Re: Direction of Linux games...

[Erik <br0ke@math.smsu.edu>]

On 14-Nov-99 Jan Ekholm wrote:
> On Sat, 13 Nov 1999, Erik wrote:
> 
>>I think that you're wrong on this point. There are gfx wizards who work for
>>free. There are audio wizards who work for free. The problem is linux doesn't
>>have the apps that make these folk happy. Look over www.digitalblasphemy.com
>>for a bit. The only tools we have to do anything like that are very difficult
>>to use for the lay person (povray, bmrt, and their relatives use a 'source'
>>file that scripts or programs the scene elements, and the renderer parses
>>this
>>file much like a compiler. This is a different kind of app than the popular
>>windows rendering packages, which combine a modeler and renderer. Bryce2,
>>truespace, 3dmax, lightwave... What do we have, blender? I couldn't get
>>blender to do anything usefull... granted, I'm no gfx wizard and I didn't
>>throw a lot of effort at it. But I can make the windows packages do something
>>semi-amusing.
> 
> Well. I may be part wrong, but I think very few artists want to work for
> free for a game they won't get any credits for. It's one thing to render a
> logo and maybe a few simple scenes, but it's a totally differetn task to
> create all the gfx for a fullblown game that relies on a lot of gfx. I
> can't do gfx, but I can help someone who needs code done. But I won't
> spend months and months of hard work for something where I'll only be
> mentioned in the "...and some thanks to Chakie for 800 hours of work,
> although the code could have been better optimized..."-section. :-)
> 

I don't understand where the "no credit" comes in? Typically with gui apps the
main contributers are listed in the 'about' box. Fullscreen graphical apps
(like most games) have a splash screen with the main contributors... I don't
see why this is different in open source, except that the number of
contributors may be much higher, so there will be a "And many more, see AUTHORS
for details)...

> Another point is that graphics are still quite platform-independent, so
> nothing stops all those artists from working with a tool they know well
> and just exporting them to the other part of the team who the incorporate
> the creations into the actual game. Tools for Linux are coming, but the
> sheer amount of work needed for a good modeler makes sure it will take a
> few years.
> 

If you find graphic artists who are gurus in windows but are willing to devote
their work and energy to better linux, that's great. But my guess would be most
of the graphic gurus use macs and/or windows exclusively, especially for the
kinds of graphics necessary to games. People generally won't exert a lot of
effort improving a project they won't benefit from :) Obviously, if there's a
windows port, that subverts that obstacle, but adds to the effort of the
programming team. The few gimp gurus are in high demand, and doing game gfx is
a HUGE undertaking. 

To date, the best way of enticing a graphics designer is to get your
programming team together, draw straws, and send the loser over to the art
building of a college or university with a bag and a blackjack... :) College
students are often eager to have some kind of 'real' experience to slap on a
resume, the trick is to find one that can produce the gfx you want and get them
into a digital form (cuz I won't wanna be the sorry sucker who's playing
scanner jockey for weeks)

> But, it would give me a lot of pleasure to be proven wrong here.
> 

proof is tricky, but I can conjecture all day for ya :)

> ---------------------+------------------------------------------------------
>  Jan 'Chakie' Ekholm |    CS at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
>     Linux Inside     | I'm the blue screen of death, no-one hears you scream
> 
> 

        -Erik <br0ke@math.smsu.edu> [http://math.smsu.edu/~br0ke]

The opinions expressed by me are not necessarily opinions. In all
probability, they are random rambling, and to be ignored. Failure to ignore
may result in severe boredom or confusion. Shake well before opening. Keep
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