Fast query of low-cost Game Development SDK status

Fast query of low-cost Game Development SDK status

[DirectX] update
The main Game Development SDK on Windows. Dx10 and later versions can only be used on Vista. DX9 is still regarded as a mainstream version by Microsoft. Directinput, directmusic, directplay, direct3d RM, and DirectAnimation have been deprecated. Directsound is likely to be replaced by xaudio2 next year. DirectDraw has been marked as obsolete since dx8. We recommend that you do not use new code. DirectShow is very successful and has been integrated into the operating system. It is no longer part of dxsdk, but part of windowsdk. In addition, DX supports both left-hand and right-hand systems since dx8. From the xNa and WPF situations, there is a trend of mainstream right hand systems. For more information about using. NET and DirectX, see slimdx.

Dx11 adds two new shader for tesselation and shader for post processing and general computing. In addition, Microsoft announced that dx11 will include the software raster engine warp, which originated from the enhancement of the CPU vector computing capability and the development of the CPU + GPU hybrid design, to prepare for the future restoration of software raster, at the same time, it can be used to support rendering of WPF on low-end graphics cards in a short period of time. In addition, dx11 also adds direct2d for planar plotting and TrueType text painting components.

[MDX] update
Currently, the main DX hosting APIs on Windows can access almost all functions of DX9. However, in August, The dxsdk is the last official version that supports MDX. Later versions will be removed from the document and maintained together with dx7 and dx8 as legacy code. If you already have MDX-based code, you can consider porting it to xNa or slimdx later.

The dxsdk of nov07 has been officially released, and the MDX documents and samples have been removed. It is recommended that you do not spend any time on MDX for the new code. If it is a Windows program, it is switched to slimdx, and if it is to be run on the Xbox, it is switched to xNa.

[Slimdx] update
An open-source project initiated by a group that is not satisfied with xNa's Windows support. Slimdx is a replacement of MDX. the DX application development on the net platform provides a one-to-one correspondence function for most dx c ++ APIs, including interfaces of dx10, xinput, xaudio, and xact. It is mature and stable. Homepage: slimdx.mdxinfo.com

[XNa] update
Microsoft's cross-Xbox and Windows platform sdks have been transformed from the original mdx2 project, but are mainly designed for Xbox. Therefore, due to the limitations of the Xbox function, there is a lack of many functions of dxsdk. The biggest difference from dx is that it separates runtime and design-time APIs and provides a basic game content production process framework to provide a good foundation. The design part cannot be released and can only be used inside the studio. Currently, only xact can be used for the sound part. A high-level sound API can only be used for apdcm encoding with a compression ratio. The input part can only use xinput. Currently, only Xbox compatible input devices support xinput. In addition, because the xbox360 graphics hardware is DX9, xNa is not expected to support dx10 in the near future.

XNa 2 is no longer limited by VC # Express. Most importantly, graphicsdevice is virtualized and no longer needs to process device lost. XNa 3 also supports Microsoft Zune. It seems that xNa has been identified as the mainstream API of the Microsoft console platform. However, the disadvantage for individuals who want to develop Xbox games is that their license agreement does not allow external game publishing (except within the developer club ), that is to say, there is still a threshold for high-price entry permits in the gaming machine software market.

[OpenGL] update
The old graphic API, due to the slow development of bureaucracy in recent years, is still following the pace of DX with nvidia and ATI (AMD. In, OpenGL ARB handed it over to the khronos group for management. NVIDIA finally gained the right to speak and plans to launch a revolutionary version. However, the new revolutionary version will be incompatible with the old API, and the structure and process will be closer to dx10. To port a large amount of old code, there will also be a transitional version compatible with the old API. Note that by default, Windows only supports software-simulated OpenGL 1.1 APIs. You must install the driver of the video card manufacturer to obtain hardware acceleration and new version extension functions. Currently, the mainstream supports OpenGL 1.5 and the high-end supports up to 2.1. However, the main difference between 2.0 and 1.5 is that shader computing is not a core API, when the graphics card manufacturer changes the driver and adds a few export functions, it becomes 2.0. Why not.

