Karsten Pedersen – 4T2

Supervisor:
Dr Christos Gatzidis

Industry Mentor:
Barry Northern

Development of platform agnostic tool-chains to automate the production of cross-platform game software.

 Developing game software for cross-platform deployment is a complex process, requiring theproduction of multiple code-bases and asset libraries. Different programming languages normally need to be utilised to meet the requirements of each platform. This is especially true when deploying to new and fast changing markets, like mobile and tablet hardware. For example, the native language of Apple iOS is Objective C, whilst Android is Java. Similar issues occur with the deployment of game audio and art assets across platforms. For example, poly count and bit-depth need to be optimised for each platform.

The need for parallel development, maintenance and re-factoring across multiple code-bases and asset libraries demands extended development durations. This is often in direct conflict to a project’s commercial viability. An alternative approach is to build for the lowest common denominator technology. However, this is generally not acceptable when producing games and interactive content, where consumers expect the software to take advantage of their technology’s capabilities.

This EngD project aims to research and develop tool-chains to automate the production of crossplatform game software. The rationale is to reduce production cost, whilst outputting optimised products on each platform. The code base for the tool-chains should be platform agnostic. Functionality to be addressed may include automating the following across multiple platforms: code conversion; code compiling; unit testing; graphic and sound asset conversion and optimisation; product output and stress testing on devices or device emulators; unified QA reporting.