Name:
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RESEARCHED DEFINITION (provide
short internet researched definition and URL link)
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DESCRIBE THE RELEVANCE OF THE
RESEARCHED TERM TO YOUR OWN PRODUCTION PRACTICE?
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IMAGE SUPPORT (Provide an image
and/or video link of said term being used in a game)
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VIDEO GAMES / VIDEO GAME
TESTING
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Demo
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“A game demo is a freely distributed
piece of an upcoming or recently released video game. Demos are typically
released by the game's publisher to help consumers get a feel of the game
before deciding whether to buy the full version.”
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It is relevant to my production
practice, because before I finish my 3D and 2D level work, I will have to try
small parts of my levels to see if I should continue with the construction of
certain assets.
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Beta
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“A beta test refers to the
distribution of pre-release game software to a select group of people so that
they can test the game in their own homes. The beta version of a game is as
close to perfect as the company can make it, but any bugs, glitches or other
issues discovered in beta testing will usually be addressed before the game's
official release.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will have to try out my work in beta stages, before I
continue to completion.
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Alpha
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“A very early version of a software
product that may not contain all of the features that are planned for the
final version. Typically, software goes through two stages of testing before
it is considered finished. The first stage, called alpha testing, is often
performed only by users within the organization developing the software. The
second stage, called beta testing, generally involves a limited number of
external users.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will have to try out my level work in alpha stage before I
move onto beta stage.
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Pre-Alpha
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“A development status given to a
program or application that is usually not feature complete, and is not
usually released to the public. Developers are usually still deciding on what
features the program should have at this status. This status comes before the
alpha version, and is the first status given to a program”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will have to try out my level work in pre alpha, before I
can move onto alpha stage.
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Gold
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"Gone gold" means that the
gold "master" CD has been delivered to manufacturing (the CD may or
may not actually be gold. The term derived from the fact that CD-R media used
to be gold coloured. "Gone green “,” Gone blue or "Gone
silver" just doesn't have the same feel as "Gone gold"). This
is the CD from which all shipping CDs are pressed (shipping CDs are pressed,
not burned like the master CD). Depending on the manufacturing run, a game
that has "gone gold" may ship to stores in as little as a few days
or as late as a few months”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because once my game layouts have been completed; it will have
entered an unofficial Gold status.
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Debug
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“In computers, debugging is the
process of locating and fixing or bypassing bugs (errors) in computer program
code or the engineering of a hardware device. To debug a program or hardware
device is to start with a problem, isolate the source of the problem, and
then fix it. A user of a program that does not know how to fix the problem
may learn enough about the problem to be able to avoid it until it is permanently
fixed. When someone says they've debugged a program or "worked the bugs
out" of a program, they imply that they fixed it so that the bugs no
longer exist.”
“http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/debugging”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will have to debug my levels during their construction,
and also before and after their completion.
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Automation
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“the state of being operated
automatically”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because automation is used in 3D enviroments.
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White-Box Testing
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“Also known as glass box,
structural, clear box and open box testing. A software testing technique
whereby explicit knowledge of the internal workings of the item being tested
are used to select the test data. Unlike black box testing, white box testing
uses specific knowledge of programming code to examine outputs. The test is
accurate only if the tester knows what the program is supposed to do. He or
she can then see if the program diverges from its intended goal. White box
testing does not account for errors caused by omission, and all visible code
must also be readable.
For a complete software examination,
both white box and black box tests are required.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because white box testing is used to test 3D environments such a
mine.
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Bug
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“In computer technology, a bug is a
coding error in a computer program. (Here we consider a program to also
include the microcode that is manufactured into a microprocessor.) The
process of finding bugs before program users do is called debugging.
Debugging starts after the code is first written and continues in successive
stages as code is combined with other units of programming to form a software
product, such as an operating system or an application. After a product is
released or during public beta testing, bugs are still apt to be discovered.
When this occurs, users have to either find a way to avoid using the
"buggy" code or get a patch from the originators of the code.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because my level work will have various bugs which will need
removing before the levels completion.
