Identifying and Managing Game Requirements

Lesson 2

Exam Objective Matrix

Skills/Concepts MTA Exam Objectives

Identifying Basic Game Requirements

Choose an input device (2.1)Choose an output device (2.2)

Identifying Game Performance Requirements

Work with the network (2.3)Understand the different game platforms (2.5)Manage game performance (2.4)

Identifying Basic Game Requirements• One of the fundamental elements

required to be identified for a game development is the suitable input/output device for the selected platform – The type of input devices the gamer

uses to interact with the characters of the game

– The type of output devices the gamer uses to see the visual output of the gameplay

Identifying the Input Device• Some of the commonly used game

controllers are: – Control pad or Joypad or Gamepad– Mouse– Keyboard– Kinect– Mobile devices– Steering wheel– Joystick

Gamepads and Mice• Gamepad

– Can be held in a player’s hands– Allows for fewer fingers to be used to

play• Mouse

– Useful when the game requires precision, such as aiming in shooters

– Not all actions in a game can be mapped to a mouse however

Input Device Examples

Xbox 360 gamepadSidewinder gaming mouse

Keyboards and Kinect• Keyboard

– Standard input method for PC games– Large number of keys allows for large

number of commands available to player

• Kinect– Motion sensing device that can

immerse the player into the game– Limited to Microsoft consoles and

operating systems

Input Device ExamplesSidewinder gaming keyboard Xbox 360 with Kinect

Mobile Devices and Steering Wheels• Mobile Devices

– Can gaming platform or an input device for another gaming platform

• Steering Wheels– Provides superior experience when

playing any type of racing game– Allows greater player immersion into

the racing game– Not used by other genres of games

Input Device Examples

Windows Phone 8 Steering wheel

Other Input Devices• Light gun: uses light to detect the targeted

location on the game screen• Dance pad or dance mat: players step on the

mat and press the action buttons to control the game

• Wii balance board: players stand on this unique platform and perform various physical exercise activities.

• Musical game controller: resembles musical instruments, such as guitars, drums, and keyboards.

• Other motion sensing device: Wii remote, PlayStation Move.

Identifying the Output Device• Output devices fall into two broad

categories: display devices and sound devices.

• Display devices display the visual element of the game.

• Sound devices, such as speakers or headphones, provide the audio output of the game.

Choosing a Display Device• A wide variety of display devices is

available to display the visual output of games. The choice depends on the following criteria: – Genre– Game platform– Game graphics– Target audience

• Commonly used devices include: TVs, monitors, handheld devices and touchscreen devices.

Televisions and Monitors• Liquid crystal display (LCD):

– Thinner and lighter than the standard television. Uses LCD display technology and are available in larger sizes.

• Light emitting diode (LED):– Thinner and lighter than the standard television.

Uses LED display technology as a video display.

• Plasma display panel (PDP): – Displays bright images and uses a wide color

range. The panels are available in 30 inches or larger sizes.

• 3D: – Display and with 3D glasses to view the images in

three-dimension.

High-definition LCD Display

Handheld and Touchscreen Devices• Handheld:

– Smart phones, tablets, handheld consoles

– Plus: portable, simple, widely available– Minus: small display, low end graphics

by comparison• Touchscreen:

– Allow interaction with game via touch– Plus: ease of play, increase in game

appeal– Minus: not supported by all games or

devices

Touchscreen

Sound Devices

Sound Device Advantages Disadvantages

Headphones • Privacy• Prevents disturbing

others

Increases the chances of hearing impairment

5.1 speakers • Optimum sound quality

• Life-like reproduction of sound

• Provides better gaming experience

Expensive

2.1 speakers • Most commonly used

• Affordable• Available in a wide

range of products

Lower quality of sound

Standard speakers • Affordable Lower quality of sound

Identifying Game Performance Requirements• To create a player-friendly game, you

must identify the hardware, memory, and networking requirements for an optimal game performance. – Judge the game performance by

analyzing how well the game can run on a chosen device with specific graphics.

– Analyze whether the game can adapt to the network setup when players want to play the game online.

Managing Game Performance• To effectively manage the game

performance, you must manage three components:– Platform-specific memory

requirements– Graphics performance requirements– Networking requirements

Platform Specific Game Requirements• Console:

– Have more features that accommodate great games when compared to other platforms.

– Typically offer internal and external storage.

• Mobile:– Typically have small volatile memory

space.– Need to understand storage memory vs.

memory available to run game in.– Graphics may be limited and vary from

model to model.

