Re: Obsolete libraries

[Francesco Orsenigo <xarvh@lombardiacom.it>]

Steve Baker:

> > Except PLIB these are just engines built over OpenGL.
Plib offers some sort of API too, wich is what i'd need.

> > I need:
> > - fast double buffering, 640x480 / 800x600 or more at 16 or 32 bpp (SDL
> > is faster with 32, maybe because no conversion is needed),
>
> So you can't be talking about using OpenGL?!?  OpenGL (presuming you have a
> supported 3D card) generally goes at about the same speed at either
> resolution.
>
> Remember - GLUT/freeglut are for OpenGL applications.
Yes, i know this.
But since i'd need only simple geometric effects i can work with or without 
OpenGL... it would just do the dirty work for me.

> > -a mouse pointer; some control on the pointer look would be also nice.
>
> GLUT gives you glutSetCursor which allows you to pick any of the 'standard'
> cursor shapes - or to turn the cursor off altogether.  In games, I find
> it's generally better to draw the cursor yourself and just turn off the X
> cursor.
I found this solution slow.
Even if optimizing the pointer redraw (ie redrawing only what is needed) 
improves dramatically the pointer performance, is still slow... i need to 
check this against the 16/32 bpp conversio, but i find it slow.

> Ah - then you are using OpenGL for some things.
Yes, but i don't need to.

> If you are writing a 2D game, you might still want to consider using OpenGL
> for *EVERYTHING*.   OpenGL hardware can draw 2D sprites with zooming,
> rotation, transparency, layering and antialiasing *WAY* faster than any
> CPU.  There are also tricks to do pixel perfect collision detection too.
> Define your sprites as texture maps and render them as polygons.
That was the idea.

> > -Not an overwhelming amount of libraries: i'm still trying to figure out
> > wich parameters i need to compile GLUT programs: while demos work, my
> > programs and TuxKart abort with "GLUT: Fatal Error in [program]: OpenGL
> > GLX extension not supported by display: :0.0"
>
> Sounds like you don't have OpenGL installed correctly.
Yes, maybe.
But demos work perfectly (and they make the same calls my programs do..)
Of course, if i try to manually compile a demo program, it shows the same 
error (while still compiling flawlessly).

My installation was a standard ./configure, make, make install with root 
provileges, i followed the install instruction like a robot.

Thanx,
Francesco Orsenigo