HTML 5 Games, Tooling & 3D

 

Game Developing is an interesting subject for all kind of software developer. But as a web developer without any Flash-skills there aren’t that much starting points. With HTML5 and the combination between Javascript, CSS3 and fast browsers there are the first “robust” HTML5 games.

HTML5 games? Is this real?

Neowin created a “Top 10” list of HTML5 games. We should take a deeper look on the first place because the developers let us take a few behind the scenes. CutTheRope.ie – developed by Microsoft for promoting there IE/HTML/Web platforms. The game works also on iPads or in a Chrome Browser. I found many information’s on the “behind the scenes” page. At last I’m not able to work with the Debugger and the Dev tools of IEs but according to video it seems to be a big help for the developer

 

Also in the Neowin list is Angry Birds which is doubtless the best known game on the list but I didn’t found any important developing subjects. Just this Post where it is mentioned that the Web Audio API is going to be used now (pushed by Google )

Also a quite ambitioned project is Command & Conquer as an HTML5 Browser game. Nice future: the Source is on GitHub. The game isn’t that matured compared to CutTheRope put it is more extensive and I’m sure there isn’t a huge team of developers like on Microsoft.

 

“Tooling”

Bret Victor a Developer from France gives thoughts to “IDE for WebGames” and presented them on a conference. He created a kind of interactive editor to bring Mario into the web – unfortunately I wasn’t able to found out what exactly he used but the short video is very impressing:

 

3D before WEbGL

Even if the browser creators agree about HTML5 and Javascript are the future of web developing they do not agree in the field of 3D.

Google (for example) pushes WebGL and brought Quake into the web. I was able to play Quake 2 for a short time on my browser (until it crashed ). Google Maps only ported some parts of WebGL to improve the sight. Microsoft on the other side sees WebGL as a Security problem.

In which direction the whole thing will go and if there will be a DirectWeb someday is not sure at the moment.

If you are interested in WebGL anyway you should take a deeper view on three.js.

 

Hints?

If you are hiding some other interesting details from the game developing and graphic world via web – leave a comment!

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