Comparing Gaming Platforms

Gaming Platform Advantages Disadvantages

Console • Most preferred platform

• Most suited with adequate memory

• The built-in storage memory is not easy to upgrade

Mobile • Rapidly gaining popularity

• Games with low graphics can be played easily

• Games that can be played are limited because of limited memory

• Memory upgrade is not possible

PC • Memory requirements can be easily met by enhancements.

• May require a heavy investment for the high-end memory and graphics card

Managing the Impact of Graphic Performance• These elements influence the

performance of the graphics used in your game:– Central processing unit (CPU)– Graphics processing unit (GPU)– Reach– HiDef– Network impact

Understanding Output Resolution• A graphic displayed on the screen is

made up of pixels or dots. – The number of such pixels or dots that make

up an image is called the output resolution.– The larger the resolution, the sharper the

picture will be.– The display resolution plays a key role in the

game’s performance. – If the correct resolution is not used, the

graphics might not be displayed properly, which will affect the game’s performance.

CPU vs. GPU• Central processing unit (CPU):

the component that performs all the processing activities of the system.

• Graphics processing unit (GPU): the specialized process that performs graphics processing rapidly.– Exclusively designed to depict 3D

graphics and drawing of 2D images.

Output Profiles• A profile is a set of features

employed in the hardware and is platform-independent. – Allows the game code written for one

platform to run on a different platform with little or no change in the code.

– This is possible because the application programming interfaces (APIs) that access the profile in the hardware are consistent across platforms.

Reach vs. HiDef Profiles

Reach Profile• Limited set of graphics

features.• Integrated in hardware

of most platforms.– Windows PCs using a

DirectX 9 GPU– Xbox 360 consoles– Windows Phone

HiDef Profile• Highest level of

graphics.• Suitable for use on

platforms with higher power hardware and better capabilities.– Windows PCs using a

DirectX 10 GPU– Xbox 360 consoles

Network ImpactOnline Games Requirements• Use light graphics and

code• Use a dedicated

server • Ensure that the game

is able to perform well on low bandwidth

• Ensure that the game is able to handle a large number of users

Offline Games Requirements• Can use high-end

graphics and game code

• Do not require a dedicated server

• Ensure that the game is able to perform well on low bandwidth

• Ensure that the game is able to handle a large number of users

Understanding Network Architecture• Virtual Environment (VE): a

computer-generated simulation in which the system simulates a 3D virtual world.

• Multiplayer online games use Distributed Virtual Environment (DVE), where gamers share the VE.

Multiplayer Architecture Types• Centralized-server architecture:

– A single server with multiple connected clients. – When the number of clients increases, the

server becomes a potential bottleneck. • Networked-server architecture:

– Multiple servers where each client connects exclusively to one of these server.

– Requires efficient distribution of the workload across the servers to avoid overload and ensure best performance.

• Peer-to-peer architecture: – Client computer is the server.

Network Management Tasks• Basic network management with

respect to online games involves the following tasks:– Managing the network operations– Administering the network– Maintaining the network– Provisioning the network– Monitoring network traffic– Monitoring network latency

IP, TCP and UDP• Internet Protocol (IP): a protocol that

sends packets of data, called datagrams or network packets, from one computer to another.

• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP): built on top of IP and commonly referred to as TCP/IP. It defines or controls how data is transmitted from one compute to another, adding the ability to validate delivery and request a retransmission for failed delivery.

IP, TCP and UDP• User Datagram Protocol (UDP):

depends on IP, but does not add to it the way TCP does. Does not provide guarantee of delivery or the ability to request a packet be retransmitted.

TCP vs. UDP

TCP• Adds overhead to data

transmission on a network.

• Guarantees delivery of data that is sent.

• Allows data to be resent if it did not arrive the first time.

• Most commonly used protocol across all network transmission applications.

UDP• Adds almost no

overhead to transmission of data.

• Provides no guarantees that the data will arrive in the correct order, or at all.

• Does guarantee that data that does arrive will either be whole, or be rejected.

• Provides faster transfers due to less overheard.

Web Services• A Web service is a software

application that exchanges information using standard protocols.

• It helps computers on any platform to exchange information over intranets, extranets, and across the Internet by providing secured and reliable messaging.

• You can create and set up Web services for your game using Microsoft Visual Studio.

Web Services Components• A Web service uses:

– XML for representing data– Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

for data exchange– Web Services Description Language

(WSDL) for describing the service’s functionality

Recap• Identifying Basic Game Requirements• Identifying the Input Device• Input device review• Identifying the Output Device • Display display review• Sound device review• Identifying Game Performance Requirements• Managing Platform-Specific Game Requirements • Comparing platforms• Managing the Impact of Graphic Performance • Managing Network Requirements • Managing the Network• Introduction to IP, TCP, UDP and Web Services