doom, a lot of changes were made between this and the full release, one of the most notable being a completely different Heads Up Display (HUD).

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Pre-Alpha “After pre-production, development begins in earnest, and may be known as pre-alpha. Programming, art, design all start at this stage, and work in parallel.”http://gameindustry.about.com/od/glossary/fl/Alpha-Game-Software-Definition.html

During the process of making my game as soon as a playable build is ready of the engine I will test it out and see how the world in the engine looks and keep notes of what looks good and what I need to change, this way I can know what is best to next work on.

This is one of the few images released of the Avengers game that was being made by THQ, for unknown reasons it got cancelled and never got further than the pre-alpha stage.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAXOzB3vzVs

Pre-alpha footage of cancelled Avengers game.Gold “A game has "Gone

Gold" when the final master copy has been produced at the developer and sent off for replication, packaging and shipment. “http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Gone%20Gold

When my game is finally complete and all the errors have been fixed and everything is how I want it, I will have it put up for review.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY7PKMgztyw

This is a video of a person talking about when GTA V had “gone gold” and proceeds to explain what the term “gone gold” meant. This video was made before GTA V was released.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Debug “Debugging is the routine process of locating and removing computer program bugs, errors or abnormalities, which is methodically handled by software programmers via debugging tools”http://www.techopedia.com/definition/16373/debugging

During the process of making my game I will be using a debug menu when testing out my game to check for bugs and errors which in turn will let me know how to fix them.

This is an image of the Debug Menu for Super Mario 64. This was probably used by Nintendo during development to test for bugs and scan various info in the game such as how many fps are running at the given moment.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Automation

“The definition of automation is the use of machines and technology to make processes run on their own without manpower.”

http://www.yourdictionary.com/automation

Whilst making my game I will add certain scripts that will make certain things during gameplay automate itself, one example would be pressing a button would cause the players gun to reload.

This is a popular example of Automation being used in video games, in Farmville (the game shown above) one of the main objectives is to grow crops and sell them for in game currency, however the player must wait in real time for the crops to grow and the game shall automate the game over time.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

White-Box Testing

“Also known as glass box, structural, clear box and open box testing. A software testing technique whereby explicit knowledge of the internal workings of the item being tested are used to select the test data”http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/White_Box_Testing.html

When making my game I will use the technique of white-box testing to test the engine itself and see if it can run on its own before adding any components.

An example of how White-Box Testing works and what it does.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Bug “A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system. It is often used to describe a transient fault that corrects itself, and is therefore difficult to troubleshoot.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glitch

During the making of my game bugs will more than likely appear during the process so I must make sure I get rid of every that appear before putting my game up for review.

An Image of one of the most famous bugs in gaming history, Missingno is a bug in Pokemon Red/Blue where by exploiting certain mechanics in the game, can cause the bug to happen and make Missingno appear.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

GAME ENGINES

GAME ENGINE

Vertex Shader

“Objects in a 3D scene are typically described using triangles, which in turn are defined by their vertices.”http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=68360

When making my 3D game I may end up using a vertex shader to help in making my objects and environments within the game world.

An example of using a Vertex Shader , this image shows how using it can highly effect a simple object such as a tea kettle.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

S Pixel Shader

“Software that creates special effects using pixels, shading typically takes place on a graphics card. Pixel shading allows for the modification of a pixel's color, the creation of shadows, highlights and other visual occurrences.”http://www.ehow.com/info_8764308_pixel-shading.html

When making my 2D game I may end up using a Pixel shader to create some special effects for pixels during the game to add more flare and creativity to the game and provide more enjoyment and eye catching stuff for the player.

An example of using Pixel Shading, in this image shading is used over the circle for each frame to change the colour from a dark tone to a bright one.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Post Processing

“The GPU is basically applying things to a finished image. It's like applying a filter in Photoshop.”http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/192383-what-postprocessing.html

After I have finished the core game I will add some post processing to the engine to make the game more visually appealing.

An image of Bioshock Infinite before and after Post Processing, showing how the Post Processing and filters makes the game look a lot more visually appealing.

Rendering “Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model (or models in what collectively could be called ascene file), by means of computer programs. “http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Rendering_(computer_graphics).html

I will use rendering so during gameplay objects and models can appear even if far away from the player because it is very useful and so it can make the game look more authentic and more impressive.

