Task 1 – Software Technologies for Game Platforms

You must select two computer games and discuss the following in relation to your chosen games;

·         Platform Dependency

·         Operating Systems used

·         Drivers Needed

·         Application Software used (Programming)

·         Graphical API

·         Sound API

·         TV

Your discussion of your chosen games must be presented in the form of two word processed reports which should also include researched imagery and a video example for each game.

The title of this work should be titled Software Technologies for Game Platforms

Task 1 – Platform Game Showcasing Research

In addition, you must use Construct 2 to produce a platform game that will showcase your knowledge and research gathered for your previous Unit 20 assignment. You will need to submit a single file executable version of your completed research platform game. You will also need to produce a desktop screen-captured video of your game being played.

The title of this work should be titled Platform Game Showcasing Research

                                                                                           This provides evidence for P3, M3, D3



Platform dependency is when you find out if you are able to run applicants the main way this is used and seen as useful is for PC gaming because you can change and improve its internals to make your device and system run a lot better.

operating systems used are what basically makes your computer run, the three most common is Microsoft windows, Mac OS X and Linux. These are the most common os's to the modern date of today.

Drivers needed is what you need to download so that your computer can run a lot better and so that it can run proper.
Sound driver- 

http://superuser.com/questions/637817/how-can-i-forcibly-install-an-older-driver-on-windows-7

Network driver-

http://www.drivermax.com/P-3525-MFP-WIA-Driver-Network-UTAX-TA-KM-WC-P-3525-MFP-N-WIA-2_0_3321-2013-09-21-466144-driver.htm

Graphics driver -

Application software used is basically for all you managing such as file management and disk operating system.

API is a set of protocols that and tools that start building the software applications for you computer.
API's are used when programming graphical UI's
Graphic api;
Vulcan -

Direct X -

Open GL -

Open Gl is basically the industries highest performance for graphical design so many game artist may use this driver rather then Direct X which is for the xbox so is based around being able to run a game rather then make one which is GL strongest point when Direct X is to run a game.

Vulcan being the best of today and has help from the leading computer designers and processor's

and also being in not just PC but mobiles and embedded platforms. 

DirectSound is a deprecated software component of the Microsoft DirectX library for the Windows operating system. DirectSound provides a low-latency interface to sound card drivers written for Windows 95 through Windows XP and can handle the mixing and recording of multiple audio streams.
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectSound

TV- is basically all the different types of tv how they are connected like Scart, AC(RYB) cables and now the main of our time being HDMI this is to make our pictures to be projected a lot more clearer and so it looks better and more realistic.
Over Watch

Hardware Technologies For Game Platforms

HCI (Human Computer Interface)
Human–computer interaction (commonly referred to as HCI) researches the design and use of computer technology, focused on the interfaces between people (users) and computers. Researchers in the field of HCI both observe the ways in which humans interact with computers and design technologies that let humans interact with computers in novel ways.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%E2%80%93computer_interaction
The HCI is when a study of how we react and come into connect with the technology of today such as our mobiles and the computers,consoles of our present day.
The way this is done is doing simple activities and running them through a program or system to see how we are doing this can be shown by Humans Vs a Monkey.

Graphics Card
A Graphics cards is something that is put into a computer or a console to process  our image or game into a display unit, the better the graphics card the better the quality and resolution of out image presented on our screen, the resolution of our highest resolution.
The main job for a GC is to process and control a image on our displays. it also has the job of taking the processing data of an image off the main processor and RAM, because these have jobs of there own inside of a computer or a graphical display unit like our phones,Consoles or laptops.

Display

The best of display for us to use at the moment is 4k display screens and 1080p for videos on youtube or other video websites, My laptop can run 1080p with no problem.

The idea of a better display and better resolution is to bring a better experience to the people watching or playing the game.

Gaming Storage

Our gaming storage has changed over the years from being on memory cards for such things as the PS1 and its memory card to save game progress, but if you didnt have one you would leave it running all the time so you wouldn't lose any progression, the came built in memory units called Hard drives,

all technology has them these days with also external places other the hard drives to save documents or any applicants that you not need at the moment but maybe later.

The cloud, is one of the main external storage units for our data.

Connectivity

The connectivity is a big part in today social interactions weither that be in game, social media or in a bussiness work area, but the main one everyone will be familer with is in game multiplayer, which is a big way of connectivity with Playstation,Xbox,Steam and many others, these applicants have connectivty in games for us to play with friends all other the globe, this is all done with out Wifi or ethernet cables connected to a modem.

