Game Engine Architecture, Third Edition, 3rd Edition

16 Runtime Gameplay Foundation Systems

16.1 Components of the Gameplay Foundation System

Most game engines provide a suite of runtime software components that together provide a framework upon which a game’s unique rules, objectives and dynamic world elements can be constructed. There is no standard name for these components within the game industry, but we will refer to them collectively as the engine’s gameplay foundation system. If a line between engine and game can reasonably be drawn between the game engine and the game itself, then these systems lie just beneath this line. In theory, one can construct gameplay foundation systems that are for the most part game-agnostic. However, in practice, these systems almost always contain genre- ...