Re: XML was RE: RE: A portable preferences library

Well for the record I make commercial games, and our engine does 
extensive platform-based preprocessing so that level loads are a single 
read into memory, and yes, it's the "right" way, and oh by the way 
we've drifted far, far away from portable preferences libraries.

My point was merely that load times might not be the #1 priority for 
someone who is doing this in his spare time, and it's probably more 
productive to note that and move on.

--brian

On Tuesday, December 16, 2003, at 09:31  AM, Gareth Lewin wrote:

> I'm sorry Brian, but that is besides the point. We were discussing how 
> best
> to do something, and his argument wasn't just one of time, but that 
> his idea
> was better.
>
> But yeah, I guess we should concentrate on the fun and not discuss the 
> right
> way to do stuff. Since like no-one on this list makes commercial games.
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: brian sharon [mailto:[email protected]]
>> Sent: 16 December 2003 16:16
>> To: [email protected]
>> Subject: Re: XML was RE: [GD-General] RE: A portable
>> preferences library
>>
>>
>> Would you please give it a rest?  In case you haven't noticed there's
>> no "shop" involved for you to return his game to, as he's giving his
>> work away freely.  Jorrit is not doing this as a full-time job.  If
>> load times are not his first priority I can hardly blame him,
>> it's not
>> exactly the "fun" part of the job.
>>
>> Please visit http://crystal.sf.net to get clued in.
>>
>> --brian
>>
>> On Tuesday, December 16, 2003, at 07:59  AM, Gareth Lewin wrote:
>>
>>> Sorry, but you are just wrong.
>>>
>>>>> Lets not ignore the fact that loading bits of the level is
>>>> way easier with a
>>>>> binary specific format that can be dumped directly into data
>>>> structures.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> Yes but that's not portable. CS has to run on all kinds of
>> operating
>>>> systems and cpu's. We can't
>>>> dump binary structures like that. The endianess wouldn't be
>>>> correct and
>>>> padding can differ
>>>> too.
>>>>
>>>
>>> There is no reason whatsoever for final proccessed data to be
>>> portable. You
>>> have your data in xml. You preprocess it into binary format for a
>>> specific
>>> build/platform. And you use that. Your load times go from
>> 16seconds to
>>> 2 or
>>> 3 seconds.
>>>
>>> And the amount of effort required to implement binary saving off of
>>> structures isn't anywhere near comparable with the effort
>> required to
>>> tweak
>>> the speed of a graphics engine. Not to mention that 16-20
>> second load
>>> times
>>> would have me returning the game to the shop.



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