Re: Ada suitablity as a game dev language

[Jeff Houck <jhouck@northrim.net>]

Ludovic Brenta wrote:

> 
> I didn't have a chance to reply earlier but there is a project on
> SourceForge called the Generic GNU Game Core:
> 
> http://sourceforge.net/projects/g3c/

Thanks for the info! I'll check it out.


> I think that this is the crux of the problem:
> 
> - what is your definition of "getting too deep"?
> 

I'm a professional Freelance programmer and I make my living off of 
coding projects. Before I commit myself to a project of this potential 
magnatude, I want to be sure I can follow through. I've seen many good 
C/C++ game engines get started and then not completed. I don't want to 
join those ranks... 8^)

> - is this a commercial endeavour? i.e. does the investment need to be
>   recouped by sales?
>

Not initially. My interest is to learn Ada and as I've always wanted to 
code up a game engine, I believe I can accomplish both goals 
simulteneously. If, at a later time, the engine looks commercial grade, 
perhaps. There are a number of licensing issues and such to get through 
first.

> You will probably find that Ada, as a language, has everything you
> need for game development.  Now, you need to evaluate the surroundings
> of the language and see if they meet your requirements:
> 
> - availability of an Ada compiler for your target platforms
> 
> - availability of libraries or bindings
> 
> - ease of distribution of your work.  Ada programs require an Ada
>   runtime library, plus any other libraries you used.
> 
> If you are a hobbyist using and targetting free software, you are in
> luck.  The Ada compiler is available (GNAT) and included in most
> GNU/Linux distributions and in FreeBSD.  There are several free
> libraries available (AdaSDL, AdaOpenGL, Generic GNU Game Core,
> GtkAda).  The distribution maintainers will package any libraries you
> require, making distribution easy.

Ada is indeed an awesome language from what I've seen and read so far. 
That's what prompted me to look into it as a game dev language. With so 
many great features, I couldn't understand why it's not more accepted 
for game dev.

> 
> If you plan to write free software, you may also want to look for
> other developers to join you.  This might be difficult because few
> game developers are willing to learn Ada.  OTOH, with Ada you would
> need less time and fewer people to develop a game than you would in C.
> 

Thanks again for the insights. I would certainly like to enlist the aid 
of others who have a like interest. However, I wouldn't want to ask 
anyone to join in unless I was sure of my own committment first. 8^)

j

--

X-Privat "FREE Usenet" - http://www.newsserver.it