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: Lewis Brierley

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 videogame. 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.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_demo

In my production practice I would say that I have created a demo for a game as I have created a piece of a game in Unity and Construct 2. For example my Arena level/map which I have started to create in Unity as it is not a finished game but it is a playable piece of a game it is a demo.

http://www.gamespot.com/videos/dark-souls-ii-e3-2013-stage-demo/2300-6410643/

1

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

Beta “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.”https://www.techopedia.com/definition/27136/beta-test-gaming

I have not created a beta version of a game but I have started to create a level/ map of a video game on Unity and Construct 2, the things I have made in programs have bugs and they are nowhere near close to perfect so I wouldn’t say that I have made a beta in my production practice.

http://www.fresnobee.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/video-games/article39469389.html

Alpha “alpha version. (computing, technology) A development status that usually means an early version of a program or application, that is most likely unstable, but is useful to show what the product will do to, usually, a selected group. Sometimes this stage is referred to as a preview version.”https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/alpha_version

I have not created an Alpha version of a video game in my production practice. I have created a part of a video game which is just an arena map that I have created in Unity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTfe7V-_3r0

2

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

Pre-Alpha “Pre-Alpha is like mega early version of the game, before everything is finalized. Beta is when the game is coming along and everything is sort of finalized and it's during a stage when bugs and errors are being ironed out.”http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/440511.page

I would say that I have created a pre alpha version of a video as I have created an arena map in Unity, which is very early and is still being finished and created. http://videogamewriters.com/e3-hands-on-preview-you-

need-to-play-hawken-47656/hawken-pre-alpha- screenshots-e3-004

Gold “A golden master, or GM, is the final version of a software program that is sent to manufacturing and is used to make retail copies of the software. The golden master follows several other stages in the software development process including the alpha, beta, and release candidate stages.”http://techterms.com/definition/goldenmaster

I have not created a gold master version of a video game as the things I have made in engines are just in early stages and are not final.

http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/dying-light-enhanced-edition-goes-gold-launches-feb-9th-19-01-2016/

3

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

Debug “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.”http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/debugging

I have used debugging in my production practice as when I have tried to create games using Unity or Construct 2 I encountered errors or problems which I had to solve. https://hacks.mozilla.org/2014/03/introducing-the-

canvas-debugger-in-firefox-developer-tools/Automation

“In software testing, test automation is the use of special software (separate from the software being tested) to control the execution of tests and the comparison of actual outcomes with predicted outcomes.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_automation

I have not used test Automation or any use of special software that is used to execute tests and to compare outcomes.

http://www.cigniti.com/sites/default/files/service-infographics/automation-testing-big.png

White-Box Testing

“White-box testing (also known as clear box testing, glass box testing, transparentbox testing, and structural testing) is a method of testing software that testsinternal structures or workings of an application, as opposed to its functionality (i.e. black-box testing).”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-box_testing

In my production practice I have not used any white box testing to test the internal structures of any application, I have tested the levels that I have created but I have not done any white box

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2d13VG_AALA/US3OhpRuXCI/AAAAAAAAAms/X4ilYtj4ld8/s1600/

4

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

tests. white-box-testing.gifBug “A software bug is an error, flaw, failure or fault in

a computer program or system that causes it to produce an incorrect or unexpected result, or to behave in unintended ways.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_ bug

I have encountered a lot of bugs in my production practice with the level and this that I have made in different programs such as unity or construct 2 which are problems with something I have implemented.