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GAME ENGINES
GAME ENGINES
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Vertex Shader
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“The Vertex Shader is the
programmable Shader stage in the rendering pipeline that handles the
processing of individual vertices. Vertex shaders are fed Vertex Attribute
data, as specified from a vertex array object by a drawing command. A vertex
shader receives a single vertex from the vertex stream and generates a single
vertex to the output vertex stream. There must be a 1:1 mapping from input vertices
to output vertices.
Vertex shaders typically perform
transformations to post-projection space, for consumption by the Vertex
Post-Processing stage. They can also be used to do per-vertex lighting, or to
perform setup work for later shader stages”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because vertex shaders are used in 3D engine work, similar to my
own.
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Pixel Shader
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“The name used to describe the
method in which a GPU applies textures and renders pixels to the display.
Pixel Shaders are used to give a more realistic look to objects, such as
reflections.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because Unity will use pixel shades whenever, I add textures to my
3D environment.
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Post Processing
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“The term post-processing (or
postproc for short) is used in the video/film business for
quality-improvement image processing (specifically digital image processing)
methods used in video playback devices, (such as stand-alone DVD-Video
players), and video players software and transcoding software. It is also
commonly used in real-time 3D rendering (such as in video games) to add
additional effects.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will be using post processing in my work especially with
my 3D environment.
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Rendering
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“Rendering is the process of
generating an image from a 2D or 3D model (or models in what collectively
could be called a scene file) by means of computer programs. Also, the
results of such a model can be called a rendering. 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. The data contained in the scene file is
then passed to a rendering program to be processed and output to a digital
image or raster graphics image file. The term "rendering" may be by
analogy with an "artist's rendering" of a scene. Though the
technical details of rendering methods vary, the general challenges to
overcome in producing a 2D image from a 3D representation stored in a scene
file are outlined as the graphics pipeline along a rendering device, such as
a GPU. A GPU is a purpose-built device able to assist a CPU in performing
complex rendering calculations. If a scene is to look relatively realistic
and predictable under virtual lighting, the rendering software should solve
the rendering equation. The rendering equation doesn't account for all
lighting phenomena, but is a general lighting model for computer-generated
imagery. 'Rendering' is also used to describe the process of calculating
effects in a video editing program to produce final video output.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will be using rendering in my work, such as in my 3D
engine layout.
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Normal Map
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“A 2D texture map is an image added
to a 3D model that provides a higher level of detail, wrapping around
whatever 3D art you have to apply or modify certain attributes like color,
transparency, shininess, reflection, and higher detail.
One of the most valuable maps for a
3D artist is the normal map. Rather than having a color range of black to
white, like a bump map uses, normal maps consist of red, green, and blue.
These RGB values translates to x, y, and z coordinates, allowing a 2D image
to represent depth. This way, a 3D application is able to fake lighting
details based on the color associated with the 3D coordinate.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because normal maps are used in 3d engine work such as mine.
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Entity
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“In general, an entity (pronounced
N-tih-tee ) is an existing or real thing. The word root is from the Latin,
ens , or being, and makes a distinction between a thing's existence and its
qualities. An entity exists and that's all it needs to do to be an entity.
The fact that something exists also seems to connote separateness from other
existences or entities. In programming, engineering, and probably many other
contexts, the word is used to identify units, whether concrete things or
abstract ideas, that have no ready name or label. In blackboard discussions,
one can draw something as yet unnamed and refer to that drawing as the
representation of an "entity." (If the entity being discussed later
gets ascribed qualities and a name, reference to it as an "entity"
may no longer be useful.)”
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This is relevant to my production
practice, because I will be spawning in entities into my 2D and 3D layouts in
order to populate them.
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UV Map
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“UV mapping is the 3D modeling
process of projecting a 2D image to a 3D model's surface.”
“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV_mapping”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because UV mapping will be used in 3D engine work.
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Procedural Texture
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“An algorithmic way of describing a
texture. Unlike a bitmapped texture, in which the texture is represented as a
bitmap, a procedural texture describes the texture mathematically. Although
not widely used, this method is resolution independent and can create more
precise textures, especially if there is great and varying depth to the
objects being textured. Procedural textures may be 2D or 3D. See texture
mapping and volumetric texture.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because procedural textures will be used in my 3D engine work.
