office hours: Tue 1:30 3, Fri 11 12 pm. Lectures: Fri 1

1
Games FundamentalsIntroduction

• Jarek Francik
• Kingston University
• 2 February 2007
• 1 February 2008

2
Outline

• Facts
• Games Fundamentals what is it about?
• Why not Flash?
• Why Java?
• Why Mathematics?
• Why Physics?
• Outline
• Helicopter

3
Facts

• Dr Jaroslaw (Jarek) Francik Yarek
• jarek_at_kingston.ac.uk
• office SB 318
• office hours Tue 130 3, Fri 11 12 pm.
• Lectures Fri 12 130 pm SB 224
• Workshops Fri 230 4 pm SB 224
• flexibly exchanged...

4
Games Fundamentals

• Essential background in applied mathematics...
• ...and physics
• for Games Developers
• Strong focus on practical engineering aspects
• Taught by example real problems typically
  encountered during games development process

5
Module Goals, Learning Outcomes, Indicative
Curriculum

• see Module Guide...

6
Core Text

• Wendy Stahler, Fundamentals of Math and Physics
  for Game Programmers, Pearson Prentice Hall 2006

7
Support Texts

• Andrew Davison, Killer Game Programming in Java,
  OReilly, 2005
• David Brackeen, Developing Games in Java, New
  Riders 2004
• Christopher Tremblay, Mathematics for Game
  Developers, Thomson Course Technology 2003
• David M. Bourg, Physics for Game Developers,
  OReilly 2001
• James M. Van Verth, Lars M. Bishop, Essential
  Mathematics for Games Interactive Applications.
  A Programmers Guide. Morgan Kaufmann, 2004
• David H. Eberly, Game Physcis, Morgan Kaufmann,
  2004

8
Assessment

• coursework (mathematics) 25
• 1 Feb 15 Feb 14 March
• coursework (physics) 25
• 14 March 11 April 2 May
• examination 50
• mid-May

9
Why not Flash?

• Flash is excellent for small games
• Flash is good for Internet games
• No serious big game is written in Flash
• Large-scale project need professional approach to
  programming, not just a scripting
• C
• Java

10
Games in Java? Java in Games?

• Java is too slow for games programming
• Java has memory leaks
• Java is too high-level
• Java application instalation is a nightmare
• Java isnt supported on games consoles
• No one uses Java to write real games
• Sun isnt interested in supporting Java gaming

11
Games in Java? Java in Games?

• Java is too slow for games programming
• Java has memory leaks
• Java is too high-level
• Java application instalation is a nightmare
• Java isnt supported on games consoles
• No one uses Java to write real games
• Sun isnt interested in supporting Java gaming

MYTHS
12
Games in Java? Java in Games?

• Java is too slow for games programming
• True in 1996.
• JDK 1.0 was 20 40 times slower than C
• J2SE 5.0 is typically 1.1 times slower
• Bottleneck is somewhere else (3D hardware, the
  net)
• Java has memory leaks
• Java is too high-level
• Java application instalation is a nightmare
• Java isnt supported on games consoles

13
Games in Java? Java in Games?

• Java is too slow for games programming
• Java has memory leaks
• garbage collection
• Java is too high-level
• Java application instalation is a nightmare
• Java isnt supported on games consoles
• No one uses Java to write real games
• Sun isnt interested in supporting Java gaming

14
Games in Java? Java in Games?

• Java is too slow for games programming
• Java has memory leaks
• Java is too high-level
• J2SE 1.4 full-screen exclusive mode (FSEM)
• JNI Java Native Interface
• JInput Game Controller API
• until DOOM it was C/C what was considered too
  high level
• Java application instalation is a nightmare
• Java isnt supported on games consoles

15
Games in Java? Java in Games?

• Java is too slow for games programming
• Java has memory leaks
• Java is too high-level
• Java application instalation is a nightmare
• just use a good installation software (install4j)
• code bloat (eg. JRE 15 MB) but...
• which of modern games is less than, say, 600MB?
• Java isnt supported on games consoles
• No one uses Java to write real games

16
Games in Java? Java in Games?

• Java is too slow for games programming
• Java has memory leaks
• Java is too high-level
• Java application instalation is a nightmare
• Java isnt supported on games consoles
• well, this one is (still) true...
• rumours on porting JVM to PS2 nothing released
• No one uses Java to write real games
• Sun isnt interested in supporting Java gaming

17
Games in Java? Java in Games?
Puzzle Pirates Chrome Law and Order II Kingdom of
Wars Alien Flux Runescape Star Wars Galaxies

• Java is too slow for games programming
• Java has memory leaks
• Java is too high-level
• Java application instalation is a nightmare
• Java isnt supported on games consoles
• No one uses Java to write real games
• Sun isnt interested in supporting Java gaming

18
Games in Java? Java in Games?
MOBILE GAMES

• Java is too slow for games programming
• Java has memory leaks
• Java is too high-level
• Java application instalation is a nightmare
• Java isnt supported on games consoles
• No one uses Java to write real games
• Sun isnt interested in supporting Java gaming

19
Games in Java? Java in Games?

• Java isnt supported on games consoles
• No one uses Java to write real games
• Sun isnt interested in supporting Java gaming
• full-scren mode
• faster I/O, memory mapping
• nanosecond timers (v. 5.0)
• Java 3D
• Java Media Framework
• Java Communications API
• Java Games Profile

20
Why not C?

• Java is better for education
• CISM policy
• anyway you are strongly advised to learn C
• which is widely used in industry
• C
• On-line Games
• Java

21
Why Mathematics?

• Geometry a tool for drawing graphical elements
  in 2D and 3D
• Calculations make the player experience more
  life-like
• eg. rules of perspective
• 3D animation

22
Why Physics?

• fall down accelerate hit go
• throw break fly
• ride rotate dig
• swim shoot
• aim strike bounce
• drive catch
• explode reflect jump
• run kick sail

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Outline

• Introductory Lecture (this one)
• Java Basics Introducing Your Game Engine
• Maths Basics
• Thales Theorem and Perspective in 3D
• Roll and Fall Playing with the Laws of Motion
• Collisions, Momentum and Energy
• Resistance and Mechanics of Cars

24
Outline

• Explosions
• Physics Engine
• Go Round and Round Physics of Rotational Motion
• TBA (Logical games? Theory of Games? Chess?
  Artificial Intelligence?)
• Additional lecture in SL?

25
Demo Applying Physics to Helicopter