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/5-Funniest-Game-Bugs-2014-69159.html

GAME ENGINES

GAME ENGINES

Vertex Shader

“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.”https://www.opengl.org/wiki/ Vertex _ Shader

I have used a vertex shader in my production practice in blender as I had to render an object and take a screenshot of it.

http://web.media.mit.edu/~gordonw/OpenGL/Pixel Shader

“A Pixel Shader is a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) component that can be programmed to operate on a

I have not used a pixel shader in my production

5

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

per pixel basis and take care of stuff like lighting and bump mapping.”http://stackoverflow.com/questions/832545/what-are-vertex-and-pixel-shaders

practice as I have not needed to create with the things that I have created.

http://assets.overclock.net.s3.amazonaws.com/4/43/43cb30de_vbattach2842.jpeg

Post Processing

“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.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_post-processing

I have not used post processing as the textures that are in my level in Unity were premade so I did not use post processing to change the image quality.

http://www.mtbs3

http://www.mtbs3d.com/gallery/albums/dukenukemreview/nvidiaDukeForever025.jpg

6

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 (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.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(computer_graphics)

I have created a 3D and also a 2D model so I have used rendering in my production practice. Also in blundered I have created and have rendered a 3D object and have screenshotted it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00gAbgBu8R4Normal Map

“A normal map is an image that stores a direction at each pixel. These directions are called normals. The red, green, and blue channels of the image are used to control the direction of each pixel's normal. A normal map is commonly used to fake high-resolution details on a low-resolution model.”http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Normal_map

I have used a normal map in production practice when I have applied a texture to a 3D model, as the resolution of the texture changes depending on which model it is on.

https://www.filterforge.com/filters/6624-normal.html

7

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

Entity “Entity-component-system (ECS) is an architectural pattern that is mostly used in game development. An ECS follows the Composition over inheritance principle that allows greater flexibility in defining entities where every object in a game's scene is an entity (e.g. enemies, bullets, vehicles, etc.). Every Entity consists of one or more components which add additional behaviour or functionality. Therefore the behaviour of an entity can be changed at runtime by adding or removing components.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entity_component_system

I have used entities in my production practice as I have added and have created 3D objects into my levels and maps in Unity; also I can change how the object acts so I have used an entity in my production practice.

http://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/31473/what-is-the-role-of-systems-in-a-component-based-entity-architecture

UV Map “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

I have used UV mapping in my production practice as I have applied some 2D textures to 3D objects in Unity on different shapes so I have used UV mapping in my production practice.

http://what-when-how.com/digital-sculpting-with-mudbox/uv-mapping-painting-sculptures-digital-sculpting-with-mudbox/

8

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

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. Usually, the natural look of the rendered result is achieved by the usage of fractal noise and turbulence functions.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procedural_texture

I have used procedural texturing to create a realistic texture in the maps that I have created, such as the map in Unity I used procedural texturing to create realistic textures.

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/emargraff/2015/02/22/procedural-textures-in-webgl-with-babylon-js/

Physics “Computer animation physics or game physics 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.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_physics

I have used physics in my production practice as when I created my level in Unity it had physics as the world had gravity so when the player jumped then were pulled down due to gravity.

9

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Video_games/Picture

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.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collision_detection

I have used collision in my production practice in the Unity game engine as when I create walls in my level and then walk into them my player cannot move as the engine recognizes that there is a wall in the way so the play cannot move. Also due to collision I can walk on different types of platforms and surfaces.

https://www.raywenderlich.com/15230/how-to-make-a-platform-game-like-super-mario-brothers-part-1

Lighting “ the equipment used to provide light”http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lighting

I have used lighting in my production practice to create light in dark areas of my level, I did this so that when people are playing the game they can see where they are going and what they are doing. Without lighting it would be really dark and player would not be able to see anything.

http://www.wired.co.uk/videogames

10

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

AA – Anti-Aliasing

“If you dabble in the settings menu in a computer video game, you'll often find an option for antialiasing (also referred to as AA). Antialiasing is a graphics technology that improves the appearance of images by smoothing jagged edges (sometimes referred to as “jaggies”), particularly in lower resolution displays.”http://compreviews.about.com/od/PC-Gaming/a/What-is-antialiasing-in-PC-games.htm

