jestermax Member Posts: 1064 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: 06-21-2006 |
hey now, i just wanted to share my progress of my game engine with you guys  i've been working on a game engine for the past little while and it's really starting to shape up now. it's written in C++ and is built on SDL. why build a new engine when theres so many out there? well, throughout my life i've always had the thinking: "if you can't find exactly what you want then make it". yes, this thinking is flawed sometimes but i've been designing and making games since long before i even had a computer so its a big thing for me. Anyways, the bonus of my system is that you can create a game with little knowledge of programming (or you will be able to once its finished) and a bit of XML (which is what configures the game content). Yes, there are engines that allow you to make games without programming but i'd rather have a bit more control over my game code then those generally allow. ANYWAYS, right now Jester offers: various sprite styles (basic, animated, etc), a number of backgrounds (basic image, tiled, etc), screen effects (fading in and out), easy access to user input, and various other features. So yeah, just wanted to share that because its really exciting to see a project actually working |
buddboy Member Posts: 2220 From: New Albany, Indiana, U.S. Registered: 10-08-2004 |
hmm... so, when will it be finished you think? sounds cool.. what language will you use with it? C++? ------------------ RADIOACTIVE IE AHEAD! int name() |
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jestermax Member Posts: 1064 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: 06-21-2006 |
you'd use C++ with it but thats mostly for the configuring application states, etc. the game content is added using XML so development should be fast and easy(ish). Currently i have no idea when i'll be finished. Right now its stable enough to make games on but theres a bunch of other features i want to add to it like a particle system i've been working on and i want to refactor the code more. It'll be done a lot faster if i end up using it for my final project in my college program. Right now my choices are either use the engine + a game as my deliverable or use GTGE to make a multiplayer browser game. They're both really neat choices and offer a lot of potential.
[This message has been edited by jestermax (edited July 14, 2006).] |
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buddboy Member Posts: 2220 From: New Albany, Indiana, U.S. Registered: 10-08-2004 |
k sounds cool... i'll have to learn XML and check it out =D its going to be a 2D engine right? since it's using SDL.. ------------------ RADIOACTIVE IE AHEAD! int name() |
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jestermax Member Posts: 1064 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: 06-21-2006 |
yeah, its 2D. 3D engines aren't as fun in my opinion because good models are hard to find  |
HanClinto Administrator Posts: 1828 From: Indiana Registered: 10-11-2004 |
Jestermax: Very cool! Thanks so much for sharing this with us -- I really enjoyed reading about it. It's great how you got plugged in and have been up and running so quickly with everyone here on CCN -- I'm really glad you're a part of the community here now. I wanted to touch on one thing that you said: quote: I think that another advantage to building a game engine yourself is that you understand other game engines better. It's sortof like how if you build a go-cart from scratch then you'll have a deeper understanding and a better appreciation for what goes into the construction of a full-scale automobile. I know that developing my own game engines over the past few years has definitely improved my understanding of games and game development. So even if the Jester engine isn't used for much of anything in the future, it's still incredibly useful as a stepping stone in your own development. I realize that you're probably aware of most/all of this, but sometimes it's encouraging to hear someone else say it too. Again, thanks so much for posting your progress updates! I really enjoy that aspect of the boards here. So when do we get to see some screenshots? Cheers! --clint |
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jestermax Member Posts: 1064 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: 06-21-2006 |
thanks its nice to have people actually listen to what i have to say about my projects, lol. screenshots and demos are possible but i don't really have anyplace to host them. actually.... i might still have an account at one of those photo bucket-type places.. i'll check it out |
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jestermax Member Posts: 1064 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: 06-21-2006 |
ok, i added two screenshots for a very simple game demo i've used during development. one is the splash screen (fades in and out) and the second is the title screen for the game. heres the link: http://www.albumtown.com/showlist.php?uuid=14905&dowhat=user the pictures will (hopefully) be loaded soonish, i won't be near a computer on the weekend so if they don't load then you won't see them for a while, lol oh yeah, while you're there, check out my drawings and photography page |
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HanClinto Administrator Posts: 1828 From: Indiana Registered: 10-11-2004 |
Yay, 2D space shooter! That's like my favorite genre! Since you're into SDL -- did you ever see the game that I started (re)writing in C# and SDL? There's a really cheesy demo of it here. The main parts I worked on were making my own gui components (the buttons), the anti-aliased star background (I wrote the anti-aliasing routine myself), and the welding minigame (blow holes in the metal, and then use right/left click to heat the plate up, add metal and try to fix everything). It's a remake of the first big game I started writing back when I was in middle school. I really like your artwork! Wow, you're very talented. Everything from people-sketches to abstract pineapples to Final Fantasy-ish dudes to isometric mechs -- very versatile! I'm seriously impressed. Thanks for sharing! --clint BTW, I've got plenty of space available -- if you'd like me to host anything (like a game demo), feel free to e-mail it to me at hanclinto at gmail dot com and I'll throw it up on the web and send you a URL. |
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buddboy Member Posts: 2220 From: New Albany, Indiana, U.S. Registered: 10-08-2004 |
cool artwork Jestermax... 2D space shooter, cool those are fun. =D ------------------ RADIOACTIVE IE AHEAD! int name() |
dartsman Member Posts: 484 From: Queensland, Australia Registered: 03-16-2006 |
looking good. I'm also working on a 2d engine, though using C++/DirectX. Just needed something so that I can test out concepts/ideas and do some tech demos (mainly want to mess around with collision detection and response (physics) stuff)... Clints right, the more you code engines the better understanding you will have of not only engine design/development but it becomes rather easier for you to use other peoples engines. ------------------ |
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jestermax Member Posts: 1064 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: 06-21-2006 |
Great news! thanks to dartsman's help today in creating DLLs, i put the Jester Game Engine into a DLL. So its shaping up now, i just have to clean up my code and make sure its stable and then i can start making some decent game demos, and possibly release the DLL for people to mess around with. |
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dartsman Member Posts: 484 From: Queensland, Australia Registered: 03-16-2006 |
awesome  Can't wait to see demos :P ------------------ |
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HanClinto Administrator Posts: 1828 From: Indiana Registered: 10-11-2004 |
Me too -- I'm looking forward to seeing some of your code in action, Jester. |
firemaker103 Member Posts: 643 From: Registered: 07-13-2005 |
quote: Heh, maybe I could use it with Blitz. ------------------ |
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JeTSpice Member Posts: 433 From: La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA Registered: 06-10-2006 |
Great work, Jester! It's an exciting idea, and it seems like there's something special about it. You've got great art chops, too! |
