[maemo-developers] [maemo-developers] Game implementation on Hildon or SDL? And what about my project

[From: Kuisma Salonen]

Hi!

ext Daniel Monteiro kirjoitti:
> Hi folks
> its been a long since I last posted this mailing list
> (but Ive been reading it on since then). Im developing
> a 3D game engine having mobile devices in mind (and
> the 770 is the perfect testbed). 
>
> My engine has a system layer called "System
> Abstraction Layer" ,responsible for abstracting both
> the hadrware and the software ("everything that can be
> made in hardware can be made in software", or
> something like that - Andrew Tanenbaum). 
That is true that you actually can do everything in software but it 
costs more in software. It costs in performance. Especially on 770 the 
3D engine might be little bit problematic but at least you should always 
try to take everything out of the performance.
>
> But now , I cant decide wich way to go: use on the 770
> the SAL (System Abstraction Layer) that Im using on
> all the other systems (wich is made with SDL) or code
> a new SAL for taking advantage of "Maemo" (by maemo, I
> mean Hildon, OSSO , etc).
>
> SDL would have a faster hardware access. On the other
> hand , Maemo wold be better integrated with the
> system, would not need the "GameLauncher", etc.
>
You actually don't need the gamelauncher for anything unless you 
especially want to have it (for UI reasons). The fact is that if you 
want to do game programming on the devices, you probably want to 
remember some generic rule said somewhere: "when you're doing a game, 
you don't need to obey all the rules", meaning that it might be a good 
idea to try to hildonize the UI. But again, the choise is yours, do as 
ever you like to do! I would still prefer SDL as it let's you use the 
resources somewhat more efficiently (trust me, the 770 is not a powerful 
machine and you need all the resources you can get).
>
> just to clarify:Coding a new SAL will not be such a
> hard work . I will other SAL´s for other plataforms
> too.
>
>
> My project consists of gaming plataform (free - GPL
> ,but it is only the reference implementation. a closed
> source implementation is possible to anyone) that
> abstract the current machine and create a "virtual
> videogame". it ditacts that the host plataform must
> have some features (nothing to hard) and reads the
> game from XML files. The idea is to have almost all
> game genres easily described in XML+LUA.
>
>  The 3D rendering implementation is custum made for
> the project, so debugging and testing is always
> welcome.
>
> everyone is invited:
> http://edd.gamemod.net/forum
>
> all the posts still in portuguese, but english posts
> will be replied in english... (translating docs to
> english in progress)
>
>
> sorry if I was somewhat chaotic in my mail. hope
> everybody understand it.
>
> thanks
>
> Daniel "NeoStrider" Monteiro
>
> PS: My other Maemo project, KidSketch is not dead. Im
> waiting for the goods (rendering libs, etc) from this
> GamePlataform project to use it on the KidSketch.
>
-- Kuisma