An example of rendering being incorporated in a scene of a wide variety.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Normal Map

“A 2D texture map is an image added to a 3D model that provides a higher level of detail, wrapping around whatever 3D art you have to apply or modify certain attributes like color, transparency, shininess, reflection, and higher detail.”http://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/articles/gamedev-glossary-what-is-a-normal-map--gamedev-3893

When I am making my game I will use normal mapping so when developing my model I can use reference images to make the model a whole lot more detailed as well as add realistic properties and colours.

This is an image of the phases within using a normal Map to make a character model, using the normal map the people designing the model managed to add a ton more detail to the model and add realistic properties such as the rustles of the clothes and the various colours of the model like the skin, hair and clothes.

Entity “Entity: A unique ID that tags each game-object as a separate item.”http://entity-systems.wikidot.com/

During the process of making my game I will make sure each in game item is tagged as a separate item so it can help prevent bugs within the game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3wfaJk_IMwThis is a tutorial video explaining what entities are and how to use and incorporate them into a game engine.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

UV Map “UV maps are probably the best way to get a regular, well fitted image onto say the human face/body.”http://forums.newtek.com/archive/index.php/t-1418.html

When making my 3D game I will use UV Mapping on my model so I can easily add each part of the model such as the arms and legs so I can add it to the core model much easier instead of just editing the model itself which could take a lot more time.

This is an image of a UV Map being used on a model, on the right is an image of all the individual parts that will be fitted on to the model and the picture on the left is an image of all the parts successfully placed on to the model via the UV Map.

Procedural Texture

“Procedural textures take an entirely different approach. Instead of creating an image by defining a large, unchanging block of pixels, procedurals create the texture from the ground up.”http://www.upvector.com/?section=Tutorials&subsection=Intro%20to%20Procedural%20Textures

When making my 3D game I will use Procedural Textures so the game engine can upload the textures a lot faster which makes the process a lot easier and quicker.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

This is an example of Procedural Textures being used on an environment.Physics “Computer animation

physics or game physics involves the introduction of the laws of physics into a simulation or game engine, particularly in 3D computer graphics, for the purpose of making the effects appear more real to the observer. Typically, simulation physics is only a close approximation to real physics, and computation is performed using discrete values.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_physics

When I am making my game I will be adding physics to my game engine so it makes the game a lot more fun to play. Some examples of physics I will be incorporating into my game will be ragdoll physics for the character models and physics that allow you to pick up objects.

This is an example of physics being used in the game Portal, as seen in the image the physics engine allow the cube to float and move along the map when placed within the blue beam.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Collision “Collision detection algorithmically calculates impact time by identifying two or more object intersection points. Collision detection is also a virtual interface that determines user and object distance for collision prevention.”http://www.techopedia.com/definition/4778/collision-detection

I will use collision detection in my 2D game so during gameplay none of my objects accidentally go through each other.

This is hit collision being used in a game. As seen in the image every item apart from the background and the platforms have a square around them, this is so the game can detect when an item “collides” with another item within the game and makes sure they don’t go through each other.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Lighting “Lighting is one of the most important and influential elements in environments. It has the power to make or break the visuals, theme and atmosphere.”http://www.moddb.com/tutorials/lighting-in-game-environments-the-hows-and-whys

I will be using lighting in my Games so it can help provide a better experience during gameplay and set the mood for the player.

This is a good example of lighting being used in a video game, the laser being projected of the characters cannon protrudes a yellow light, and this can provide a good ambience within the game such as in the image above.

AA – Anti-Aliasing

“You know the little rough edges that are sometimes in games? Well anti-aliasing can detect these edges and smooth them out using a quick scan of them. If the higher the number the more edges it can scan at once.”https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100420031929AAON6YB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqi0114mwtY

This video is a 2 minute explanation video of Anti-Aliasing where the person in the video explains the entirety of what it is, how it’s used and why its important.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

LoD – Level of Detail

“Level of detail is a general design term for video game landscapes in which closer objects are rendered with more polygons than objects that are farther away.”http://www.techopedia.com/definition/11791/level-of-detail-lod

I will be using LoD in my game so although the quality decreases when further away, but up close the detail will appear a lot more impressive.

This picture provides the difference in Level of Detail, as seen the model on the right has a very blurred appearance and some detail, the model in the middle provides some more detail around various parts of the body such as the facial area where it’s a bit smoother and on the pants/shoes where it shows a more realistic design. The image on the left has a lot more detail and its added a lot more improvement all around the body such as a vast improvement on the gauntlets, torso and pants.

