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An Introduction to Point-and-Click Game Engines
Jonathan Martin
Game Development
• Write from scratch• Use middleware
package• Modify existing game
engine• Specialized game
construction software• Genre-specific
construction software
All Code
Point and Click
Doom, Source (Half Life), UnrealGame Maker, Torque 2D
RPG Maker XP, AGS, NWN
Renderware
Genre-Specific Construction Software
• No Need to Reinvent the Wheel
• Requires the least amount of programming
• Tend to have the nicest user interfaces
• This all comes at the expense of freedom
Adventure Game Studio
• What can you do with it?– Adventure games (“point-and-click”)– 2D only, though you can do “quasi-1st person”– Can import many graphics/sound formats– Breaks “meaningful play” down to basic level
• Example games
Adventure Game Studio
Adventure Game Studio
• Easily create point-and-click interfaces
• “C-like” scripting language for advanced functions
• Lucasarts-style conversation system should you want to use it.
• Inventory Support Built-In• Plugin System for Advanced
Users
• File Types Supported:– Audio: OGG, MP3, WAV,
MOD, XM, MIDI– Video: BMP, PCX, PNG, GIF,
TGA
• Display Modes Supported:– 320x200, 320x240, 640x400,
640x480, 800x600– 256-color, 16-bit color and 32-
bit color – Anti-aliasing and alpha
blending supported in certain modes
• Available for Windows, Linux and Mac OSX
Adventure Game Studio
• Room Creation Demo
Adventure Game Studio
• The Adventures of Fatman– First commercial game
released using AGS– Features full voice-
acting– Professional-Quality
Animation
Also see…RPG Maker XP
• Create 2D tile-based RPG’s
• Point and Click interface similar to AGS
• Also has databases for Monsters, Weapons, Items, Stats, Characters, Skills…just about anything you’ve seen in a 16-bit era RPG
Notable RPG Maker Games
• Not Many– Most Are Crappy FF7
Spinoffs– “The Adventures of
Reptile and Sub-Zero”– Most Developers are
using 3D engines now
Neverwinter Nights
• Create RPG scenarios in the 3D Neverwinter Nights engine
• Possible to create original content, but requires a lot of work
Such as…
Neverwinter Nights
• Demo
You can also check out…
Game Maker
• Room/object paradigm
• Doesn’t have built-in functions like RPG Maker and AGS
• Simple but powerful scripting language
Remember…
• 3D graphics not necessary!!
• Use the tools you are most comfortable with, not what you believe is inherently “better”
• Small amount of programming knowledge still required
• Test your game as you are making it—Iterative Design!
Resources
• http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/
• http://www.gamemaker.nl/
• http://www.enterbrain.co.jp/tkool/RPG_XP/eng/
• http://nwn.bioware.com/builders/
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