Andorra 2D - The Next Generation 2D Engine

**igel457** · 06-02-2007, 02:04 PM

Hello everybody,

I'm currently working on my own "2D Engine" for Delphi and Lazarus called "Andorra 2D".
Before I started I was using DelphiX/UnDelphiX for a long time. But in my current project "CrashPoint" it was much too slow. So I thought it was time to make a better DelphiX. So one of my goals is to have some compatibility to DelphiX; the sprite engine interface will be (or already is) to 99% the same as in DelphiX, so it is no big thing to port "old" DelphiX games to "Andorra 2D".

The main goal of development is a flexible 2D Engine which will also be able to handle simple 3D elements (like boxes, spheres, unanimated models etc.). On amazing feature is the possibility to load several plugins, wich allow you to use OpenGL and DirectX by simply loading another plugin.

You may find the current version of Andorra 2D in its CVS Repository on SourceForge.

Also have a look on Andorra's website. There you'll find a complete list of all features, demos and some tutorials (in german).

I hope, you could post some feedback. Do you like the idea?

Things we haven't done yet are written darkred.

**dmantione** · 06-02-2007, 03:03 PM

Why do you use the VCL??

**igel457** · 06-02-2007, 03:15 PM

Why do you use the VCL??

The first thing I wanted to do is really writing it as a non-VCL engine. But then I thought, that it would be easier to port the engine to other platforms and to Lazarus when I use the VCL.
I think that there is no big disadventage by using it (Except the bigger executable, but what are 400kB today).

**dmantione** · 06-02-2007, 05:55 PM

The VCL/LCL gives you a dependency on a GUI toolkit in Lazarus. Also in Delphi/Win32, but less noticeable. That is of course the idea for a GUI application, but for a game it is useless ballast. What is there in the VCL that you cannot otherwise provide cross-platform?

**igel457** · 06-02-2007, 06:09 PM

What is there in the VCL that you cannot otherwise provide cross-platform?

The main thing are bitmap operations. I allready wrote a own, VCL/LCL independent bitmap class. But I think it is easier for the users to give the possibility of loading a TGraphic into my bitmap and use this as a texture. What I could do is providing a unit which is doing those operations. And if you don't like to use the VCL/LCL you just don't use this unit. I hope this compromise is ok. I look what I can do.

I already tried not to use the VCL wherever it is possible.

**tanffn** · 07-02-2007, 08:16 AM

Don‚Äôt mean to sound judgmental but how come everyone is writing their own ‚ÄúNext Generation 2D Engine‚Äù they all plan to implement ‚Äúamazing features‚Äù but soon enough the development task will become boring an the project will be abandoned..

Why don‚Äôt we as a community develop an engine, something that will fit all of our needs. This is something that had been started by Phoenix game engine, but sadly the development seem to be suspended..

**igel457** · 07-02-2007, 08:10 PM

Hello tanffn.

I think that you're completly right. But when I started writing my engine I didn't have a look on other projects. The only engine for Delphi I knew was "PowerDraw" and somehow I didn't like it very much. First a month ago I heard of the "Phoenix" engine in this forum and I thought, that it wasn't bad.

How I already wrote, I started to write this engine for my game CrashPoint. And one of the next steps I do will be to transform this DelphiX application into an Andorra 2D one.

I can't promise, that developing of the enginie isn't going to bore me. But I don't think so. I already worked on my game for more than a year now, and so I think to know what it means to work on such a "big" project.

It would be a great idea to develop the engine as an "big" project in this community. And this is also what I started this thread for. So if anyone wants to develop on this engine or has a great idea, just add your comment.

I'll also study the Phoenix-Thread and I'll see what I can do.

At the end, there's one big thing left to say: I didn't found a 2D engine wich was able to do both: DelphiX and OpenGL. Someone else is currently writing the OpenGL plugin and looks how to port the engine to Lazarus and Kylix.

So, this was all I wanted to say. (I hope, my english isn't too bad, I'm just 15.)

Thank you for your replies,
igel457

**tanffn** · 07-02-2007, 10:03 PM

I'm just 15

:shock: Well done! Your language skills are great (English and Pascal) especially for your age.
How did you start coding, personal interest, someone pushed you into it, is it a subject in school?
My little brother (14) wants to study programming for a while now, as long as he won‚Äôt have to study.. :?

**Andreaz** · 12-02-2007, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by tanffn

Why don‚Äôt we as a community develop an engine, something that will fit all of our needs. This is something that had been started by Phoenix game engine, but sadly the development seem to be suspended..

No not really, just a major lack of spare time from my part, there's some bug fixxes and such going on in the silent.

It's far from dead through and it is in a state where it can be used successfully aswell, there's actually one completed game already that just rocks!

**igel457** · 23-07-2007, 02:08 AM

Hi,

I just want to update this thread (nobody should think that this project is dead - the current version of Andorra is 0.2 ALPHA - there will be a beta version of 0.2 in a few weeks - the best thing is to use the current CVS-Version.
Andorra has now an OpenGL Plugin (lights do not work until now), a mighty GUI library, pixel checking sprites, a extended spriteengine with zoom and splitscreen and much more.

[size=18px]http://andorra.sourceforge.net/[/size]

Probably someone could test it,
igel457