David McKen wrote:
> Well you hit the nail on the head.
>
> I have tried CrystalSpace and to say the least I was
> confused out of my
> skull. As for all those DLLs, from what I did understand
> CrystalSpace uses a
> plugin system (i.e. it only loads the sections of code it
> needs). So I
> probably won't need to worry about all the DLLs just those
> that have what I
> want.
Exactly. Actually, as time passed, the plugin system became more and
more complicated. Their plugin system is now called SCF, the Shared
Class Facility. It is something like a simplified version of COM. In CS,
everything is a plugin: the canvas, where the renderer draws, the
engine, the map loader, everything. They are all (should be) independent
- more or less.
However, CS has some core static libraries: for math stuff, OS specific
stuff, etc. And there is a huge design flaw in it: there are about 5-6
static libs, and some of them have cross-references. That is: libcssys
needs libcsutil, and vice versa. That is a HUGE design flaw.
And CS's too much modularity, and flexibility makes it a bit jelly-like:
you can't easily get it to stand stable.
CS is not the best if you look at it from a "3D engine" perspective. It
is more like a "3D operating system". Or just an "operating layer - and
some 3D" :) And I think this is why it goes too slow. There are always
redesigns, rewrites, re... Even now, core things are redesigned,
rewritten, etc. (Bad design) This takes a lot of time, and slows down
the project a lot. You know, it was started in 1997!!!! That's 6 years
already. SIX! And there's NeoEngine for example, which is only 1 and a
half (maybe 2) years old, and it is already better than CS.
If you need a look of CS, look at PlaneShift:
http://www.planeshift.it
Well, I ranted enough of CS. Now lets point some strenghts of it:
1. The new renderer
As I said, if it is ready, it will be awesome. But when???
2. Plugin design
After all, this plugin design allows decent flexibility, and it is well
documented, but not too easy to understand.
3. Portals and sectors
Yes, CS has decent portal support, which allows you to do many tricks,
like and endless stairway up, etc. Portals support space warping.
Sectors and portals are hard to understand, but once you get it, you'll
have a powerful tool in your hands.
4. Documentation
The whole engine is very well documented, and there are many-many
tutorials, which makes the complicated start somewhat easier.
5. Software renderer
It has a software renderer, however it is nowhere near UT's software
renderer, but it is good nevertheless - if you need it (I think you don't :)
Well, I said what I learned so far in my CS career :)
Good luck!
--
Greetings,
Balázs
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