The game engine - it is the central software component of video games and other interactive applications with graphics, processed in real time. It provides the underlying technologies, simplifies development, and often gives the game to run on multiple platforms such as game consoles and desktop operating systems, for example, GNU / Linux, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows.
The phrase "game engine" refers to a range of applications, including a rendering engine ( "renderer") for 2D or 3D graphics, physics engine or collision detection (and collision response), sound, scripting, animation, artificial intelligence, network code, streaming, memory management, threading and a scene graph. Strictly speaking, all parts of the code written by programmers in the development of the game, are the components of the engine. Gameplay (gameplay) is determined by the functions included in these programs.
If at the dawn of the computer era, each game was created by developers from the ground up, everything has changed since the inception of the game Doom (more than 10 years ago). At present, almost all commercial games are using ready-made tools: in the development process can be saved by reusing one game engine to create many different games.
Sometimes people make some modifications to the built-in game programming language through a scripted scenario. Can twirled some parameters functions engine than willing to use the cheaters (increasing, for example, the amount of money from the player). However, serious gameplay changes are not possible without interfering with the source code of the game. And here the problems begin. First, not every game company to publish the code.
Secondly, not everyone can handle himself in a huge number of functions engine. And often there is no other way, because there is no background information and technical support (do not ask anyone). Thirdly, as a rule, publish the source code is already technologically obsolete engines (for example, Quake II, III).
What can enthusiasts do?
- Buy the right to use a modern engine of well-known company (licensed engine). Attached is background information and support products. However, this is not a cheap. There are commercial game engines worth up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Develop their own engine. It can work, of course, but this requires much effort and high skills in programming.
- Use one of the free engines, the most suitable to their capabilities. As a rule, it have additional information and support.
