An in-depth understanding of game engine development gained through studying courses in game production is essential for those looking to succeed in the video game world.
Whether you are working as part of a team or as a solo developer on your own games, to develop an effective player experience, game developers need to be familiar with major game engines including Unity or Unreal Engine.
From the visual display to player movement, the soundtrack and audio elements, these game aspects can all be forged in the development process within a game engine. Studying a course in game production such as SAE’s Game Programming or Game Design degree will enable aspiring developers to understand the mechanics of creating an engaging gaming experience from scratch, using these different game engines to come up with core game assets.
In our blog, we explore game engine development in more detail, the foundations of play for multiple platforms, the ways in which a typical game engine works and how courses in game production can help prepare aspiring industry professionals for the sector. If you’re looking to launch a career in games, then get in touch with our team to find out more about our gaming courses…
What is game engine development?
Game engine development refers to the process of building and customising the essential software framework used to create video games.
This process involves utilising or modifying the tools and systems that handle core game functionalities including rendering graphics, managing physics, and processing input.
Using a game engine for these tasks can take many of the more time-consuming jobs away and allow developers to focus on game-specific content and logic.
Why are game engines important
Using a game engine as part of the game development process provides a foundational framework for building games.
This lets developers devote resources to other areas of game design and content creation rather than what are often viewed as low-level, but essential technical tasks.
From optimising processes to advanced coding, game engines offer features like graphics rendering, physics, and AI, to streamline the development process and enable faster production cycles and cross-platform compatibility for use on various devices.
What a game engine does
Game engines offer a pre-built structure and set of tools that handle common tasks needed for game development, such as rendering 2D or 3D graphics, handling physics simulations (like gravity and collisions), managing audio, and controlling input from the players.
By handling the technical complexities of game dev, engines let developers work on different creative tasks including creating game levels, characters, and storylines.
Foundations of Core Engine Architecture
There are various elements in game development that game engines can handle. Anyone studying courses in game production will get to know these parts of the process. They include:
Rendering: This looks after the visual display of the game, including 2D and 3D graphics with game engines often required to support different techniques such as post-processing or shaders.
Game Logic: This implements game rules, AI, physics, and other gameplay mechanics. There needs to be scope for some flexibility and easy ways to update scripts for different phases of the prototyping process.
Physics and sound: This simulates realistic movement and character interactions with game objects and other players. It also looks after sound effects and any audio playback.
Input: Processes player input from various devices (whether this be via a keyboard, mouse, or trackpad) alongside enabling multiplayer networking.
Editor: Provides a user interface for developers to create and manage game content such as levels and characters. The editor is a separate application used by developers to build and manage game projects.
This allows for visual scripting and asset management and typically includes a viewport that reflects the game’s visual output. A main editor window will display a game’s scene, enabling more manipulation of objects and level design. The editor also provides tools for scene creation, asset management, and configuring game logic.
Game Engine and Game Frameworks
There are differences between game engines and frameworks, something that those studying courses in game production will understand. Game engines (like Unity and Unreal Engine) offer a comprehensive suite of tools and libraries.
In contrast, frameworks (like Love and Haxe) provide a foundation for game development but require more hands-on coding.
What are the benefits of utilising a game engine in game development
For game development, game engines offer a variety of benefits for aspiring developers studying courses in game production.
Reduced Development Time and Costs
Game engines provide pre-built, reusable components and tools, to significantly reduce the time and resources needed to develop a game.
By handling the technical complexities, game engines allow developers to concentrate on game design, storytelling, and artistic vision.
Enhanced Performance and Efficiency
Well-designed game engines can optimise performance, ensuring smooth gameplay and efficient resource utilisation. Game engines often offer abstraction layers that enable games to be easily ported to different platforms (consoles, PCs, mobile) with minimal code changes.
Innovation
Game engines can be customised and extended, allowing developers to create unique gameplay mechanics and visual styles. Some game developers look to customise their own game engine while making a game. This allows for tailoring to specific game needs and potentially better optimisation. However, using a specific engine compared to an existing engine can require a level of confidence and expertise only appropriate for those developers beyond the early stages of their careers.
Accessibility
Many game engines are designed to be user-friendly, even for developers with limited programming experience. Unity has a very keen community around it, so other users will be able to share their tips on engine’s interesting and relevant elements, particularly for those either at the beginning or early stages of their game development journey.
By taking advantage of its resources and tutorials, alongside studying courses in game production, users will be to uncover Unity’s power and how to use it to write the games they want to see.
Challenges with game engines
Building a robust input handling system is essential for managing various input devices and network latency with game engines. This can lead to various problems, including performance slowdowns, increased input lag, and even game crashes. Overloads can be caused by various factors, such as too many on-screen objects, complex calculations, or inefficient code.
What tools can you use
Unreal is a powerful, real-time 3D creation tool developed by Epic Games. It’s primarily known for its use in video game development but is also widely used for film and television production, architectural and automotive visualisation, and other real-time applications.
Unity is a cross-platform game engine that enables developers to create 2D and 3D games, as well as other interactive experiences. It’s known for its versatility, ease of use, and ability to support deployment across various platforms.
Elsewhere, on our course, Maya is a crucial tool for creating 3D assets, characters, and animations that can be imported and used within game engines like Unreal Engine and Unity.
Maya excels at creating high-quality 3D models of characters, environments, props, and vehicles. It offers robust modeling tools, including polygon modeling, sculpting, and surface modeling, allowing for the creation of detailed and complex assets.
These are just some of the pieces of software you’ll gain experience of by studying with SAE. Not only will you get to grips with industry standard software but students are instilled with a future-facing mindset to ensure they can navigate any technologies or pieces of software to enhance the game development process.
STUDY games at SAE
Whether you want to study Games Programming, Game Design or Game Art and Animation, our Gaming faculty has an array of courses to suit you and your ambitions.
Our state-of-the-art facilities and expert tutors are well placed to give your career the best possible start in exciting and creative sector.
