# Engine overview doc started.

This was SVN commit r5421.

docs/engine_overview.txt

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+This document will contain a high level overview of the engine and modules
+that will eventually be moved to the Trac Wiki.
+
+For now, we just have the table-of-contents notes from Gobby.
+
+
+engine overview
+  life of a game session from start to finish (pyrogenesis startup, VFS, menu GUI,
+    creation of game object, loading, gameplay, scripts, etc), mentioning the
+    components involved in each part
+  explanation of multiplayer sessions
+  explanation of how Atlas fits in
+
+how to build the distribution
+  supported compilers
+  
+  build system
+    . only one copy of settings for Mac, Win, Unix (helps keep workspaces in sync)
+    . what it means to update-workspaces
+    . organization of the tree as static libraries
+    . external libraries and how they are linked in
+    . required libraries for Linux and OS X ("manual" installation of the game)
+
+finding your way around: brief description of all repository directories
+  merge the below descriptions of svn/source and those already found in "finding your way" 
+
+
+overview of svn/source directories:
+  collada: routines for loading COLLADA 3d models
+  dcdt: triangulation library used by the pathfinder
+  graphics: manages objects drawn on the screen, like textures, animated models,
+    terrain patches, etc
+  gui: a homemade OpenGL in-game GUI based on XML files
+  i18n: routines for internationalization (translating in-game text)
+  lib: Jan's collection of mostly low-level routines.
+    allocators: memory (sub)allocators
+    posix: POSIX emulation when on Windows
+      file: efficient file loading code.
+        http://www.wildfiregames.com/users/code/wiki/index.php?title=Virtual_File_System
+        http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~urkt/articles/study_thesis.pdf 
+    res: resource handling (textures and sounds)
+    sysdep: bridges differences between systems and allows 'portable' code
+    debug (asserts), error handling, timing bit bashing, etc. - all the dirty details.
+  maths: math code (linear algebra, geometry)
+  network: the network engine (based on Enet; serializes game messages)
+  pch: pre-compiled headers (this directory is required by the build system)
+  ps: pyrogenesis engine - basically, 'everything else'
+    utility classes, console, profiler, XML loader
+  renderer: rendering algorithms, including sorting, quality settings, shadows and water
+  script: scripting engine (Javascript)
+  simulation: most of the actual RTS game logic
+    simulation turns, entities, techs, unit AI, pathfinding, ..
+  sound: (WIP) high-level sound and music engine
+    builds on an abstraction of OpenAL
+  tools
+    particle engine, archive builder, map editor, random map generator, PMD exporter 
+  overview of scripts in data/mods/official/scripts (entity functions & game startup)
+  
+misc topics:
+  self-test
+    . purpose
+    . mechanism in VC IDE
+    . where they lie 
+  
+  overview of art formats
+  
+  useful features for testing/development
+    copy from the finding your way around - doc