36.2 Software: Application software

Application software

Most gaming programs are written in complex languages such as C#, Java, J2ME and C++. A complex language is like the human language and it’s easy for people to communicate with each other. This is the same with the complex computer language, it communicates in numbers so humans wouldn’t understand this language so a translator (third party application) is used to properly communicate and understand, this is what interpreters and compilers do.

The difference between interpreted and compiled language is that the way the result is achieved. An interpreted language has a result from the program whereas the compiler produces a program which is written in the complex language. Also, compiled programs can only operate on systems which have the same architecture as them when they were compiled. The organiser of the architecture converts the program into binary.

A compiled program can’t be understood by humans. So, the way it is understood is that an architecture-specific machine language is used which does understand it. To create a compiled program, the programmer needs to use a tool or a text editor and writes the source code in the language. If it is a complex program, then it will be spread across multiple files. The programmer then compiles the program and organises and links the modules which translates it into machine code, so the computer understands.

Also, the compiled program will only work on the platform it was specifically designed for this is because there are different types of computers and they don’t speak the same language. An example of this is a program written for a Mac OS computer won’t work on a Windows computer system. Compiled programs however are faster than an interpreter. You could also recompile the program to run on different platforms. An example of languages which are used to produce compiled programs is C#.

Comparatively, for an interpreted program, the source code is the program. This is known as scripts and they require an interpreter which parses the commands in the program and executes them. An example of an interpreter is Java, J2ME and C#, they read and then execute each command. The benefit of a script is that it’s portable. Any computer system that has an appropriate interpreter installed can run the program almost unchanged. This would also be a drawback as the program won’t run if there isn’t an interpreter. Interpreted languages are slower than compiled programs but they are easier to debug and amend.

Compiled programs and interpreted scripts are programs designed for runtime environments. An example of this would be C++. Creating programs for runtime environments is like traditional compiled programs. The difference is that instead of compiling the source code into a machine language, it is output to byte code for the runtime environment’s machine. This machine intercepts the byte code instructions and translates them into computer-specific commands. The benefit of this is that the runtime environment quickly complies the required piece of code. This is known as just in time compiling. A drawback with runtime environment is that the program is not designed well enough, it will force the runtime environment to compile all the code and make useless calls to the interpreter which makes the program slower to load and run.

Scripting is a type of program which is written in runtime environments and it is interpreted then automatically executes itself into a task. An example of this would be web pages on the internet. This is because web pages make use of graphics, menus etc. which runs on scripting to be interactive. Another example of scripting is Java which can be used to develop websites. For gaming, scripting languages such as QuakeC, Unreal Script and Maya allows the game designer to create models, assets, textures etc. for games when it is implemented into Unreal engine.

JavaScript is an object-oriented programming language. This type of language means that code which is written is grouped as objects. This allows the grouped code to carry out distinctive activities based on their purpose. For gaming, this type of coding is used for games and phone apps as it’s effective for processing power. An example of JavaScript would be Doodle jump.

ActionScript is another type of object-oriented language which was created to control 2D vector animations for Adobe Flash (which is now Adobe Animate). ActionScript has evolved to be used for gaming as it is the common application software for web-based games. Adobe had a runtime environment which was called Flash player and ActionScript was used to create games such as Farmville. This is done by creating ActionScript swf (Shock Wave File) files which can be executed.

QuakeC is interpreted language which programs parts of the video game called Quake. Using the interpreted language, the programmer can modify the game by adding weapons, changing game arithmetic, scenarios, AI etc. QuakeC is a gaming script which allows the programmer to customise the game.

Unreal script is a type of scripting language which is used for Unreal engine. The purpose of the engine is to authorise game code and game events. The language was designed for simple, high-level game programming.