Every now and then I think it might be fun to have another go at writing a Tempest-clone. I like Tempest; it's one of my favourite games, even though I'm really not all that good at it.
Then I remember I haven't done any 3D graphics in ages, and I haven't the first idea where to start. Even Java, which I have a better understanding of than most 3D-capable languages, has incredibly complex libraries.
Thank goodness for the O'Reilly Network, then - they've just published the first article about writing OpenGL graphics in Perl.
Not that I'm any more likely to have time to write Tempest.
Posted by Dunx at December 2, 2004 12:46 PM
OpenGL in *Perl*??!
What is the world coming to?
The thing is, though, that OpenGL is pretty similar from any language, give or take the initialization (which it looks like SDL takes the pain out of). If you can write Tempest in Perl, you can do it almost as easily in C. And, I must reluctantly admit, vice versa. So perhaps using Perl isn't *that* insane.
Hurrah! I outraged matt!
I confess that I am more amused by the idea of Perl-driven 3D graphics than seriously interested in writing them, but I am glad to hear that OpenGL is pretty consistent across language bindings.
The basic problem I have is that I am a server-side programmer: I am pretty goo at data modelling, conversion and tweaking, but my UI skills are atrocious. I'd much rather let something else do the actual drawing, and since Perl is my current data rep language of choice (at least for personal projects) this really does make more sense than I think even I would like to admit.
It does smack of the Asteroids prototype I wrote in BBC BASIC many years ago, though: something which is more heroic than appropriate.
*whispers* If you want to improve your clientside skills you could do a lot worse than look at Flash... Give yourself a weekend and a good book and you're away. Tempest in Flash - I'd play that. :-)
I agree, Flash will improve your client-side skills. Just a few hours using it will teach you everything there is to know about how *not* to do a user interface. Or a progamming interface. Or anything at all, ever.
Would I be right in thinking that I would not be able to code in vim if I were using Flash?
And I'd have to pay for the tools...
Maybe I'll stick to Perl.
Yes, you'd be right.
It is *possible* to code in another editor, but only by copying and pasting across into the Flash action window, running, and then going back to your chosen editor to make changes. It's an even more aggravating process than it sounds, because Flash has a nasty habit of showing a live selection in the front window while actually moving the input focus somewhere else. I can't tell you how many times I've pressed the keyboard combo to show the window, then pasted, only to discover -- oops, suddenly there's 30k of ActionScript splat in the middle of the stage.
I have actually worked that way for some rather complex Flash scripting in the past, because the action window editor is crushingly useless, but I wouldn't recommend it. (But then, I wouldn't recommend touching Flash with a 50 foot pole. I'd refer you to WT passim for further rants about what an odious piece of shite it is, but WT isn't up just now. Still, I'm sure you get the idea.)
As for paying for it, well, it's proprietary software. But you can download a free 30 day demo from macromedia.com if you want to familiarize yourself with the full depths of its hatefulness without stumping up.
Or you could just stick pins in your eyes, which would be at least as much fun.