CryENGINE Game Programming with C++, C#, and Lua

Filip Lundgren, Ruan Pearce-Authers

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781849695909
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Informatik
• Subtopic: Programmierung von Spielen

In Detail

CryENGINE is a complete 3D game development solution that can run on multiple platforms. It is orientated around giving intuitive tools to the developer. A variety of interactive video games can be created using CryENGINE. CryENGINE is one of the most beginner-friendly engines out there to learn. If you are interested in diving into the various systems and understanding their workings in a way that is easily understood, then this book is for you.

This book provides you with the knowledge to tame the powerful but hard-to-master CryENGINE. CryENGINE Game Programming with C++, C#, and Lua dives into the various systems and explains their workings in a way that can be easily understood by developers of all levels. It provides knowledge on the engine along with step-by-step exercises and detailed information on the backend implementation of the subsystems, giving you an excellent foundation to build upon when developing your own CryENGINE games.

Written by developers with years of CryENGINE experience, this book breaks down the common confusion that encompasses the CryENGINE engine code, guiding you through a series of chapters aimed towards giving you the ability to create your own games in a rapid yet productive fashion. You will learn everything you need to know in order to create your own CryENGINE-powered games as well as detailed information on how to use the engine to your advantage. By teaching systems such as audio, particle effects, rendering, AI, networking, and more, well be exposing the most inner parts of CryENGINE that commonly confuse programmers. If you want to quickly gain the knowledge required to create your own CryENGINE game title, then this book is for you.

Approach

This book provides you with step-by-step exercises covering the various systems of CryENGINE and comprehensively explains their workings in a way that can be easily understood by readers of any skill level to help you develop your very own CryENGINE games.

Who this book is for

This book is intended for developers looking to harness the power of CryENGINE, providing a good grounding in how to use the engine to its full potential. The book assumes basic knowledge of the engine and its editor in non-programming areas.

CryENGINE Game Programming with C++, C#, and Lua

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Table of Contents

CryENGINE Game Programming with C++, C#, and Lua

Credits

About the Authors

About the Reviewers

www.PacktPub.com

Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more

Why Subscribe?

Free Access for Packt account holders

Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Errata

Piracy

Questions

1. Introduction and Setup

Installing Visual Studio Express 2012

Choosing your CryENGINE installation type

Downloading the book's CryENGINE sample installation

What just happened?

Using a custom or newer CryENGINE installation

Verifying that the build is functional

Integrating CryMono (C# support)

Compiling the CryMono project

Loading and initializing CryMono via the CryGame.dll library

Including the CryMono interface folder

Initializing CryMono at start up

Registering flow nodes

Registering your CryDev account

What just happened?

Running the sample application

Editor

Starting the Editor

Launcher

Starting the Launcher

Dedicated server

Compiling the CryGame project (C++)

What just happened?

The CE Game Programming Sample solution breakdown

CryGame

CryAction

CryCommon

The CryENGINE folder structure

PAK files

File query priority

Attaching the debugger

What just happened?

Summary

2. Visual Scripting with Flowgraph

Concept of flowgraphs

Opening the Flowgraph Editor

A tour of the Flowgraph Editor

Components

Terminology

Component categories

Flowgraph types

AI Actions

UI Actions

Material FX

FG Modules

Entities

Prefabs

Creating a flowgraph

The flowgraph entity

Spawning FlowgraphEntity

Attaching a new flowgraph

Adding nodes into flowgraphs

Input and output ports

Port types

Target entities

Linking flownodes

Testing our flowgraph

The stock flownode overview

Building a clock

Listening for player input

Executing on a loop

Flowgraph modules

Creating a module

Calling a module

Module parameters/ports

Custom flownodes

Creating a custom node in C++

Organizing nodes

Creating a new node file

Breaking down of code

The node functions overview

Implementing GetConfiguration

Creating ports

Assigning arrays to the node configuration

Flownode configuration flags

Implementing ProcessEvent

Creating a custom node in C#

Adding inputs

Adding outputs

Implementing Activate

Target entities

Summary

3. Creating and Utilizing Custom Entities

Introducing the entity system

Entity classes

Entities

entityId

EntityGUID

Game objects

The entity pool system

Creating a custom entity

Creating an entity using Lua

Common Lua entity callbacks

Creating an entity in C#

Adding Editor properties

Property folders

Creating an entity in C++

Creating a custom entity class

Implementing a property handler

Entity flownodes

Creating an entity flownode in Lua

Creating an entity flownode using C#

Creating an entity flownode in C++

Registering the entity node

The final code

Game objects

Game object extensions

Creating a game object extension in C++

Activating our extension

Summary

4. Game Rules

Introduction to game rules

IGameRules interface – game rules

Scripting – game modes

Loading a level

Implementing the game rules interface

Registering the game object extension

Creating custom game modes

Scripting

Lua scripting

Invoking methods

Invoking methods with parameters

Getting values returned from Lua

Getting table values

CryMono scripting

Calling methods

Return values

Properties

Fields

Creating a basic game mode in C#

Defining our intention

Creating the actor

Spawning the actor

Handling disconnections

Assigning the player to a team

Implementing Headquarters

Adding the end game event

Creating the Headquarters entity

Detour – trigger bounds and entity areas

Populating the level

Summary

5. Creating Custom Actors

Introducing the actor system

Channel identifiers

Actor spawning

Removing actors

The view system

Linking views to game objects

Creating custom actors

Creating actors in C#

The CryMono class hierarchy

Using native and CryMono actors alongside each other

C++...

Table of contents

• CryENGINE Game Programming with C++, C#, and Lua