 |
|
|
3D Primer:
What is a 3D game and what makes it different from a 2D game? by Jack Frost
First off, a 3D game does not mean that a game uses high quality graphics, or high higher resolutions than a "normal" game. The obvious answer to the question is that a 3D game has 3 dimensions: up and down (vertical); left and right (horizontal); and forward and back (depth). This simplistic definition has been used incorrectly in the past to describe 2D games that utilize 3 axis.
The correct use of the term 3D is when the game takes place in a 3 dimensional environment (world) where each object has 3 dimensions. This allows the gamer to move in all 3 dimensions and to view object in 3 dimensions. Ok, I'm sure that some of you still don't see the distinction, so here is a comparison: Doom (2D) vs. Quake (3D)
In Doom you can move up and down, left and right, and forward and back, so why isn't that 3D? Well in Doom the various objects are made up of a series of bitmaps that represent different views and, if the object is animated, movements. This allows you to view a monster front and back and from either side and with a couple of different postures, but this does not make it 3 dimensional. The monster does not have an actual 3 dimensional form, you can not see the object from all angles, but only from the few viewpoints that are provided. This limits the sense of "reality" of the game, and limits the complexity of details available. Many features such as shadows, lighting, and lens flares are simply not possible because the light sources can not dynamically react to the objects moving in the environment. Quake is an example of a real 3D game in which each room, object, and creature has 3 dimensions, and the character is allowed to travel along all x,y, and z axis (horizontal, vertical, and depth). In this immersive environment you have to be carefull for enemies not only in front, back, left, and right of you, but also from enemies above and below you.
I will expand this primer much more in the weeks to come. For now I encourage you to look into our Techshop for more details. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
