Chapter 10. The Action

Einstein once said, "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." This couldn't be truer for game developmentalthough maybe he should have changed it to "There is no spoon." Either way, his statement is especially meaningful with respect to your role in creating gamesan art that involves the weaving of a careful illusion of reality, a reality you can then play with as you please. The beginnings of that illusion come from the images you use to portray your objects, but to bring them truly to life requires something more. What you need is the magic of motion.

In this chapter, you'll explore the fundamentals of moving your game objects around using basic physics, along with how to detect when those objects collide with each other. You'll wrap up with a look at how to add a little intelligence for your arch nemesis in Star Assaultthe dreaded ships of the Horde.