2021-01-27

I am always seeking ways to make game development fun because it often isn't . Can making a game be as fun as playing one? I would like it to be.

Enter Smile Game Builder. It's a kawaii game creation tool for making JRPGs. It's (relatively) easy to use and produces decent results.

What's really interesting about it is that with a DLC add-on, you can export your game as a Unity project. I spent an hour or so digging through the generated project and was fascinated to learn a few things. For one, the code that drives the Unity project is actually open source with the liberal af MIT license.

SGB Engine for Unity 1.12.8.4
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2018-2020 SmileBoom Co.Ltd.

This code is what enables reading/using of Smile Game Builder data in a special Unity game that replicates the original engine's functionality. What's truly impressive is how the SGR files are handled. For example: the SGR files for the maps (level geometry) are made render-able by conversion into Unity scenes and meshes; meanwhile other SGR files for game data (like items and monsters) are read from file streams and stored in a big dictionary called the Catalog.
I think this is madness, but the kind of madness I like. It's very close to having game data that is not tied to a game engine. We almost have engine-agnostic game development over here! The game data is the true value of a game; it's where most resources are spent and what gamers engage with the most.