5 ms·

I know this will get downvoted. I fully agree that if you want to make a game-engine then make one. It's fun! On the other hand, if you want to make a game, use

by nox101 2y ago

I know this will get downvoted. I fully agree that if you want to make a game-engine then make one. It's fun! On the other hand, if you want to make a game, use an existing engine. Analogies: I want to write a novel so I'll first build a typewriter. I want to film a movie so I'll first build a camera and digital editing software. I want to cook food so I'll first build a stove, pots, pans, and knives. In all those other examples it hopefully clear, you just buy the tools you need and then make the thing the tools allow you to make. At this point, the same is true in games. If you like making a game engine than make one. Just like if you like making knives or cameras then make them. But, making a knife is not cooking, making a camera is not making a movie, and making a game-engine is not making a game. I also want to add, making a game-engine is easy compared to making a game. Why? Because all the things to you need are well known. You need a 2d renderer (UI), a 3d renderer (assuming you need 3d), image loaders, model loaders, sound players, music players, keyboard input, joypad input, entity systems. Etc. You build them and it seems like you're making progress and if your goal is to make a game-engine, then you are making progress. But, if your goal is to make game, you're mostly likely fooling yourself that you're making progress. Again, back to the analogies, if you're making a knife, you aren't making progress on cooking, your making progress on making a knife. If your making a camera, you aren't making progress on making a movie, you're making progress on making a camera. What makes making a game harder than a game-engine is the list things to do for a game is unknown.

hmmokidk 2y ago
Although it is charted territory it’s very difficult. There is an extraordinary amount of concepts (depending on what you’re doing) and some are quite mathy. And software design seems pretty important, although I am not far enough along that it’s an issue.
strken 2y ago
I think making a game engine is less like making your own knives and more like having a herb garden at a restaurant. There are some games that are just not possible using someone else's engine. Consider Factorio, non-Euclidean geometry, the early MMOs, or anything else which pushes the boundaries of what's possible. On the other hand...are you really making a game like that? Similarly, there are good reasons why you'd want to grow your own herbs, and the deep knowledge of growing conditions really does add to your ability to understand why your parsley is bitter this year, but for most restaurants it wouldn't pay off.
- imtringued 2y ago
  It is closer in analogy to making your own gear cutters. If you know how, you can make any gear you want. If you have a gear hobbing machine, you can only make standardized gears and the only thing you can influence is the size of the gear.
johnnyanmac 2y ago
>I also want to add, making a game-engine is easy compared to making a game. Why? Because all the things to you need are well known. You need a 2d renderer (UI), a 3d renderer (assuming you need 3d), image loaders, model loaders, sound players, music players, keyboard input, joypad input, entity systems. That's also a benfit for if you want to break into the industry. There's a ton of gameplay positions, but a lot less people who want to work with the tooling or the tech art or sound engineering. So that's another thing to keep in mind if you are choosing a direction. I say no matter what you choose though, you stick with it. chasing two rabbits and all that.
tightbookkeeper 2y ago
The concept of an engine separate from the game is the distraction and didn’t exist when most games we love were made. Just start on your games. What feature does it need next? Ok now write that. You don’t need an FBX skeleton parser. You need a header with vertices in it. This give you very high velocity iteration, without the engine imposing creative constraints. The final product is tight, efficient, and will last forever.
- drpossum 2y ago
  You can find examples of game engines going back into the 80s. It's not a particularly new concept.
  - tightbookkeeper 2y ago
    Got any examples? I think the term has been applied retroactively to “we copy pasted our work from our last game to start”. Quake and perhaps doom popularized selling game technology and even quake engine was tailor made for the game, not general purpose.
    - drpossum 2y ago
      A quick google for yourself will take you a long way. You may want to consider researching your claims first going forward.
      - tightbookkeeper 2y ago
        Ok, I tried it: > The term "game engine" arose in the mid-1990s, especially in connection with 3D games such as first-person shooters with a first-person shooter engine. > Such was the popularity of Id Software's Doom and Quake games that, rather than work from scratch, other developers licensed the core portions of the software Want to correct any of your comments? Or make any other personal accusations? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_engine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_engine

by nox101 2y ago

hmmokidk 2y ago

Although it is charted territory it’s very difficult. There is an extraordinary amount of concepts (depending on what you’re doing) and some are quite mathy. And software design seems pretty important, although I am not far enough along that it’s an issue.

strken 2y ago

I think making a game engine is less like making your own knives and more like having a herb garden at a restaurant. There are some games that are just not possible using someone else's engine. Consider Factorio, non-Euclidean geometry, the early MMOs, or anything else which pushes the boundaries of what's possible. On the other hand...are you really making a game like that? Similarly, there are good reasons why you'd want to grow your own herbs, and the deep knowledge of growing conditions really does add to your ability to understand why your parsley is bitter this year, but for most restaurants it wouldn't pay off.

imtringued 2y ago
It is closer in analogy to making your own gear cutters. If you know how, you can make any gear you want. If you have a gear hobbing machine, you can only make standardized gears and the only thing you can influence is the size of the gear.

johnnyanmac 2y ago

>I also want to add, making a game-engine is easy compared to making a game. Why? Because all the things to you need are well known. You need a 2d renderer (UI), a 3d renderer (assuming you need 3d), image loaders, model loaders, sound players, music players, keyboard input, joypad input, entity systems. That's also a benfit for if you want to break into the industry. There's a ton of gameplay positions, but a lot less people who want to work with the tooling or the tech art or sound engineering. So that's another thing to keep in mind if you are choosing a direction. I say no matter what you choose though, you stick with it. chasing two rabbits and all that.

tightbookkeeper 2y ago

The concept of an engine separate from the game is the distraction and didn’t exist when most games we love were made. Just start on your games. What feature does it need next? Ok now write that. You don’t need an FBX skeleton parser. You need a header with vertices in it. This give you very high velocity iteration, without the engine imposing creative constraints. The final product is tight, efficient, and will last forever.

drpossum 2y ago
You can find examples of game engines going back into the 80s. It's not a particularly new concept.
- tightbookkeeper 2y ago
  Got any examples? I think the term has been applied retroactively to “we copy pasted our work from our last game to start”. Quake and perhaps doom popularized selling game technology and even quake engine was tailor made for the game, not general purpose.
  - drpossum 2y ago
    A quick google for yourself will take you a long way. You may want to consider researching your claims first going forward.
    - tightbookkeeper 2y ago
      Ok, I tried it: > The term "game engine" arose in the mid-1990s, especially in connection with 3D games such as first-person shooters with a first-person shooter engine. > Such was the popularity of Id Software's Doom and Quake games that, rather than work from scratch, other developers licensed the core portions of the software Want to correct any of your comments? Or make any other personal accusations? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_engine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_engine