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Motion Capture   
Networking 
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Architecture  

The modular architecture of Vertigo is designed to achieve several goals. It divides the project’s code components among independent functional categories that allow for several programmers to apply themselves to the project concurrently. It allows for concurrent development on multiple platforms. And it creates a distinction between engine and game code which allows programmers to create object and non-player character behavior code independent of the engine.  

This chapter will briefly describe the architecture of the Vertigo software and outline the code components and data structures which define the project.  

Multiple Platform Support 

Vertigo consists of a kernel of code which is platform independent. Beneath this code are a 3D API and platform independent input and output code. Beneath this layer are drivers and platform dependent libraries like those of Microsoft’s DirectX libraries. By isolating platform-dependent code, the Vertigo team seeks to make multiple platform development time and cost-effective.  

Major Project Components 

Vertigo is composed of several components, each of which is either platform-dependent or platform independent. The basic blocks are as follows:   

Platform-Independent  

    • Game Flow User Interface
    • Game Play User Interface
    • Game Code
    • Behavior
    • Engine
    • Graphics Pipeline
    • Scoring 
    • Motion Capture Data Loader
    • Motion Capture Interpolation
    • Motion Capture Playback
    • Demo Mode Playback 
   

Platform-Dependent  

    • 3D API Wrapper
    • Low-Level Sound Playback
    • Low-Level Music Playback
    • Controller Input Interface
    • Editor
    • Mesh Loader
    • Sound 
    • 3D API Wrapper
    • Networking
    • Environment Traversing Database
    • Non-Player Character Behavior
    • Object Behavior
Code which talks directly to the 3D API to perform operations like placement and rendering of objects takes place in a 3D API wrapper. This wrapper code presents a single function interface to higher-level code in the graphics pipeline.   

Data Structures 

    • Element Info