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SynapseIndia dotnet development methodologies iterative
- 1. Methodologies - Iterative Develop for a period of time (1-2 months), get working game, add features Periods can coincide with publisher milestones Allows for some planning Time period can have design before implementation Allows for some flexibility Can adjust (to new technical challenges or producer demands) Based on Chapter 3.1, Introduction to Game Development
- 2. Methodologies - Agile Admit things will change, avoid looking too far in the future Value simplicity and the ability to change Can scale, add new features, adjust Relatively new for game development Big challenge is hard to convince publishers Based on Chapter 3.1, Introduction to Game Development
- 3. Common Practices – Version Control Database containing files and past history of them Central location for all code Allows team to work on related files without overwriting each other’s work History preserved to track down errors Branching and merging for platform specific parts Based on Chapter 3.1, Introduction to Game Development
- 4. Common Practices – Quality (1 of 2) Code reviews – walk through code by other programmer(s) Formal or informal “Two eyes are better than one” Value is programmer aware others read Asserts Force program to crash to help debugging Ex: Check condition is true at top of code, say pointer not NULL before following Removed during release Based on Chapter 3.1, Introduction to Game Development
- 5. Common Practices – Quality (2 of 2) Unit tests Low level test of part of game (Ex: see if physics computations correct) Tough to wait until very end and see if bug Often automated, computer runs through combinations Verify before assembling Acceptance tests Verify high-level functionality working correctly (Ex: see if levels load correctly) Note, above are programming tests (ie- code, technical). Still turned over to testers that track bugs, do gameplay testing. Bug database Document and track bugs Can be from programmers, publishers, customers Classify by severity Keeps bugs from falling through cracks Helps see how game is progressing Based on Chapter 3.1, Introduction to Game Development
- 6. Outline Teams and Processes (done) Select Languages (next) Debugging Misc (as time allows) AI Multiplayer
- 7. C++ (1 of 3) Mid-late 1990’s, C was language of choice Since then, C++ language of choice for games First commercial release in 1985 (AT&T) List pros (+) and cons (-) (Take cs2102 OO Design Concepts or cs4233 OOAD) + C Heritage Learning curve easier Compilers wicked fast + Performance Used to be most important, but less so (but still for core parts) Maps closely to hardware (can “guess” what assembly instructions will be) Can not use features to avoid cost, if want (ie- virtual function have extra step but don’t have to use) Memory management controlled by user Based on Chapter 3.2, Introduction to Game Development
- 8. C++ (2 of 3) + High-level Classes (objects), polymorphism, templates, exceptions Especially important as code-bases enlarge Strongly-typed (helps reduce errors) ex: declare before use, and const + Libraries C++ middleware readily available OpenGL, DirectX, Standard Template Library (containers, like “vectors”, and algorithms, like “sort”) Based on Chapter 3.2, Introduction to Game Development
- 9. C++ (3 of 3) - Too Low-level Still force programmer to deal with low-level issues ex: memory management, pointers - Too complicated Years of expertise required to master (other languages seek to overcome, like Java and C#) - Lacking features No built-in way to look at object instances No built-in way to serialize Forces programmer to build such functionality (or learn custom or 3rd party library) - Slow iteration Brittle, hard to try new things Code change can take a looong time as can compile Based on Chapter 3.2, Introduction to Game Development
- 10. C++ (Summary) When to use? Any code where performance is crucial Used to be all, now game engine such as graphics and AI Game-specific code often not C++ Legacy code base, expertise When also use middle-ware libraries in C++ When not to use? Tool building (GUI’s tough) High-level game tasks (technical designers) Based on Chapter 3.2, Introduction to Game Development