The DAS Force Engine is a lightweight gaming/visualization application framework and engine. The Force engine consists of a straightforward object hierarchy implementation that allows for maximum flexibility of component integration. It consists of an object tree coupled to a quad/oct tree along with an event system for message handling. This allows object specific code to reside within the objects and each object can interact with any other object as per their implementation. Various managers handle creation, deletion, insertion, removal of objects. The Force Engine design branches into two main directions: Actors and Things. Actors are objects that contain complex internal behaviors and can be controlled either by internal AI routines or the

character. Things are environmental objects that cannot be controlled by the character. These are generally special interest object such as animated structures, destructible objects or environmental objects with unique behaviors (e.g. – a tree that can be lit with a torch and burned down). The specific design of a particular application is based on derived objects that make up the characteristics of the game being designed.

The Force Engine contains a variety of other features that support object features and behaviors. A user-defined event handler allows for response to various scripted and object-thrown events in the system. An effects manager handles all particle systems in the environment and a sound manager plays, stops and updates sounds.

The Force Level Editor allows for easy manipulation of the Force engine objects through a Windows®-based GUI. The Force level editor is the basis of the authoring of all applications which are derived from the Force Engine. In this interface, objects can be created, instantiated in the environment and then manipulated though simple point and click actions. The system also allows for terrain importation, world lighting/shadowing manipulation and event script generation. The Level Editor produces a compiled file for use across different versions of the Force Engine application. All graphical editing within the Level Editor is done in real-time giving the user a what-you-see-is-what-you get (WYSIWYG) environment.