[SDL] 2D API evolution (SDL 1.3/2.0)

[David Olofson]

On Tuesday 15 August 2006 12:50, Torsten Giebl wrote:
> Hello !
> 
> 
> > Ok, maybe I'm just a coward for not daring to rely on OpenGL
> > alone? However, it seems like it's a fact of life that proper
> > OpenGL support is only to be expected on the relatively small
> > number of computers owned by power users and hardcore gamers. This
> > is a rather small user base if you're into anything but AAA
> > titles. 
> >
> > So, Direct3D it is. ...and OpenGL, because I totally refuse using
> > Windows as my primary development platform! :-D
> 
> 
> Why ? I mean today a 3D card is pretty cheap, okay not an actual
> one but a generation or two behind still has good speed and is
> really 
> cheap. The cards that i used over the years all had good OpenGL
> and DirectX drivers. NVIDIA was the only choice for Linux users
> a long time, but now maybe AMD+ATI will make the driver open source.
> 
> Also the crap built in IBM 3D Chipsets will get OpenSource drivers,
> which will make many Laptop Users happy.

The problem isn't the cost or availability of video cards or drivers.

The problem is the combination of the average user who doesn't even 
know what a driver is, and Microsoft's desire to eliminate OpenGL as 
a mainstream technology on the Windows platform.

It doesn't matter that a proper OpenGL + Direct3D driver practically 
downloads and installs itself on Windows these days, or that some 
serious PCs come preinstalled with the latest drivers for everything. 
The average surfing + casual gaming PC is still running a clean 
Windows install with nothing but the drivers included on the CD. 
What's worse, it's *your game* that is blamed when it doesn't Just 
Work(TM) out of the box.

	"All other games work on my PC, and this one
	 doesn't, so this game is obviously crap!"


Of course, we can dream about the entire developer community just 
boycotting Direct3D until Microsoft starts to include proper OpenGL 
drivers on the Windows CDs - but I don't see anything like that 
happening, ever. (That said, if it weren't because of John Carmack 
and supporters, we'd probably not have accelerated OpenGL *at all* on 
consumer hardware...)

Note that AAA titles and all Free/Open Source games are just a 
fraction of the market, aimed at hardcore gamers and power users! 
Whatever hardware and drivers this minority of gamers may be using is 
pretty much irrelevant to the large volume casual games market.

Of course, there's theoretically nothing wrong with focusing SDL 
1.3/2.0 on power users and hardcore gamers, but it just doesn't seem 
to make sense to me. SDL 1.2 + OpenGL is pretty much all you'll ever 
need to support that user base, I think - so why bother with 1.3/2.0 
if that is the *only* target user base?


//David Olofson - Programmer, Composer, Open Source Advocate

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