Why I Write Games in C (yes, C)

#1

Post by WoodenChair » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 3:52 PM UTC

Why I Write Games in C (yes, C)
jonathanwhiting.com

Re: Why I Write Games in C (yes, C)

#2

Post by adamnemecek » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:37 PM UTC

> "C is dangerous, but it is reliable. A very sharp knife that can cut fingers as well as veg, but so simple it's not too hard to learn to use it carefully."

Cliche analogy.

Re: Why I Write Games in C (yes, C)

#3

Post by zabzonk » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:38 PM UTC

Write C code. Compile with C++ compiler. Catch lots of bugs at compile time.

Re: Why I Write Games in C (yes, C)

#4

Post by big_chungus » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:38 PM UTC

I get that this is not a popular opinion these days, but I like C. Quite a bit, actually. I can get stuff done reasonably quickly, don't have to futz around with multiple inheritance (C++) or where to call out to C anyway (python). There is so much more tooling behind C than Rust, or Go, or Zig (though I've been looking at Zig as a replacement). C isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be, for personal stuff. I'd be a little more careful in group projects, but there's a reason it's still around. You do have to be careful and do a good design, but you should be doing a design anyway.

Some day, C will be deposed. Something better will show up and gain traction. On that day, I will happily switch to the new better thing; but for now, C meets my requirements pretty well.

Re: Why I Write Games in C (yes, C)

#5

Post by ChrisSD » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:39 PM UTC

So... essentially "I know and like C". Which is great! But as you say, that's not particularly useful for anybody else.

Re: Why I Write Games in C (yes, C)

#6

Post by xamuel » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:39 PM UTC

zabzonk wrote: post #3

Write C code. Compile with C++ compiler. Catch lots of bugs at compile time.

Or even better, compile with a C compiler with proper flags set (like -Wall). Catch lots of bugs and also enjoy blazing fast compile time!

Re: Why I Write Games in C (yes, C)

#7

Post by dkersten » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:39 PM UTC

zabzonk wrote: post #3

Write C code. Compile with C++ compiler. Catch lots of bugs at compile time.

Yeah use the few features that are beneficial, ignore the rest.

Re: Why I Write Games in C (yes, C)

#8

Post by zabzonk » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:41 PM UTC

xamuel wrote: post #6

zabzonk wrote: post #3

Write C code. Compile with C++ compiler. Catch lots of bugs at compile time.

Or even better, compile with a C compiler with proper flags set (like -Wall). Catch lots of bugs and also enjoy blazing fast compile time!

Compilation speed for C++ is a function of the complexity of the code being compiled (particularly templates), otherwise a C++ compiler will typically compile C code (if it is compilable) at the same speed as a C compiler.

Re: Why I Write Games in C (yes, C)

#9

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:41 PM UTC

zabzonk wrote: post #3

Write C code. Compile with C++ compiler. Catch lots of bugs at compile time.

[deleted]

Re: Why I Write Games in C (yes, C)

#10

Post by mkroman » Sat, Sep 21, 2019, 4:43 PM UTC

There's one important question left out: what kind of games does the author make? I can see how 'vanilla' C can be more than sufficient for basic 2D games, but as soon as you grow in complexity it can quickly become an insurmountable task to grok.