Animation “Video games are at the forefront of interactive 2-D and 3-D

Animation. 3-D animators help design and model new products and

Industrial machines.”

I will be using a few animations within both the 2D and 3D games so it makes my game look a lot better than without. For example some animations I’ll be making will be my characters walking, jumping and running.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4xJaXLE_98

Tutorial on making video game animations. In this tutorial it teaches the viewer on how to create an animation of a figure running with swords, this goes through the various stages such as drawing the animation, turning it into a physical model and creating each frame of the animation.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/computer-animation.htm

Sprite “An independent graphic object controlled by its own bit plane (area of memory). Commonly used in video games, sprites move freely across the screen, passing by, through and colliding with each other.”http://www.yourdictionary.com/sprite

My 2D game will be using a lot of sprites within the game to represent all the different “entities” within the game such as the player, the enemies and the objects such as keys and doors.

This is an image of some of the character and menu sprites in Marvel vs Capcom 2 which appear in game on the character and stage select menu, as you can see each sprite is designed in a similar artistic style.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Scene “A non-interactive portion of a game. A Cut Scene normally divides the action of a video game up a bit, and allows the story line to be presented more clearly.”http://vgstrategies.about.com/od/strategyglossary/g/cutscene.htm

My 3D game will have some cutscenes within it to give a story to the game and also to show off the game to the player before it starts.

This is an image of the opening cut scene from Metal Gear Solid 4. This scene is non interactive but shows the initial story of the game so the player gets an initial view of their objective as well as show off the Game Engine.

Library “The Lightweight Java Game Library (LWJGL) is a solution aimed directly at professional and amateur Java programmers alike to enable commercial quality games to be written in Java. LWJGL provides developers access to high performance crossplatform libraries such as OpenGL (Open Graphics Library), OpenCL (Open Computing Language) and OpenAL (Open

When making my games the programs I will use will most likely have a library of premade objects and models for me to use in my games if I wish.

An example of someone using premade objects and materials from the engine’s library.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Audio Library) allowing for state of the art 3D games and 3D sound.”http://lwjgl.org/

UI “What we’re referring to as UI here is the way players can interact with the game and receive feedback of their interaction. It generally applies to the interactivity and concepts of a game.”http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/video-games-ui-evolution/

I will be making a User Interface for my game so the player can keep track of important parts of the game such as how much health the playable character has left.

This is an example of a UI being used in a video game. On this UI the player can keep a track of many important components such as if his character is standing or sitting, How much ammo the character has left and a map so the player can find where the enemies are as well as where to go.

Frames “A measure of how much information is used to store and display motion video. The term applies equally to film video and digital video.”http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/F/fps.html

When making my games the games itself will run on “frames per seconds” which shows how smooth the game will run, I will be keeping an eye on the FPS to see what I will need to change/keep to keep the FPS at an optimal level for gameplay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNKON2e-h4w

The video focuses on the controversy behind the amount of FPS in the next gen consoles, but it also explains what FPS is and how it is incorporated into game engines.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Concept “What is concept art? Concept art, often referred to as visual development, is the initial design used to develop the look and feel of a project.”http://artistryingames.com/concept-art-concept-art-important/

When making the characters, enemies and environments for my games I will likely make some concept art of various designs for them until I find one that I think looks right.

This image shows early concept art of the protagonist from Prototype, Alex Mercer. In the image it shows various concepts of the character doing various actions such as fighting and running.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Event “Anything that happens, especially something important or unusual”http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/event

I will be adding many events into my games to keep the action good and make sure the player won’t get bored of the game. One example is I might have a bunch of enemies “ambush” the player when they don’t expect it which will force him to battle them all.

This image is an example of an event occurring in a video game, in this example it shows the game Half Life 2, where as soon as you walk up to the guard he knocks a trash can of a bin, and the player must then put the can back in the bin, this is a scripted event.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Pathfinding

“One of the greatest challenges in the design of realistic Artificial Intelligence (AI) in computer games is agent movement. Pathfinding strategies are usually employed as the core of any AI movement system. Pathfinding strategies have the responsibility of finding a path from any coordinate in the game world to another.”http://gamesitb.com/pathgraham.pdf

I will incorporate Pathfinding in my games so the enemy AI can “explore” round the map which provides for more interesting gameplay for the player and add a bit more of realistic gameplay for the AI.

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