Source control. Source control,
also known as version control,
is a system used in video game development to
manage and track changes to the game's code or assets,
and other project files.
It is essential for collaborative development,
ensuring that multiple team members
can work on the project
simultaneously without conflicts or data loss.
Here are some key aspects and benefits of
using source control in a video game development.
For version tracking, we have history tracking.
Source control systems maintain a history of
all the changes made to the project files,
allowing developers to see
what changes were made, when and by whom?
We also have revisions.
Each change or set of changes is assigned
a unique revision number or identifier,
making it easy to track and reference specific updates.
Branching and merging are key aspects of source control.
With branches, developers can create branches
to work on new features, bug fixes,
or experiments without affecting the main project,
often referred to as the main line or the trunk.
Once changes are tested and validated,
they can be then merged back into the main branch,
integrating a new code or
assets into the primary project.
This often leads to conflict resolution.
Conflicts are when multiple developers make
changes to the same file, conflicts can occur.
So source control systems
provide tools to resolve these conflicts,
ensuring that all changes are correctly integrated.
We also have DIF tools.
These tools compare different versions or
files to highlight changes
and assist in resolving those conflicts.
Source control systems enable
multiple developers to work
on the project simultaneously,
coordinating their efforts and
avoiding overwriting each other's work.
Part of that team collaboration is access control.
Permissions and access controls can be set to manage
who can read or modify specific parts of a project.
One of the big benefits of source control
though is its backup and recovery.
It provides a safety net.
Source control acts as a safety net
allowing developers to revert to
previous versions if a new change
introduces bugs or issues.
In the case of a disaster,
data loss or corruption,
the source control repository provides a reliable backup.
Part of source control is also the audit trail.
This involves accountability.
The history of changes provides an audit trail,
making it easy to identify who made changes and why,
which is useful for debugging and project management.
When working on a project,
you have to commit these changes to the branch.
When you do so, you can use a commit message.
Commit messages can serve as documentation,
explain the purpose of each change and providing context.
One thing that's really worked really
well with source control is that
source control systems are often integrated with
continuous integration or CI tools.
These automatically build and test
the game whenever new changes are committed,
ensuring that the project remains stable.
Part of quality assurance is automated testing
and build processes to help catch issues early,
improving the overrule quality of the game.
A big part of source control is efficient workflow.
By having parallel development,
teams can work on different features
or components in parallel,
speeding up the development process.
With branches, we can allow developers to isolate
new features or experimental changes
until they are ready for production,
reducing the risk of
introducing unstable code into the main project.
Some common source control systems,
you've probably heard of Git,
a distributed version control system
widely used in game development industry.
Popular platforms that use Git include GitHub,
GitLab, and Bitbucket.
Perforce or HelixCore is
a centralized version control system known
for its performance with large binary files,
making it popular for large game development studios.
We also have Subversion or SVN,
another centralized version of control system,
although it has become less popular with
the rise of distributed systems like Git.
In conclusion, source control is
a fundamental practice in video game development,
enabling efficient collaboration,
robust version tracking,
and enhanced product stability.
By using source control systems,
development teams can manage
complex projects more effectively,
ensuring that the final product meets
quality standard and is delivered on time.