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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Produce a glossary of terms specific to the methods and principles of Video Game Design and Video Game Terms. Using a provided template, you must research and gather definitions specific to provided glossary terms. Any definitions must be referenced with the URL link of the website you have obtained the definition.

You must also, where possible, provide specific details of how researched definitions relate to your own production practice.

Name: RESEARCHED DEFINITION (provide short internet researched definition and URL link)

DESCRIBE THE RELEVANCE OF THE RESEARCHED TERM TO YOUR OWN PRODUCTION PRACTICE?

IMAGE SUPPORT (Provide an image and/or video link of said term being used in a game)

VIDEO GAMES / VIDEO GAME TESTING

Demo A game demo is a freely distributed piece of an upcoming or recently released video game.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_demo

I could release a playable short of my game, which shows a handful of the games main features and points, or somewhat of a teaser.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Beta Beta is feature and asset complete version of the game, when only bugs are being fixed.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_development

A testable beta, which would have more features than the alpha, but allows people to still report bugs.

Alpha Alpha is the stage when key gameplay functionality is implemented, and assets are partially finished.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_development

An early prototype which I could release in a closed-alpha to professional bug-testers, which would be a faster method of finding and fixing bugs.

Pre-Alpha The first playable is the game version containing representative gameplay and assets.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_developmen

The pre-alpha could be released which features my game’s bare structure and idea, at a point that hasn’t been fully fleshed out yet.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Gold Gold master is the final game's build that is used as a master for production of the game.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_development

A playable version of the game which is practically a finished version, but can be run over a few times to find any last minute bugs.

Debug Debugging is a methodical process of finding and reducing the number of bugs, or defects, in a computer program or game.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debugging

An openable debug menu in-game accessible with the tilde key, which is able to run commands and prompts to alter game mechanics etc.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Automation

A method of running a level/scene automatically by the computer.http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14087/automated-testing-a-game

Maybe the loading screen or cutscenes can be used as automation, as they are things that happen automatically without player influence.

White-Box Testing

White-box testing is a method of testing software that tests internal structures or workings of an application, as opposed to its functionality.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-box_testing

I could use this to test the stability of my game and how well it is run/optimised etc.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Bug A bug is an error, flaw, failure, or fault in a computer game that does things that are not intentional.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_bug

A bug in my game could be something that doesn’t make something work as intended.

GAME ENGINES

Vertex Shader

A Vertex Shader is a GPU component and is also programmed using a specific assembly-like language, like pixel shaders, but are oriented to the scene geometry.http://stackoverflow.com/questions/832545/what-are-vertex-and-pixel-shaders

I could use Vertex shaders to make the game look more of cartoon-esque feel, which could be somewhat like cell shading.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

GAME ENGINES

Pixel Shader

A Pixel Shader is a GPU component that can be programmed to operate on a per pixel basis and take care of stuff like lighting and bump mapping.http://stackoverflow.com/questions/832545/what-are-vertex-and-pixel-shaders

This is an alternative, which would make the game look much more realistic than the latter, as it would give a different effect.

Post Processing

Instead of rendering 3D objects directly to the display, the scene is first rendered to a buffer in the memory of the video card. Pixel shaders are then used to apply post-processing filters to the image buffer before displaying it to the screen.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_post-processing

I could use this to create a much higher definition game, as it would have higher lighting effects, and things like bloom, motion blur and ambient occlusion.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Rendering Rendering is the process of generating an image from a 2D or 3D model, by means of computer programs.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(computer_graphics)

Rendering will help me to process the game in real time, and if optimised correctly the game will run great.

Normal Map

In 3D computer graphics, normal mapping, or is a technique used for faking the lighting of bumps and dents – an implementation of bump mapping. It is used to add details without using more polygons.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_mapping

This can be used to enhance the lighting of my game, without straining the power needed to process it.

Entity In computer games and game engines, entity is a dynamic object such as a non-player character or item.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entity

There will be plenty in my game, as they are intractable objects in the environment etc.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

UV Map UV mapping is the 3D modelling process of making a 2D image representation of a 3D model's surface.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV_mapping

This’ll be used, because there will be possibly a few 3D models in my game.

Procedural Texture

A procedural texture is a computer-generated image created using an algorithm intended to create a realistic representation of natural elements such as wood, marble, granite, metal, stone, and others.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procedural_texture

The floors and buildings in my game will use this, as I don’t think buildings made from solid colours is all that realistic.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Physics Computer physics or involves the introduction of the laws of physics into a simulation or game engine, particularly in 3D computer graphics, for the purpose of making the effects appear more real to the observer.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_physics

The game will have physics, to make the game feel more realistic.

Collision Collision detection typically refers to the computational problem of detecting the intersection of two or more objects. While the topic is most often associated with its use in video games and other physical simulations, it also has applications in robotics.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collision_detection

With the items, there will be collision so they can hit each other and bounce/move against each other.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Lighting Lighting is one of the most important and influential elements in environments. It has the power to make or break the visuals, theme and atmosphere.http://www.moddb.com/tutorials/lighting-in-game-environments-the-hows-and-whys

My game will definitely have this, so we can actually see what is happening in the game.

AA – Anti-Aliasing

Anti-aliasing is the technique of minimizing the distortion artifacts known as aliasing when representing a high-resolution image at a lower resolution. Anti-aliasing is used in digital photography, computer graphics, digital audio, and many other applications.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatial_anti-aliasing

My game will hopefully have this, to make the game look smoother and not as jagged and awkward.

LoD – Level of Detail

In computer graphics, accounting for level of detail involves decreasing the complexity of a 3D object representation as it moves away from the viewer or according to other metrics such as object importance, viewpoint-relative speed or position.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_of_detail

The level of detail will have my game with detail that’s moderate, so the detail on objects can be viewed from a distance.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Animation Animation is the process of creating a continuous motion and shape change illusion by means of the rapid display of a sequence of static images that minimally differ from each other.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animation

The animation in my game will be used to allow my characters and objects to move fluidly, because I don’t want people to feel like they’re viewing a powerpoint presentation.

Sprite In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_(computer_graphics)

I can use sprites in my game if it was a 2D retro style game.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Scene A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(computer_graphics)

There will probably be many scenes in my game, most of which will have interactable features and visuals.

Library In computer science, a library is a collection of non-volatile resources used by programs on a computer, often to develop software.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_(computing)

My game will probably be created from a library, to assist my creation of it.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

UI User interface design in games differs from other UI design because it involves an additional element -- fiction. The fiction involves an avatar of the actual user, or player.http://tinyurl.com/kun3bqp

The game will have a UI, so the player will be able to see where they are on a minimap, their health etc.

Frames Frame rate, also known as frame frequency and frames per second (FPS), is the frequency (rate) at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frame_rate

Hopefully my game will have decent framerate, as it won’t be a tasking game to run.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Concept Concept art is a form of illustration used to convey an idea for use in (but not limited to) films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_art

In the initial stages of creating my game, there will be a decent amount of concept art for it, as I will need designs.

Event In video games, a quick time event (QTE) is a method of context-sensitive gameplay in which the player performs actions on the control device shortly after the appearance of an on-screen prompt.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quick_time_event

My game will hopefully have a few events, as there has to be things happening at points within the game, otherwise it’s not very driven.

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Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer GamesIG2 Task 1

Pathfinding

Pathfinding in the context of video games concerns the way in which a moving entity finds a path around an obstacle; the most frequent context is real-time strategy games.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathfinding#In_video_games

Hopefully I can manage to get pathfinding in to my game, as enemies need to be able to chase the player realistically, not just through the walls.

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