Documenting the Untold Engine

Here is a tip I would like to share:

Approach documenting your project, as a project itself.

I started documenting the engine months before I released it. I was hoping to have the documentation ready by the Release Date. However, that never happened. Documenting a project is a lot, a lot of work and you should treat it as a project itself. Overall, it has taken me over eight months to document the Untold Engine.

In version beta v0.0.11, I implemented several camera behaviors such as First Person Camera and Third Person Camera. The particle system was also improved. Moreover, the camera culling was also improved.

Trust me; I've been working on the documentation daily.

So what type of documentation is currently available in the engine. Well here is what I have done.

The Documentation is divided into the following sections:

• Labs & Tutorials
• API Usage
• Digital Asset Exporter
• Architecture
• Modules

The Labs & Tutorials section provides several labs that will help you get started with the engine. You will have a chance to learn how to render a game character, how to add collision detection, etc. It is an excellent way to get started using the engine.

The API Usage section helps you understand how to use the Untold Engine's API. This section is geared to users who have gone through the Labs & Tutorials section and are ready to start playing around developing their games. You will learn how to render 3D objects, skyboxes, text, etc. using the engine's API. You will also learn how to use the Physics Engine, Callbacks, etc.

The Digitial Asset Exported section is a critical section to read. This section will explain how to import a 3D object/animation from Blender and use it in the Untold Engine.

The Architecture section is not complete yet. This is the section that requires a lot more work. My goal is to provide dozens of articles explaining the entire architecture of the Untold Engine. This will be massive work, and I hope to complete it in about six months or so.

When I released the engine, I was fully aware that the Documentation was lacking and I have put a lot of work on writing these articles. I hope you find them useful.

Thanks for reading.

Progress Update: Game Engine Beta v0.0.11

It feels like a long time since I updated the engine. The last version was released on Feb 2017. However, throughout this whole, I released the engine as an open source. I also spent a considerable amount of my free time writing documentation for the engine and fixed several issues that I encountered along the way.

Today I'm happy to say that I have released Beta version 0.0.11 of the Untold Engine.

The main updates to the engine are the following:

• Implemented a Camera System that can handle a First Person Camera, Third Person Camera, and a Basic Follow Camera.
• Improved the camera culling computation. If you recall, the previous version had problems with the Camera Culling. In this version, the engine allows the developer to set the desired time interval to compute the culling. However, there is a bug that I found out a bit too late. Shadow rendering is slowing down the culling computation. I will fix this in the next version.
• Implemented an actual 3D particle system. The previous version was able to produce 2D particle systems. This is no longer the case.

Here is a video showcasing v0.0.11. As you can see in the video, the engine allows you to switch between Basic Follow Camera to First Person and the Third Person Camera. The video also shows a 3D particle system.

You can download the engine from Untold Engine

Thanks for reading.

Initial documentation for the Untold Engine

Hi guys,

Since releasing the Untold Engine, I've been swamped writing its documentation. Honestly, writing documentation takes a long time, but is those things, that even though we hate to do it, it must be done.

I've broken down the documentation into three sections:

• Fundamentals
• Tutorials
• User's Guide

Fundamentals

In this section, I provide an overview of how the Untold Engine works. I explain every component and provide a lot of illustrations. I also provide labs which should reinforce your understanding of the Untold Engine.

Tutorials

In the Tutorial section, I plan to teach you HOW to use the engine so you can create your games. As of today (8/12/18), I have written only one tutorial. It teaches you how to create a character and control it using a joystick.

User's Guide

The user's guide provides a quick reference to the functionality of the Untold Engine. For example, it gives examples of how to render and translate a character. It also shows how to link an animation, apply external forces and enable collisions.

It has only been two weeks since I released the Untold Engine. I'm aware that the amount of documentation currently available is not enough. But trust me, I'm working hard on adding documentation daily.

Click here to review the documentation of the engine.

Don't forget to follow the engine @untoldengine and me @haroldmserrano

Releasing the Untold Engine

After five years and thousands of development hours, I’m finally releasing the Untold Engine.

What is the Untold Engine?

The Untold Engine is a 3D game engine written in C++ and Metal Graphics (API). Its small API makes it ideal for new developers to focus on learning the fundamentals of game development.

I’ve been working on this game engine for the past five years, and the beta version is finally ready.

Untold Engine Features

The Untold Engine is still in its infancy, and it lacks many features you would find in other mature, commercial game engines.

However, my goal is not to develop the engine with the most features, but the most robust, easy-to-use game engine ideal for you to learn how video games work.

Therefore, the Untold Engine provides the following features:

• Detailed documentation ideal for novice developers.
• Labs to put into practice what you have learned.
• Easy to use API.
• 3D models ready to use (no need to look elsewhere).
• A game template to get you developing right away.
• Develop games for iOS devices and Macs.
• It's free.

I hope the materials provided, gives you the opportunity to explore, learn and create your games.

What types of games can you develop with the engine?

Here are some small games created with the Untold Engine:

Game Demo 1

Game Demo 2

Game Demo 3

Check out the Untold Engine

Thanks for reading

The plans for the Game Engine

My plans for the game engine have evolved. At first, I decided to develop a game engine with the sole purpose to learn Game Engine Development.

Once the engine became stable, I started pondering whether to release the engine as an open-source project. I read a lot of books on open-source management, and I finally made a decision.

I have decided to release the engine not as a commercial tool, nor as an open-source project, but as an educational tool for you to use and learn.

However, I will not only release the game engine but also provide you with the educational resources to help you become a game developer. That is, I plan to release game development courses and hands-on projects, which I hope will be helpful to you.

We plan to release the Untold Engine and the first game development course by July 2018. The first course will introduce you to essential concepts in game development.

Throughout the year, I plan to develop two more game development courses and keep improving the engine.

Why am I releasing the engine as an educational tool?

The Untold Engine is ideal for novice developers. It is easy to use. It has a small API to remember. There is no graphical user interface to learn, and you can start rendering game characters with few lines of code. In essence, it helps you focus on learning game development concepts without the complexity found in other engines.

I want to provide you with a complete learning ecosystem; game engine, courses, game assets, all in one place.

Many game tutorials are not written with "novice developers" in mind. Some tutorials don't take the time to clarify the reasoning behind every code implementation. They don't explain the WHY behind every HOW.

I want to give novice developers a different experience. I want to provide them with everything they need in one single place. I want to create game courses, especially for them. I want to provide them with an easy-to-use game engine and give them access to game assets.

If you feel this ecosystem will benefit you, sign up below to get notified once the game engine and the game development courses are released.

The Game Engine's name

For a couple of years, I've kept the name of the engine a secret. However, I think is time for you to know its name. The name of the 3D game engine I've been developing is Untold Engine.

I came up with this name after watching the preview of a movie. I don't recall the film, but I do remember it starting by saying "The Untold Story...." At that instant, I knew that I should name my game engine Untold Engine.

The Untold Engine Logo

New team member

As you can imagine, starting this new project is not going to be easy. And I'm going to need all the help possible. I will need help with accounting, finance, marketing and day to day operations.

My brother, Erick, will be joining the Untold Engine team. And will be in charge of the accounting, finance and day to day operations.

In contrast, I will be in charge of creating educational content, providing technical support and improving the Untold Engine.

Don't miss out

Visit the Untold Engine website to get notified once the Untold Engine and the game development courses are released.

Thanks for reading.