Tume, 3D Engines, stuff...

1999-10-30

Gavin Asks:

>Could you make game boy games with tume?

You can edit maps that would be used to make a Gameboy game. You'd still have to program the game yourself.

>Could you make commander keen on it?

You probably could make commander keen on it but we haven't made any tools specifically to convert from tUME files to commander keen files.

>How much does Tume cost?

tUME was $1500. Yes $1500. It's not for the casual user but it's also an old DOS program. If you are interested contact danchang@aol.com

>What exactly is a 3D engine?

A 3d Engine a set of routines that at a minimum, draw 3D graphics. Sometimes more will be added like a collision system or more. If everything required to make a game is added like input routines, i/o routines, networking routines etc then it would probably be called a Game Engine or a 3D Game Engine as opposed to just a 3D Engine.

>Could I make a game like Doom just with c++ or do I need a 3d engine or
>something like that?

Doom specifically you could probably make 100% in C++. Quake or Quake 2 you could probably also do 100% in C++ assuming you required a 3D accelerator.

>What steps should I use to make a game like that?

Well, if you want to make Doom, download the doom code from www.idsoftware.com and look at it. Get some books on it There are at least 2 books (sorry, I don't remember the names) that specifically will walk you step in making make a doom game.

>If i was making a strategy game like C&c could you use c++ and would
>you need a 3d engine?

You could do C&C in C++. You might need one or two assembly language routines for speed.
No, you would not need a 3D engine.

>What steps should I use to make a game like that?

Check the net for some similar programs (maybe games on freshmeat.net) and look at the source code.

>What is a source code?

Source code is what the programmer types into the computer. A program called a compiler reads the source code and turns it into a program for the computer to run.

>What is watcom?

Watcom is a C/C++ compiler that was very popular before about 1995. Of course some people still like it but most people have moved to Visual C++.

>Because 3D programs are so expensive could you use C as your graphics program.

Yes but it would be hard for non-programmers to make 3D art that way. You can use blender at www.blender.nl It's not easy to use but it is free. Also I think you can get a version of RayDream for less than $100. www.metacreations.com

> Do you buy a 3D engine or do you write one?

Me personally? I depends on if I could find an engine that fit the game I wanted to make. Generally though I would probably write my own. For Zombie Revenge I used the libraries Sega's AM1 department wrote. For Crash Team Racing my friends Danny Chan and Greg Omi wrote it. For my next game we are again writing our own for Playstation 2

> If I got a doom or quake source code do I just put it into C or are
> there more steps after that?

I'm not sure. If you download it there should be instructions. It will probably require a copy of Visual C++ though.

> Is it the same for a C&C source code?

Yes

>You would probably need an artist or something like that?

Well to start making a game you do not need an artist. You can do it yourself. But unless you are good at it you will need artists to make art that looks good and if you are doing a doom like game the artwork is alot of work and so you probably can't do all of it yourself.

> Did you use C for Gex?

Yes (and a little bit of assembly language.)

>Could I get a source code for that as well?

No, it does not belong to me.

> Do you now a good website with lots of source codes?

Everything on freshmeat.net has source code. www.gamedev.net has lots too.

Comments
Game Idea to Game Character
What software do you need to make an actual game?