Rick:
> Try writing a serious arcade game with LiveCode.
> Sorry but it just isn’t up to the task as it isn’t
> fast enough.
That contains both true and false elements.
True: LC is FAR too slow, and despite some progress lately in partially
getting back to where it was, still needs a serious ongoing effort to
finish that and then get to where it should be.
(Of course such efforts may be hampered by even more fundamental needs
such as a sustainable net level of bugs and quality/reliability. Hasty
code can be very expensive, and doubly so in the long run.)
False: Because indeed you can. It's up to the coder.
Games tend to push the limits of hardware and/or software, so developing
games is a great way to build skills that many people lack. Not being
able to write an arcade game with LiveCode means there is a big
opportunity to learn and experience more about game design methods and
history. Including amazing games on some very limited platforms. I think
every coder should have some experience on a system with limited speed
and memory; otherwise people are undisciplined and it's difficult to
hone technique.
Think optimization x 10, plus cunning choices. What we see in games
isn't all just brute strength with first-thought design and code. I've
already demo'd LC arcade game on video at least once, on a budget PC, so
there's no question. And published games in the past. Too busy keeping
up with other work and LC bugs to finish a new game lately, but it's not
hard. FPS won't be the strongest point for anything LC, but that's why
it's called game DESIGN and not "today it rained; ah yes, and also a
game happened." Yes, including arcade.
But I agree - LC is too slow, and it impacts what people can do with it.
Games are a good example, but actually the least of my concerns in that
regard!
> I know the system took a big hit with Unicode
Not just Unicode. The system took a big hit with 7, period. A lot of
code in a short time with a lot of problems. In many areas; speed is
only one. Still devoting a large portion of my life to help find,
report, and workaround 7-9 bugs and changes, yes including slowdowns,
but many other issues and also some new limitations. A solid IDE would
help too.
Previously donated many hours of my time and invested my sales proceeds
back to cover time helping to debug 7 and 8. Client deadlines first, so
I still haven't gotten some my own products fully in line yet with all
of LC's 7-9 bugs, changes, and limits. LC is a fast-moving target in
terms of bugs and breaking changes, if not in terms of FPS! Try that for
a real-life arcade game shoot-em-up. :)
Anyway, don't let that dampen the pre-Christmas cheer:
A) Peace on earth and Goodwill toward men, hopefully. B) Some good LC
features and updates in the last few years. C) Some LC speed
improvements during 9. Half-way toward where it used to be in 6,
although even that was way behind JS for instance. D) Some good bug
fixes; just need to realize the reality of bug sustainability vs team
coder hours and budget, and therefore embrace higher quality. E)
Positivi-tay - Bugs? What bugs? See no evil, speak no evil. J/K of
course. F) Yes, you can make games, fast LCS utilities, good animations,
and other cool stuff in LCS if you hone skills and practice code
discipline and improvement. This is proven fact, not opinion. G) I (and
others) help people achieve such things when they have problems. LC
users are releasing amazing products. H) There are other great things in
the works - can't say more at this time.
Best wishes,
Curry Kenworthy
Custom Software Development
"Better Methods, Better Results"
LiveCode Training and Consulting
http://livecodeconsulting.com/
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