I have not used Unity in my production practice especially on Unity as it has a huge hit on the Frames per second performance wise as Anti-Aliasing tries to smoothen every jagged edge on screen which causes the frames to drop dramatically affecting the speed of the game and the level. https://blog.codinghorror.com/fast-approximate-anti-aliasing-fxaa/

LoD – Level of Detail

“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.”https://www.techopedia.com/definition/11791/level-of-detail-lod

In my production practice I have used level of detail I have tried to make my level and my map the best as possible. For example the textures that I have used in my level, I have tried to make them as detailed as possible to make my level look good.

http://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/31883/how-change-lod-in-geometry

11

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

Animation “A simulation of movement created by displaying a series of pictures, or frames. Cartoons on television is 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.”http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/animation.html

I have used animation in my production mainly for when I made my 2D shooter game as with the different sprites I created an animation when the player did a certain thing for example when the player shot a bullet it would emit a beam of light to show that the player had fires a bullet.

http://daverapoza.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/trying-new-stuff.html

Sprite “Sprite. 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

I have used sprites in my production practice mainly in my 2D shooter game which I created on Construct 2. The sprites that I used in my production practice are things that I created using pixel art making software and programs which I eventually managed to put into my 2D shooter game.

http://www.spriters-resource.com/snes/smetroid/Scene “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.”http://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/CreatingScenes.html

I have used a scene in my production practice in Unity as with when you add an object into the program that object is added into a scene, the scene is the place where you can place any objects and is where you can add or remove things.

12

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

https://github.com/drojdjou/J3D/wiki/Unity-exporter-tutorialLibrary “A library is a useful framework to

tackle a specific need within a game engine. A framework that entails the needs for a complete game is a game engine.”http://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/10770/whats-the-difference-between-a-library-and-an-engine

I have not used a library in my production practice as I have never used it in Unity or any game engine.

http://devzum.com/2015/11/best-html5-and-javascript-gamen-engine-libraries/

UI “The terms UI and UX are sometimes (incorrectly) used interchangeably, but they have specific meanings. UI, or User Interface, refers to the methods (keyboard control, mouse control) and interfaces (inventory screen, map screen) through which a user interacts with your game.”http://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/tutorials/game-ui-by-example-a-crash-course-in-the-good-and-the-bad--gamedev-3943

I have used and have made a User Interface in my production practice but it was a very basic user interface. I created this User Interface in Construct 2. As I added a health bar which when the player takes damage the health bar will be reduced and the player can see.

https://www.oysterworldgames.com/game-ui-design-tutorial-video-game-ui-and-visual-communication/

13

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

Frames “A frame in animation and filmmaking is a drawing that defines the starting and ending points of any smooth transition. The drawings are called "frames" because their position in time is measured in frames on a strip of film.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_frame

I used frames in my production as when I animated some of the 2D sprites that I had created, I had to create an image of a character for each frame for each animation I created.

http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/anim_basics/Concept “An idea of what something is or

how it works.”I have used concepts in my production practice as I have created my map and my level for the arena game in Unity, I thought up and came up with a concept and an idea for my level, for example the different paths and the way my level looks I came up with that I thought of a concept so I have used concepts in my production practice.

http://sixrevisions.com/digital-art/50-stunning-video-game-concept-art/

Event “Something that happens or is regarded as happening; an occurrence, especially one of some importance.”

I have used events in my production practice but only in construct 2 as I have not used them in Unity. But I have used them in Construct 2 as when the player gets to a certain area in my 2D shooter game and enemy will appear especially the boss at the end as the boss arrives an animation is triggered.

14

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

http://1080.plus/Metal_Gear_Solid_V-Third_Child_(Psycho_Mantis)_Gives_Vocal_Parasite_to_Eli_(Liquid_Snake)_Cutscene_by_Video_Games_Source/XftHFG9RWIE.video

Pathfinding “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.”

I have used pathfinding in my production practice with Construct 2 when I added enemies into my game, I have to code their reactions with the player and how they would approach once a certain distance was between the player and the enemy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathfinding

15