I have a question that many people wonder about, but never bother to ask: How do you make a game engine? More particularly, what is a game engine? When is a game engine supposed to be implemented? What is the basic outline of a game engine? how does one go about writing a game engine from scratch. I know there are many experts out there who know how. But i have heard that you have to be like a genius to program a game engine. Can someone please answer my questions? I want to write the game engine in openGl with which i am very proficient. any help is MUCH appreciated! THANKS! ¤¤¤--When you lose your power to laugh, you lose your power to think--¤¤¤

Hi,

I guess a game engine is like the power horse of the game. I guess you could consider it like a set of functions/libraries which are independant of the game itself. For eg:- I guess a game engine could have support for input, sound, texture mapping, lighting etc.

I guess a game engine is to be implemented whenever you like to make a game.

Well to write a game engine one certainly need not be a genius. It definitely might take you some time to get the engine right though.

Well I guess you could look at The Engine on http://nehe.gamedev.net

well an engine is the structure of something, the logic that makes it running..
its independend on the language and on the os, as well as it is independend on the platform..
you can port an engine from pc to gamecube and xbox and ps2, but you can''t port the code (at 100%).. you have to rewrite then the code, you have to compile it to a different machinelanguage, but the structure will be (more or less) the same.. and this structure is your engine..

how to do it? dunno.. two ways:
just code and see what comes out (depending on person works damn well!)
structure your code and design it first (bether for bigger projects)

the engine is independend on the game, means you can create several games from it.. quake3 is an engine.. quake3arena is a game made with it (heavy metal fakk II is made with quake3 engine as well)

there is no howtodoanengine really, cause it depends on what you wanna do.. there is no generic solution..

"take a look around" - limp bizkit
www.google.com

Howtodoanengine

1) Think of what you want to do with the engine (eg what game are you going to make. Write a design doc!).

2) Make a list of all the functions the engine will need for this game. (eg OGL or D3D, type of models, type of terrain, lens flares, particle engines, multiplayer, DirectSound3D, bumpmapping, input devices, etc etc etc.) All you really want in your game.

3) Make 2 new lists. A "must" list and a "wish" list. OGL, model type etc. should be on the "must" list. Lensflares and all other 'eye candy' should go to the "wish" list. Only exception: Multiplayer. It's such a big influence on the engine you'd really want to have it on the "must" list to prevent an entire rewrite of your engine.

4) Code the items on the "must" list

5) Code the items on your "wish" list. Throw out any item that takes up too much time/fps/resources/money etc.

6) Code & publish your game.

7) Kick back and have a beer

- An eye for an eye will make the world go blind -

[edited by - smarechal on May 6, 2002 5:50:45 AM]

[edited by - smarechal on May 6, 2002 5:51:27 AM]