At the heart of any game is a program that controls all the objects on the screen. To simplify, for each task, a separate miniature program code is written – a script. So that the coin can be picked up, one script is written. So that it gets into the inventory and is displayed on the screen is another. Well, for the character to move at the touch of a button – the third one.
Most scripts have a simple structure and describe what will happen if … (For example, if the player’s health is less than zero, the Game Over menu appears). But there are also complex scripts that communicate with each other or cause entire chains of events.
Scripts are written in one of the programming languages (for example, C#), processed by the game engine, and finally assembled into one big program that controls the entire game. The game engine is the main tool of the game developer.
It stores all the data used in the game – scripts, characters, obstacle models, sound effects, particles (explosions, sparks, weather), animations and everything else used in the game.
All games have graphics. If the game is 3D, then these are 3D models. If flat, then 2D sprite pictures. You can learn more about it here – art outsourcing.
2D
The gaming industry started with 2D games and to this day this type remains relevant both among some small companies and among self-taught. Among 2D game projects, the use of pixel art is because of its ease of use. With such graphics small it is easier for development teams or single developers to create animations, draw levels and so on, paying more attention to such subtleties, like the development of the plot and characters.
The disadvantages of such games are only in the visual component, because in the 21st century, many simply cannot stand the sight pixel graphics. But a group of inexperienced developers, especially if this is their debut project, this is forgivable, since their capabilities are limited by resources and skills.
It should also be noted that many modern settings started with 2D: Grand Theft Auto, The Elder Scrolls, Warcraft, Warhammer 4000, Fallout and more.
And also the main disadvantage of such graphics is the inability to detail some details – flat models of one a character sometimes has to be drawn four or more times – since he himself the game engine does not allow you to make one solid model. Also not worth it to forget about character animations – in many cases they are torn and look like changing pictures, not movement.
3D
The role of 3D models is described by scripts – pieces of program code that can turn on and off, add and subtract, move and create objects and values. All models and scripts are executed in the game engine – a special program for convenient work on the game project.
3D graphics is the result of 3d modeling work. 3D graphics is considered to be a special kind of computer graphics that uses tools and techniques to obtain images of 3D objects, as well as manipulate these objects in 3D space. The result of three-dimensional graphics can be presented as a “flat” image – a projection, or as a 3D animation. 3D graphics are widely used in cinema and computer games.
In 2D vector graphics, each point on the plane is given by two coordinates, and in 3D, one more parameter appears – depth, the Z coordinate. People learned to represent three-dimensional space a long time ago, so the appearance of 3D graphics was only a matter of time – rather powerful computers were required.
The flagship of 3D video games was Atari’s Battlezone, released in 1980. You probably don’t remember Atari’s “I, ROBOT” game, which came out in 1983 – although not much to remember, it is considered the forerunner of modern 3D games: it introduced filled polygons and the ability to control the camera.
3D models for games are created in 3D editors. Each model requires an individual approach. Trees are created in one way, landscape in a second way, and characters in a third way, and all methods are very different from each other.
As you may have guessed, 3D art costs a lot more than 2D art. 2D graphics development can cost anywhere from $50 to several thousand dollars. In turn, the price tag for the development of 3D graphics only starts from a thousand dollars and can even reach several hundred thousand dollars.
The price for this type of service varies greatly, as it is influenced by many factors, for example, complexity, volume, labor intensity, and so on.
