Are you interested in making interactive games using the C programming language? Then, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will be going through the Basic Concepts of Game Development in C programming language. We would be basically talking about the components of the games based on the Classic DOS.
While you are starting with your journey in game programming, it the concept of event-driven programming. Event-driven programming is the programming style in which the user of the program can choose from multiple paths instead of being confined to the sequence of interactions that is predetermined with the program. One of the most common examples of event-driven programming is game programming which we are discussing in this article. We can describe a game as a complete formal system that is self-sufficient on its own. A game program must represent a subset of the reality that we see. With the game program, you would be able to see a perfectly balanced combination of actions and reactions where every reaction is on the last action that occurred.
Basic elements of game programming:
While writing a program for a computer game, you need to keep in mind five-element before actually writing. All of these five elements are an essential part of any game and they are namely:
- Graphics
- Audio
- Interface
- Gameplay
- Story
- Graphics:
In a game, graphics are referred to like all the images that are displayed in the game and all the effects that are performed on the said images. Graphics include a number of things 3D objects, 2D tiles, textures, motion videos, and anything that a player will see while playing the game. Graphics plays an important role in attracting players to play the game. If your game has good graphics, the system requirement to run the game smoothly will increase but it will make your game more attractive.
2. Audio:
In a game, audio consists of any music or any sort of sound effects that a player can hear while playing the game. The audio part of the game includes the introductory music, the CD music, environmental sounds, various sound effects, and so on.
3. Game Interface:
The interface of the game consists of the part of user interaction with the game. A good game interface is simple and easy to understand. If you make the interface too complicated then it might drive away players.
4. Gameplay:
The gameplay of a game defines how fun it is to play the game. The immensity of the game and the length of playability of the game are also included in the gameplay.
5. Story:
The story of the game is the main component in the success of any game. Things such as background and all the information a player should know before and during playing the game is considered as part of the story. The story is very important to make the players understand the concept of the game and what they should be doing to progress further. Now, you must be wondering what is the difference between the story and the actual game. In a story, facts are represented in a particular sequence that can be changed or decided by the player. While in a game, a player can create his own story by choosing a particular path out of all the options that are available.
Sequence Of Game Design:
The sequence of game design is completely dependent on the programmer who is programming the game. It does not have a fixed that has to be followed, but the steps are more or less common for all game development. The steps of game design are:
- Determining the requirements
- Interface development.
- Developing gameplay logic.
- Logic development for scorekeeping
Determining initial requirements:
After selecting what the goal of the game would be, the next important step is determining the initial requirements of the game. We can take the example of a game in which Random numbers are generated and the players have to guess the number. In this kind of game, the programmer has to think about how the numbers are going to be generated, the number of players, the number of chances each player gets, and how they can be scored.
Interface development:
Another very important aspect of game programming is the development of the interface. The game interface is so important because it is the mode through which the player and the computer communicate with each other. The interface is mostly made up of inputs and outputs and it decides what can be done and what cannot be done. Static display screens and dynamic display screens are an integral part of the game interface and have to be developed by the programmer.
Developing gameplay logic:
The programmer has to develop logic for gameplay which include:
- Response to every action taken by the user
- Response to the events of the system.
- All the rules that the game must follow.
- The actions that the non-playing characters must follow in the game.
Logic development for scorekeeping:
Keeping score in a game is very important because it determines whether a player has reached the end goal of the game or not. Scorekeeping is a part of the game logic. For this purpose, the programmer has to first decide the policy on which players would be scored.
CONCLUSION Basic Concepts of Game Development in C:
In this article, we have discussed the most basic concepts of game development using the C programming language. We hope that you found this article insightful. After reading this article, you would definitely be able to progress further in your journey of game development.