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Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX

blog.wolfire.com

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Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX

#171

Post by pjmlp »

pandaman wrote: post #160
pjmlp wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, but that is no reason to start spreading the falsehood that OpenGL is everywhere used on consoles, as many FOSS advocates do. Specially when enough information is actually publicly available for anyone that cares about game development, in online forums, games magazines, conferences and game courses.

With the game programming being secretive and so many people only being able to discuss it anonymously there should be a way to separate insiders from people who like to pretend to be one on the internet. "PS2/3/4 OpenGL" is one shibboleth we can use for this purpose.

The funny thing is that for the PS you don't even need to be an insider, as Sony makes many of their papers freely available.

Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX

#172

Post by pjmlp »

runevault wrote: post #121
LukeShu wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The PS4 uses OpenGL (4.4?). The PS3 used a proprietary API based on OpenGL 1.0.

So yeah, OGL grows more useful as the PS4 grows its user base. Thanks for the info

False info. PS4 uses a proprietary API called GNM

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-how-the-cre...

Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX

#173

Post by Shish2k »

A series of relevant tweets from https://twitter.com/wolfire :

My old OpenGL vs Direct3D post is #1 on hacker news! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6852961 Maybe time for a 2013 update -- a lot has changed since then.

1. D3D 11.1+ only supports Windows 8, which only 20% of Steam users have. OpenGL 4.4 works on all versions of Windows.

2. NVIDIA and ATI both now have good profiling and debugging tools for OpenGL that were formerly only available for DirectX

3. OpenGL Core is now lean and mean, making it easier for hardware vendors to create efficient and correct drivers.

4. Valve now strongly supports OpenGL with their own games and with SteamOS -- helps ensure the future of OpenGL itself, and vendor support.

5. Humble Indie Bundle creates an extra commercial incentive for indies to support Mac and Linux, which is much easier if you use OpenGL.

6. All the old points still stand -- OpenGL works on Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, iOS and Android. Direct3D only works on Windows and XBox.

Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX

#174

Post by pjmlp »

GnarfGnarf wrote: post #138

Why does Unity use DirectX on Windows, and OpenGL elsewhere? You'd think once they went to the expense of porting to OpenGL, they'd re-use that code on Windows? Or is it because they get better performance with DirectX on Windows?

They get better performance and more stable drivers.

Many cheap computers have GPUs with shitty or non-existent OpenGL drivers.

Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX

#175

Post by Tmmrn »

EpicEng wrote: post #134
AshleysBrain wrote: post #63

Isn'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…

Yeah, if all you care about is candy crush and the random pay to win adventure game. No one is playing "real" games on tablets or phones, nor will they be anytime in the foreseeable future.

Android != tablets or phones.

Thanks to android being open source people can take it and build ...stuff.. with it. I'm sure you have heard of it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouya

And while it's very low-end, there is still stuff like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldwU96PGOyM which might not be a "real" game but it seems pretty close.

Now imagine the next generation of android consoles with OpenGL ES 3.0 and more powerful GPUs.

Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX

#176

Post by Tmmrn »

Erwin wrote: post #57
frik wrote: post #16

Earlier 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.

On the one hand you keep reading "developers need to eat" and on the other hand you keep reading comments like yours.

Buying the alpha means paying for continuous development...

Also, you get a new download of the current state every time they have some significant changes.

Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX

#177

Post by Tmmrn »

JimmaDaRustla wrote: post #85

Microsoft use to be on the OpenGL board (I believe in the 90s?). OpenGL was geared towards scientific development, and we know Bill Gates wanted PC to be gaming platform. OpenGL at the time wasn't good enough, nor were they willing to make the necessary changes to meet Microsoft's goals. DirectX was born out of necessity, not proprietary greed. Edit: Maybe its time to take another look at OpenGL - open is better than…

...

http://www.opengl.org/wiki_132/images/RenderingPipeline.png (blue = programmable)

Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX

#178

Post by nl »

EpicEng wrote: post #165
nl wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like to put some money on that? I'd bet money that in two years time 2 out of the top 5 "real" games will be available on iOS and/or Android. (Not entirely sure how we are defining "real" games, though).

I would. It's simply not practical to play games on mobile devices that require more complex input devices which allow for many discrete inputs and more precise control. I don't know, perhaps someone much smarter than I will figure something amazing out, but I doubt it. And I shouldn't have used the term "real". I'm talking about games like WoW. Many (many) buttons that need to be pressed quickly in response to your…

You don't think you are taking your experience of the current control scheme of WoW and projecting it as a limitation of the platform?

I'd note that it's pretty hard to do tilt-control on a PC...

And there are already plenty of actions games on iOS that work well (and need to be more responsive than WoW).

Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX

#179

Post by Tuna-Fish »

peterashford wrote: post #144
sliverstorm wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It might sound like a snide way to put it, but there is a clear dividing line; OpenGL dominates casual platforms. DirectX dominates "traditional gaming" platforms.

So the PS2/3/4 are "casual" and not "traditional gaming" platforms?

None of then really support OpenGL though.

While they had OGL implementations, all of them basically require you to write against a low-level proprietary api to be competitive with other games on the platform.

Re: Why you should use OpenGL and not DirectX

#180

Post by jcannon98188 »

EpicEng wrote: post #149
driverdan wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iOS XCOM is a great game, is far more expensive than most iOS games, and is has been very successful.

It's not about good and bad, it's the difference between a game like WoW and a game I can play on a touchpad. Very different. The lack of horsepower is an obvious issue, but do you know how many keybinds I have in a game like wow? About 30-40. How about the precision of a mouse and keyboard vs a touchscreen? Screen size (lack of)? Some games are just too complex for these sorts of input devices and there's really no…

The fact that you keep saying WoW is a "serious game" shows just how little you know.
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