Game Oriented Assembly Lisp

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Game Oriented Assembly Lisp

Game Oriented Assembly Lisp (GOAL) is a Lisp dialect designed for writing games, featuring a fast compiler and a runtime system optimized for gaming applications. GOAL provides low-level access to hardware and graphics, enabling developers to create performant and visually appealing games.

What does Game Oriented Assembly Lisp mean?

Game Oriented Assembly Lisp (GOAL) is a programming language specifically designed for developing video games. It is an assembly language that provides high-Level constructs and a Graphical interface, allowing programmers to create games more easily and efficiently. GOAL is a cross-platform language that supports multiple operating systems and architectures.

Applications

GOAL is widely used in the video game industry for developing games across various genres, including action, adventure, RPGs, and simulations. It is particularly well-suited for creating games that require real-time graphics, physics simulation, and complex AI. Some notable games developed using GOAL include:

  • Super Mario 64
  • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  • Half-Life
  • Quake
  • Unreal Tournament

GOAL’s ease of use and speed make it an attractive choice for game developers. It allows them to rapidly prototype and iterate on their games, saving time and resources. The language’s graphical interface also simplifies the process of creating and managing game assets, such as textures, models, and animations.

History

GOAL was developed by Nintendo in the early 1990s for use on the Nintendo 64 console. The language was designed to complement the N64’s hardware capabilities and provide a powerful toolset for game development. The initial version of GOAL was known as “SGI,” but it was later renamed to GOAL to better reflect its intended use.

Over the years, GOAL has undergone several revisions and updates. In 2001, it was ported to the GameCube console, and in 2006, it was released as open source. This allowed game developers to use GOAL on a wider range of platforms and operating systems. Today, GOAL remains a popular choice for game development, and it continues to be used by Professional game studios worldwide.