Frequently Asked Questions
Find the answers to some of the more common questions about Magnetar XSG.
Extensible Scene Graph (XSG) is a set of parallel hierarchical data
structures that are associated by mappings and together form a scene graph. XSG proposed
as a standard for organising, storing, and exchanging all of the data that describes an interactive environment. XSG handles environments from simple board games to distributed, massively-multiplayer online games (MMOG). XSG will:
- Simplify data organisation by separating data according to its type and purpose
- Separate the storage and manipulation of data from the visualization and processing of that data
- Encourage reuse by building areas and objects from components
- Propose a set of standards that can be used by the game, model and simulation communities
- Make game and simulation development more accessible to hobbyists and independent developers.
By dividing XSG into components (parallel data structures) each data structure becomes easier to read and use. The separate components can be optimized in the manner best suited to them, using mappings to maintain relationships between items. The
separation into components makes it easier to take just one section of a game and move it into another game. This can be useful for tasks like
using the rules of a game when creating its
sequel.
XSG strives to include other industries, like the modeling industry, that are creating interactive and immersive applications. This allows a greater number of people from different backgrounds to come together and produce something that will be truly powerful for both the game and simulation markets.
XSG is a scene graph that includes all of the data involved in defining a computer game or simulation from geography to sound to cut scenes. While current scene graphs exist that attempt to handle large amounts of data for interactive environments, current scene graphs are overloaded which affects performance. There is a movement towards scene graph engines in the gaming industry that are specialised to perform a specific purpose.
There are three important points that set XSG apart from current scene graph technologies:
- XSG can describe everything from a small board games to a large-scale, distributed, interactive virtual worlds (like MMOG);
- XSG simplifies the scene graph while still maintaining the benefits of handling behaviours and application abstractions, reducing the amount of code required for each project; and
- XSG can be extended to encompass new features while remaining within the scope of the existing standards.
We believe standards are an important step in making the development of games and simulations faster and cheaper. Developing and using standards makes it possible to:
- Build general tools that support development
- Automate common tasks
- Program quickly and efficiently
- Use programs across platforms
- Reuse parts of applications and interchange parts between systems
XSG handles many different types of virtual environments and is extensible, making XSG the ideal candidate to be developed into a standards in the game and simulation communities. With the growing game market and an increasing interest in the value of simulations as training exercises and learning experiences, it is about time the game and simulation communities started taking advantage of the benefits offered by adopting standards.
Using XSG will allow you to code more efficiently, decreasing the cost and time involved in creating games and simulations. There are a number of XSG features that make it possible to achieve these objectives.
- Generative Design Patterns create code quickly with less mistakes. The
reusable patterns mean you only have to code and debug once, then simply reuse the bug-free code
as many times as you need it.
- XSG standards separate content from design. By supporting standards you
can focus on the game content and let others worry about the game engine and
how to display the standards.
- Cross-platform and Cross-version compatibility. Code the system once, then use standards compliant engines on each system to display your game. It is no longer necessary to write the game for multiple different platforms, different consoles, and legacy devices.
There are a few ways you can use the XSG standards to create a game. The
specifications are avail abel on this site, for people that want to learn them,
understand them, and produce a game that way. There are also authoring
environments in development that will let you create a game or simulation even
with little to no prior knowledge of programming. The Quest authoring
environment, available at Flash Federation, and the Magnetar Software Factory at
Magnetar.NET are game and simulation authoring environments built around ease of
use.
If you have ideas, suggestions, or comments on XSG contact us to get
involved. If you want to ge more involved in XSG development, join the XML Game
Consortium (XGC), the group that is developing the game standards. When you get
involved with XGC, you can help start filling in the gaps.