Development of Methods and Concepts for the Creation of a Storytelling Based 3D Action Role-Playing Game
Key: Bru06-1
Author: Thibaut Brusseaux
Date: January 2006
Kind: @mastersthesis
Keywords: Digital storytelling, Game development, 3D Game engines
Abstract: This work presents the development of methods and concepts for the creation of a storytelling based 3D Action Role-Playing Game (Action-RPG) named Tib's Quest. Action-RPGs have two particular aspects in which we are interested in this work: in the one hand real-time action and combat system in a 3D-environment, and in the other hand storytelling elements where the player has to ask the other non-player characters for the next quests to fufil. We implemented the 3D-game engine using the DirectX API in C++. We kept the classic top-down view of the early 2D console Action-RPGs, which simplifies the rendering optimizations. However, we still need some classic 3D-engine features like frustum culling, which we implemented by traversing a quadtree structure. To perform collision detection and response, we implemented a version of a swept sphere algorithm. The terrain structure of the game engine involves classic heightmap and lightmap, and is able to represent both indoor and outdoor environments.

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