Amiga Computing - Commodore Is Awesome

What processes do you have to undertake
to develop a game? Do you start off with a
definite idea of what you want to create,
or does it just grow and develop as the
project progresses? If possible could you
explain to us the step by step process
involved in developing a game?
What I am aiming for. In order to change
the bare idea into code I normally follow the
steps below. This is not exactly the way I have
gone about designing Explorer 2260 because
of the type of game it is. Some other pro
grammers almost certainly will not agree with
the way I work, but the development process
is a personal thing, built up from experience -
what suits me may not suit anyone else! This
is not a quick-start guide to programming;
writing good programs requires years of expe
rience and practice, as well as an in-depth
knowledge of the Amiga and the language
you are using.
I. OK, you have a rough idea of what you're
after. Firstly you must sit down and work out
an outline, on paper, of what you want, filling
in details as you go along. Expect this
list to change! Explorer 2260 has
changed beyond recognition
from the early designs.
II. Looking at this huge list
of things you want to do,
the first thing that will
come into you head is
"How the hell do I do
this and where do I
start?" I have found that
there isn't any easy way to
decide where to start. I
tend to code the most com
plex parts first as they are usu
ally the pieces which other areas of
the game rely on.
III. To decide what to do, firstly take the list
and develop what I call a data flow/ depen
dency diagram. Look through your list for the
sections which will be most used and most
important. Put these down on paper and con
nect them up with arrows showing the flow
of data and interactions between them. Now
add in the smaller, less important, sections
and link them in. This way you can get some
idea of which parts of the code will be
depended upon by the rest of the program.
These are the pieces you should code first. Be
warned though, the process of drawing these
diagrams and deciding upon which pieces are
important take a lot of practice, choosing the
wrong sections can make the program very
difficult to write.
IV. Now you start designing and writing sec
tions of code. Don't try and get them to work
together yet and don't try for optimal solu
tions. As you get your teeth into the program
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Ever fancied writing your own
games? Hugh Poynton talks to young
hopeful Chris Page in part two of his
exploration of the pleasures and
pitfalls of developing a game
you will start to find easier ways to do
things and better ways to go about certain
tasks. You may also find pieces you have
forgotten or didn't realise you needed, earli
er in the design process. If you do find any,
stop and re-evaluate your designs - you
may have made a mistake in the design or
you may have found a way around many of
your problems. Do not be too concerned
with graphics and sound at this stage, it
does cut down design time if you get them
sorted out here, but it may cause problems
if you have to redesign parts of the pro
gram in the next stage.
V. Start bringing the pieces of
code together and begin
simple optimisations (a
discussion of optimisa
tion techniques is
beyond the scope of
this answer). Redesign
and remake any pieces
of code which cause
problems - interfering
with data structures etc.
VI. You need to ensure
everything works together
correctly, then you can begin
polishing and debugging. This
takes a long time because it is often
necessary to remake sections of code or, in
extreme cases, start all over again!
VII. Get someone else to test it! Never trust .
a test you do yourself. I have been satisfied
my code is bug free only to find my broth
ers can pick holes in it! A good programmer
is not necessarily a good debugger, espe
cially when it comes to his own code.
Expect to go back to stage V or even IV
many times.
VIII. Once confident your program is work
ing you can remove bits and pieces, add
time limits etc., for public release demos.
Take notice of any feedback you get (I've
already had a lot and I haven't even
released anything). If people express dissat
isfaction with parts then change them, if
people want you to add things, try to.
IX. Now the nasty part begins. You have a
choice: Release the game as PD/
Licenseware or start hounding software
AMIGA ACTION FEATURE
houses to try and get your game released com
mercially.
NOTE: Expect your designs to change at any
time during the development process and do
not expect to get a welt polished game
designed, written and released in a few weeks
or even a few months.
How long has the game been in develop
ment? When do you think it might be fin
ished and do you see the copyright issue
being a major problem?
Explorer 2260 has been in develop
ment, on and off and in many forms, for
nearly six months. It is just coming out of
the design phase into unoptimised code
(stage IV) and I really can't say when it
will be released. I am a student and
university work takes precedence,
but I am putting every spare
minute into the game. I think 1
may have worked around
many of the areas which
could have caused copy
right problems but
would still like to contact
someone in Warner Bros
to make sure.
How do you plan to publicise the game
when finished? Via the Aminet? By post
ing downloadable demo's on the
Internet?
I intend placing demos on Aminet
and on any other sites which may
help (I already have had some
offers). 1 may also contact a soft
ware house - I have already
thought of two which may be
willing to help, with a view
to commercial release,
although this is remote,
maybe. -
Chris Page has recently been approached by
a major Amiga software company and is in
negotiations to have Explorer 2260 published
and distributed. Good luck Chris.
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