For a 4-year-old post about the progress of Overgrowth, it doesn't really convince me to use OpenGL, considering that Overgrowth is still in alpha. It's a 4-person team and an ambitious game, so I'm sure it's not related to OpenGL use, but it's still kind of funny.
Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX
61–70 of 187 posts
Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX
#62>However, there's one big problem: they don't work on Windows XP! Half of PC gamers still use XP, so using DirectX 10 or 11 is not really a viable option. This problem does not exist anymore.
I know what you mean but http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey still shows 14.63% on XP - not a huge amount but still hanging on.
Windows XP 32 bit 6.17% -0.26 it says
Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX
#63Isn't mobile and the web the decider these days? Article is from 2010, but consider if you want to develop 3D on any of these platforms:
iOS - OpenGL ES
Android - OpenGL ES
Mac - OpenGL
Linux - OpenGL
HTML5 - WebGL (based on OpenGL ES) - even in IE!
Emerging platforms like Tizen, Firefox OS - OpenGL ES/WebGL
DirectX is just for Windows and Windows Phone. Isn't it getting to the point where the bother of having to write a DirectX port might cause developers to skip the Windows platforms, or stick to OpenGL on Windows desktop? Windows isn't as overwhelmingly important as it used to be, and couldn't the fact that DirectX is different start to work against MS? Imagine if Blackberry came out with their own custom 3D API - wouldn't that only serve to hurt them?
Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's also a legacy issue: once developers start using DirectX, it's harder for them to go back, and traditionally PC development has been Windows-only (more or less) for many years. Now that the market is becoming fragmented again between different platforms, there is more incentive to go for a cross-platform API than before - and that's where standards matter.
Not really 'legacy' per se either... good luck running OpenGL on Microsoft's consoles or as a ModernUI application! DirectX being a broader and, in my opinion, better designed API certainly doesn't hurt it's adoption either.
Yeah, don't worry about those mobile devices.
We've got plenty of directx support for those too. What are they again? Surface? Windows phone? I think I know one guy who has one.
Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX
#65Again that post. Spreading the lie that all game consoles support OpenGL. Yes, OpenGL is a great API if one cares about portability and FOSS. Reality, the game industry cares about their IP and getting games released no matter what technology stack is used. Many AAA studios don't even develop for all platforms, rather target a main one, leaving the port to subcontractors. Back in the golden days of the arcades, many…
At the time this was accurate, that generation all supported OpenGL in some form...
No it wasn't. Only someone without console development experience can issue such a statement.
Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, many that bash DirectX never experienced how the whole ecosystem works and the existing offers in terms of tooling for performance analysis.
> Yes, many that bash DirectX never experienced how the whole ecosystem works and the existing offers in terms of tooling for performance analysis. Usually people don't "bash" DirectX or D3D. Most OpenGL programmers acknowledge that it is a better API with more corporate backing (ie. budget). But at the same time it is still Windows only, and for a lot of people it simply isn't an option. For OpenGL, the tooling is p…
Which vendors? Besides gDEBugger there isn't any tool that I am aware of, that can match the performance monitoring of DirectX and console specific APIs.
Even NVidia only started to invest in OpenGL performance measuring tools, after their Android support started.
Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX
#67Portability etc notwithstanding and purely from an API point of view, there's no question that DirectX is superior to OpenGL. There are lots of examples, but the mere fact that you need _another_ 3rd party API such as GLEW even to be able to use OpenGL's latest features in the first place should speak volumes.
You don't _need_ GLEW, it is just convenience library.
Well, of course you don't _need_ it. You can always go and parse the extension string yourself, then call LoadLibrary() and GetProcAddress() to manually setup pointers to the extension functions etc. The point is that you don't have to care about any of that crap when using DirectX. Bear in mind, this is just one example.
Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX
#68Again that post. Spreading the lie that all game consoles support OpenGL. Yes, OpenGL is a great API if one cares about portability and FOSS. Reality, the game industry cares about their IP and getting games released no matter what technology stack is used. Many AAA studios don't even develop for all platforms, rather target a main one, leaving the port to subcontractors. Back in the golden days of the arcades, many…
> Many AAA studios don't even develop for all platforms, rather target a main one, leaving the port to subcontractors. AAAs are one thing and are mostly based on engine technology that has been in development for years. For them D3D vs. OpenGL is a non-issue that was solved a decade ago. Or they stick to being Windows only. And they have the budget to port (or hire a subcontractor to port) one way or another. For ind…
Your statement that the most money comes from Android and iOS is not really supported by the facts for a typical indie. F2P requires a lot of investment/luck and non-F2P on mobile is a steadily shrinking market. Many of the big indie successes are PC titles sold on Steam or console titles.
I'm sure you can find some examples of mobile successes that brought in big money for a small indie studio, but I'd be shocked if you could find even half as many as you can if you look at PC and console.
It's worth pointing out that desktop GL and mobile GL ES are pretty significantly different (extension support, API, compressed textures, etc), too.
Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX
#69Isn't mobile and the web the decider these days? Article is from 2010, but consider if you want to develop 3D on any of these platforms: iOS - OpenGL ES Android - OpenGL ES Mac - OpenGL Linux - OpenGL HTML5 - WebGL (based on OpenGL ES) - even in IE! Emerging platforms like Tizen, Firefox OS - OpenGL ES/WebGL DirectX is just for Windows and Windows Phone. Isn't it getting to the point where the bother of having to wri…
Game consoles - proprietary 3D APIs
OpenGL != OpenGL ES != WebGL, yes they are all based on the same concepts, but require separate code paths and different shader versions.
Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, but thanks to their HumbleBundle.com success, over the years Overgrowth looks more like a engine tech demo and vaporware.
They seem to be happy to let you pay $30 for the Alpha version though, despite it being in Alpha since at least 2009 (based on the date on the FAQ). I'm surprised PayPal will let you pre-order something that has been more than 4 years in development and has no release date.
It's playable, and you can use the in game editor to make your own maps/scenes. Not too different from what minecraft was when it was early alpha.