The full series of webcasts by Lee Bamber on 3D game development using DarkGDK is now available to watch on demand. You can watch these individually as your schedule allows, also allowing you to digest and put into practise each part before moving on.
Session 1 - Introducing DarkGDK
In this first webcast, we explain what DarkGDK is and describe how it can make programming games much easier than it would be normally. The actual game will be available for you to download with all resource files. This is the game we dissect over the coming sessions in this webcast series.
Session 2 - A Simple Game Framework
In this webcast, we examine the fundamental structure and flow of the game we are pulling apart in this six-part series. We explore items like the overall flow of the game, the separate sections of the game structure and the logic that holds it all together. This is essentially a description of the game chassis.
Session 3 - Game Levels and The Player
Here we cover the actual game levels and explain how the level loop differs from the game loop. We also describe controlling the player object, player weapon, bullets, and collisions with the game bounds. At the end of this webcast, we have things happening on the screen with interactions.
Session four covers the enemies in the game, explain the way they are set up and handled, and describe how they are controlled by the simplest of game artificial intelligence (AI). We explore how inter-enemy collisions and responses work and show how the player bullets interact with the enemies. At the end of this webcast, we will have the makings of our game as the player faces the enemy for the first time.
Session 5 - Explosions, Effects and Information Displays
We cover the explosion effects in the game and examine how sounds are triggered by the various game elements. We also explore how to display information on-screen for things like scoring and explain how to control them with simple function calls.
Session 6 - Finalizing Levels, Testing and Polish
Join us for this final installment of our six-part webcast series to learn how to set the difficulty curve of the game and make levels. We also discuss testing the game, making final adjustments to the game, and getting it ready for release. We explore how to take the game further with simple expansion possibilities. We finish with the idea that you are now better equipped to tackle a similar game yourself in C++ and DarkGDK.