Since the announcement that the OpenGL 3.0 specification is coming soon, nearly two years have passed since it was released. Finally, the castrated version of the OpenGL 3.0 standard has been officially released. If it is called 2.3 or 2.5, it is easier for everyone to accept it. Both AMD, ATI, and NVIDIA have released drivers that support the 3.0 specification.

[SDL]
A cross-platform SDK similar to DX, including 2D graphics, sound, network, window management, input, and video, which can be used in combination with OpenGL. But to be honest, its graphic API and DirectDraw are at the same level, and many APIs seem outdated now. It is not recommended unless it is cross-platform. However, some parts are worth using, such as sound engines. APIs are both c Functions and open-source C ++ packages and. net packages.

[Ogre3d]
A mature and newer open source 3D engine ranks first among Open Source engines. Complete functions, complete tools, advanced resource management, and competent for the production of large-scale 3D games. You can select the direct3d Renderer or OpenGL Renderer. The license agreement is either lgpl or a paid commercial license. The disadvantage is that the system is huge and difficult to get started. The style is a combination of STL collection classes and Java object structures. With the right hand system and column matrix, resources must be converted to the ogre format. In integration with. net, although there are several different packages such as ogre.net and mogre, they are not very good.

[Irrlicht] update
A simple and easy-to-use 3D engine has only one DLL, but it contains all common functions and can directly load model files in all common formats. You can select the direct3d Renderer, OpenGL Renderer, or software Renderer, and use the left-hand series and row matrix. The license agreement is similar to zlib and can be modified and commercially available. The. NET encapsulation provided by irrlicht has stopped development. We recommend that you use another encapsulation called irrlichtnetcp. The disadvantage is that a serious game development may encounter its functional limitations.

It seems that many people in China call this engine a Ghost fire. I don't know how it came from. The original name is German, which means "crazy light". Its pronunciation is similar to "yi LI Shi" (the last two words are read softly ). Since the previous year's development in the open-source community, the engine has made many improvements, especially animation systems.

[Collada]
The XML-based Resource Exchange file format sponsored by Sony was originally used as the fbx format against Microsoft and Autodesk and is now the standard controlled by khronos group. Collada is used to completely and comprehensively store all resources, such as scenarios, models, materials, animations, and effects. It is not used for game runtime loading because it is not for Speed Optimization, but for convenient resource import. Collada can completely replace old formats such as 3DS. The coordinate system is the right hand system. The disadvantage is that Collada is overly designed to read data from its files, which is not as straightforward as other formats.

[Openal] update
An innovative sound API that imitates the OpenGL style is similar to directsound. However, it is a cross-platform API like OpenGL and supports expansion. However, it seems that it is mainly used to support the special functions of innovative sound cards. Openal is a good choice for cross-platform communication, but it is better to use fmod if you have financial resources.

However, this project has stopped development and can be considered dead.

[Cegui] update
A 3D window interface system that can be used in combination with a variety of different graphic APIs (dx, OpenGL, irrlicht, ogre, etc.), supports a wide range of GUI controls, supports custom interface styles, and supports Unicode, the interface can be customized through XML and script with comprehensive functions. Ogre also adopted cegui and abandoned its original GUI system.

Like many open-source products, You have to modify the source code in Chinese.

[Lua]
An open-source scripting language and engine is also the most widely used scripting language in the game industry. Originally designed to describe game data, the data presentation capability was strong and easy to integrate. Later, it was widely accepted with high efficiency and low overhead, and even world of warcraft used Lua. There are also a number of related auxiliary projects, such as luainterface, which provides a simple way to integrate Lua into. net. I was most impressed by the absence of Unicode support, but it took a lot of effort to make it at least usable.