Processing Unit
The bases of a processor is to work through all our data, to make it into something basically processing it down into a code to make it to work.
This can change a way a computer in its performance better processor the quicker things are done, computer is done, this only comes into effect of when you are able to change the processor but you couldnt do this with a Console that already has one in because you wouldnt know if it would be compatable with other things inside like Graphics cards, this is why picking a processor is key and very important and cant be just random.

Memory
Memory is used alot in our day to day life with that being taking a picture, saving a gaming clip but our memory can only hold so much so we have to use other means of saving date, agian the cloud, but with just memory its self you can have other or more RAM installed and applied to you computers or laptops, but with a console you would have to just get more hardrives for your data,

Sound
Sound is a form of tiny vibrations that we hear and process in our brain to make sound, but there are many ways of sound being projected to us from means of our Headphones that we use in gaming, our soundsaroud systems in our living rooms to give a better emurse felling to being a certain setting this is very affetive in the gaming world of being on a battle field. or in a stadium while playing fifa to give you the feeling of acctual being there, sounds around will be great to add with the VR or other vitual reality simulators, to give you better experince. 

Interface
A device or program for connecting two items of hardware or software so that they can be operated jointly or communicate with each other.

‘an application program interface’

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/interface 

 An exsample of  this would be if a laptop had a sound/recording softaware installed, sand then you owned a usb drive to transfer all the data round and you would have your own little studio

Power Supply
The power supply is what is used to get power to your device, many things such as phones,laptops have a unit where it is possible to charge up and use potable this is seen with alot of potable devices.
power packs where constant power is needed for your device to work.

Task 1 Game Platform Development Timeline

This is the timeline of the main generation of the gaming evolution from the Magnavox Odyssey to the new titans of our generation the Ps4 and Xbox One

Generation One- Magnavox Odyssey was nick named the brown box because its pine wood visual style.

The controller for this console was simple which was just a dial on the left being horizontal and right being vertical of a white box that you could hold, The games was simple and where made from pixels which we would call Bits the odyssey preformed on a 8-Bit graphics system which was the highest of its time after the rush of arcade and now home computer systems being the next step in the gaming life.
Arcades didn't die though they just slowly became a thing of the past because of company creating consoles and home gaming systems that could allow you to play your favorite arcade games from your home. Such games as Pong, Super Mario and Donkey Kong probably the most memorable games of their era.

Generation Two- The Atari 5200 is next on the list this console brought one of the highest revenue games by 1990 with a price of : Revenue by 1990: $3,500,000,000


The Atari was the first to bring out the idea of a joystick as the main controller which enabled 4-directional movement for games,the next big impact for the joystick style was the Nintendo 64 and then the dual stick controllers from PlayStation in 1994.


Generation Three- NES is the start of the controller era which influenced  further controllers such as the PlayStation and Xbox controllers.

Generation 4- The SuperMega Drive was another console to focus the idea of having a controller (pad) only this was 6 years before the PlayStation had introduced the joystick on a controller.
The SegaMega Drive can still be purchased for £98.49 cheaper then its original price even though its a classic.
The SMD was operating on a 16-Bit graphics.
So between 3 Generations there has been a massive change to the controllers from being dials to hand held pads, and the graphics evolving and started to add polygons.

Generation 5- The Playstation probably the main start to what was about to bring a whole new meaning to gaming and the evolution of games.
The PS1 was the first to introduce the dual stick pad which was the concept as the NES controller with an extra two implemented joystick, but having two made movement and visual view a new level which helped with newer fps games to this date, if it wasn't for PS1 none of our favourite games to this date would be possible.

Generation-6 was time for Microsoft to put there processing units in to a console which game birth to Xbox which got its name from its processor Xenon.
From this began the 'Which is better Playstation or Xbox' this happened all between the next consoles to be released from Sony and Microsoft with every new console was brought out to the present Generations, the titans of computers XBOX ONE & PS4.
The main reason it was a competition with the two it was based on what could do what, this had this and this had this, but in general they both do the same job bring entertainment to the players and the gaming community.





Generation 7- The Wii
The company of Nintendo made a break through of motion capture and motion sensor controllers
the Remote and Nunchuck which was a simple design to fit comfortable into you hands with.
either if you was left or right handed it was symmetrical and would let you hold it anyway possible.

The next big jump for the computers and gaming in its own way is to bring the gamin world to life, for it to be infront of you and in arms reach.

for this introduce the Visual Simulators of our time Playstations VR and Microsofts Hololens