| If you have a passion for video games and you | | | | enjoy titles like Quake and Doom, this engine will |
| already know you want a future job in the game | | | | allow you to create your own game with similar |
| design industry, right now is the best time to | | | | action and physics. |
| start developing your skills and getting some | | | | With this software, you can design your own FPS |
| experience. If you're not yet in a position to take | | | | game world and learn to work with basic game |
| college level courses in programming or design, | | | | design features such as lighting, textures, and |
| one of the best things you can do is start | | | | other graphics. You'll also learn to program collision |
| working with game design software at home. | | | | detection and other physics necessary to create |
| Here are three titles you can start with - all of | | | | realistic weapon functions. To top it off, the game |
| them free. | | | | you design can be programmed for single player |
| 1. Crystal Space - 3D Game Design Engine | | | | and multiplayer modes. Again, this title is perfect |
| This open source game engine is an excellent way | | | | for starting out in game design as it can be |
| to get your feet wet if you're interested in | | | | downloaded and run from a Windows PC, a Linux |
| multi-platform game development. Since it allows | | | | machine or a Mac. |
| you to develop games using the C++ | | | | 3. DimensioneX - MMORPG Game Design Engine |
| programming language, it is an an excellent design | | | | With the popularity of massively multi-player online |
| software title to start with. Besides allowing you | | | | role playing games (MMORPGs) such as World of |
| to gain first hand experience in 3D visualization, | | | | Warcraft, you'll probably want to get some |
| Crystal Space will also help you develop your | | | | experience with designing these types of games |
| keyframe and skeletal frame game animation | | | | as well. If so, you should download and spend |
| design skills too. | | | | some time with DimensioneX. While most of the |
| Since there are versions to download for | | | | design software for MMORPGs is quite expensive, |
| Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, anyone aspiring to | | | | this title, like the ones above, is open source and |
| get into the game design industry can gain a lot | | | | free. |
| of experience by working with this on their home | | | | DimensioneX will allow you to develop multi-player |
| computer first. There is also a large support | | | | games that run on a Java servlet and use a |
| community online that can answer your questions | | | | scripting code similar to BASIC. This means that |
| and help you learn and develop your design skills | | | | not only is the programming language easy to |
| with this title. | | | | master, but after you create the game, you can |
| 2. Cube - First Person Shooter Game Design | | | | easily upload it to a webserver and others can |
| Software | | | | play it with you online. Although you can't create |
| If you're not quite up to programming in C++ yet, | | | | massive in-depth worlds with it, it will at least |
| but still want to get a feel for game design, you | | | | allow you to learn and work with important |
| should certainly download and try working with | | | | MMORPG game design concepts including maps, |
| Cube. This is a first person shooter (FPS) game | | | | player communications, sounds and more. |
| and game engine that is open source. If you | | | | |