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Physics
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“A science that deals with matter
and energy and the way they act on each other in heat, light, electricity,
and sound”
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This is relevant to my production
practice, because my 3D engine work will have physics whenever my layout is
played through.
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Collision
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“The meeting of particles or of
bodies in which each exerts a force upon the other, causing the exchange of
energy or momentum.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will be utilising Collisions in my 2D and 3D engine work,
especially with sprites
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Lighting
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“An artificial supply of light or
the apparatus providing it”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will be creating lighting in my 3D engine work.
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http://iq.intel.com/bringing-games-life-with-light/ |
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AA – Anti-Aliasing
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“Antialiasing is the smoothing of
the image or sound roughness caused by aliasing. With images, approaches
include adjusting pixel positions or setting pixel intensities so that there
is a more gradual transition between the colour of a line and the background colour.
With sound, aliases are removed by eliminating frequencies above half the
sampling frequencies.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will be using Anti-Aliasing in my 3D engine work.
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LoD – Level of Detail
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“Level of detail is a general design
term for video game landscapes in which closer objects are rendered with more
polygons than objects that are farther away. Generally speaking, the level of
detail is dictated by the game's system requirements. Given the power of
modern processors, very little degradation in the level of detail is
noticeable anymore.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because LoD will be used whenever my 3D engine work is loaded in via
first person controller.
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Animation
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“A simulation of movement created by
displaying a series of pictures, or frames. Cartoons on television are one
example of animation. Animation on computers is one of the chief ingredients
of multimedia presentations. There are many software applications that enable
you to create animations that you can display on a computer monitor.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will be utilising animation in my 2D engine work with my
sprites.
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Sprite
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“A sprite is a bitmap graphic that
is designed to be part of a larger scene. It can either be a static image or
an animated graphic. Examples of sprites include objects in 2D video games,
icons that are part of an application user interface, and small images
published on websites.”
“http://techterms.com/definition/sprite”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will use sprites in both my 2D and 3D environments.
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Scene
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“Scenes contain the objects of your
game. They can be used to create a main menu, individual levels, and anything
else. Think of each unique Scene file as a unique level. In each Scene, you
will place your environments, obstacles, and decorations, essentially
designing and building your game in pieces.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I am utilising scenes with my 3D engine work.
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Library
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“In computing, a library is a
collection of similar objects that are stored for occasional use - most
frequently, programs in source code or object code form, data files, scripts,
templates, fonts, and physical storage units such as tape cartridges. Here
are some common types of libraries.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will be using virtual libraries to store all my work so it
can be accessed.
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UI
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“Abbreviated UI, the junction
between a user and a computer program. An interface is a set of commands or
menus through which a user communicates with a program. A command-driven
interface is one in which you enter commands. A menu-driven interface is one
in which you select command choices from various menus displayed on the
screen.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because my 2D game will have a User Interface for a health bar,
score system etc.
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Frames
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“In graphics and desktop publishing
applications, a rectangular area in which text or graphics can appear.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because my 2D and 3D engine work will be run in frames whenever they
are played.
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Concept
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“A concept is a generalization or
abstraction from experience or the result of a transformation of existing
ideas.[1] The concept is instantiated (reified) by all of its actual or
potential instances, whether these are things in the real world or other ideas.
Concepts are treated in many if not most disciplines both explicitly, such as
in psychology, philosophy, etc., and implicitly, such as in mathematics,
physics, etc. In informal use the word concept often just means any idea, but
formally it involves the abstraction component.”
“https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because my 2D and 3D engine work is based off concepts I have come
up with.
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Event
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“An action or occurrence detected by
a program. Events can be user actions, such as clicking a mouse button or
pressing a key, or system occurrences, such as running out of memory. Most
modern applications, particularly those that run in Macintosh and Windows
environments, are said to be event-driven, because they are designed to
respond to events.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will be using events to run my 2D and 3D layouts.
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Pathfinding
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“Pathfinding or pathing is the
plotting, by a computer application, of the shortest route between two
points. It is a more practical variant on solving mazes. This field of
research is based heavily on Dijkstra's algorithm for finding a shortest path
on a weighted graph.”
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This is relevant to my production
practice because I will be utilising pathfinding in my 2D and 3D engine work,
such as making my sprites move.
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