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"That being said, if you’re making a game, it probably won’t work in cross-platform" I feel like gaming is the easiest thing to do cross-platform since you don

by zhobbs 8y ago

"That being said, if you’re making a game, it probably won’t work in cross-platform" I feel like gaming is the easiest thing to do cross-platform since you don't rely on any native UI and OpenGL is pretty similar on different platforms. Unity, Unreal Engine, and many others are designed to target many platforms.

killjoywashere 8y ago
It also doesn't have the regulatory hurdles of medical devices or aerospace. So that's nice.
justinjlynn 8y ago
Well, it's not the software side that's difficult. Generally, it's the user interaction story that's troublesome. In terms of games, it generally a question of console, mobile, and PC/Mac. In that sense, the size of screen, the controller and/or gamepad versus keyboard/mouse versus touch input. Each will give players different advantages than players on other platforms. It's a bit more difficult to do cross-platform game and keep it consistent, fun and fair - even more so for multi-player online games. If only it were simply a question of just porting the software, then we'd see a lot more of it, IMO. Also, in regards to cross-platform frameworks and games: it's the additional latency, as well as the overhead (but almost certainly the latency) of any cross-platform compiler/library/framework that kills things. Games are right on the edge of a 12 millisecond per frame boundary (or less!) and every cycle usually counts for games these days (especially on limited mobile processors).
- crooked-v 8y ago
  > as well as the overhead (but almost certainly the latency) of any cross-platform compiler/library/framework that kills things You say that, but plenty of games, including twitch shooters, have been successful using Unity and Unreal, both of which support a pretty large number of platforms.
  - justinjlynn 8y ago
    Sure, but those are both engines - not general purpose frameworks and/or libraries. They're specifically designed for games and game-like programs. Granted, I didn't really make that distinction, so your point stands. However, even if they do solve the latency issue (usually), game balance for cross-platform use is still very much an open game-specific problem.
saagarjha 8y ago
Psst…OpenGL ES is deprecated as of iOS 12. So that's one platform you're going to have to drop at some point :(

by zhobbs 8y ago

killjoywashere 8y ago

It also doesn't have the regulatory hurdles of medical devices or aerospace. So that's nice.

justinjlynn 8y ago

Well, it's not the software side that's difficult. Generally, it's the user interaction story that's troublesome. In terms of games, it generally a question of console, mobile, and PC/Mac. In that sense, the size of screen, the controller and/or gamepad versus keyboard/mouse versus touch input. Each will give players different advantages than players on other platforms. It's a bit more difficult to do cross-platform game and keep it consistent, fun and fair - even more so for multi-player online games. If only it were simply a question of just porting the software, then we'd see a lot more of it, IMO. Also, in regards to cross-platform frameworks and games: it's the additional latency, as well as the overhead (but almost certainly the latency) of any cross-platform compiler/library/framework that kills things. Games are right on the edge of a 12 millisecond per frame boundary (or less!) and every cycle usually counts for games these days (especially on limited mobile processors).

crooked-v 8y ago
> as well as the overhead (but almost certainly the latency) of any cross-platform compiler/library/framework that kills things You say that, but plenty of games, including twitch shooters, have been successful using Unity and Unreal, both of which support a pretty large number of platforms.
- justinjlynn 8y ago
  Sure, but those are both engines - not general purpose frameworks and/or libraries. They're specifically designed for games and game-like programs. Granted, I didn't really make that distinction, so your point stands. However, even if they do solve the latency issue (usually), game balance for cross-platform use is still very much an open game-specific problem.

saagarjha 8y ago

Psst…OpenGL ES is deprecated as of iOS 12. So that's one platform you're going to have to drop at some point :(