Nothing much to report. I've just had a nice relaxing birthday weekend and done nothing but cut the grass and watch the Monaco GP. Great fun. However, I have gotten my subversion server up and running again, so that at least should be backup for everyone using it.
No idea when I'll get back to doing stuff, just not in the mood just now - not to mention still installing stuff for windows 7.
Still, had a great weekend so what the hell :)
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Subversion
I've now reinstalled sub-version. As I'd hoped, it was pretty painless since I already had all the config files setup and simply had to point at them. Windows 7 is pretty nice and I'm trying really hard to keep features like the user account control, but I'd also love to be able to switch it off for specific programs - like the command prompt (when run as administrator). Still, I'll keep plodding on and see if I can get used to it.
I'll need to test the remote access tomorrow, but since the firewall hasn't changed, it should all be fine; fingers crossed!
I've only a couple more programs to install and I should be back to normal. I have lost my 3rd monitor as it the display seemed to be locking up a lot, but since I've just installed some new drivers, I'll try switching it back on and seeing if its all working again. I like having 3 monitors, it'd be a shame to lose it.
Russell reminded me that I actually have a proper MAC that I could be testing with MONO (my dual core G5), and although I'll need to get more RAM it would be a good testing ground for retro edit (which Russ tells me runs pretty slowly on it) and mu debugger - once I get TCP/IP support in. I could probably knock up a GL version of Minus 4, this should be easy as Russ has ported my speccy emulator over I suspect I could pinch the source to that and get Minus4 working pretty quickly. This would then let me use the OgreDebug and the TCP link to the emultor.. I think.
I'll need to test the remote access tomorrow, but since the firewall hasn't changed, it should all be fine; fingers crossed!
I've only a couple more programs to install and I should be back to normal. I have lost my 3rd monitor as it the display seemed to be locking up a lot, but since I've just installed some new drivers, I'll try switching it back on and seeing if its all working again. I like having 3 monitors, it'd be a shame to lose it.
Russell reminded me that I actually have a proper MAC that I could be testing with MONO (my dual core G5), and although I'll need to get more RAM it would be a good testing ground for retro edit (which Russ tells me runs pretty slowly on it) and mu debugger - once I get TCP/IP support in. I could probably knock up a GL version of Minus 4, this should be easy as Russ has ported my speccy emulator over I suspect I could pinch the source to that and get Minus4 working pretty quickly. This would then let me use the OgreDebug and the TCP link to the emultor.. I think.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Windows 7!
I've just installed the windows 7 release candidate and it's all very nice. It has some issues with my 2nd graphics card (I use a small PCI card so I get a 3rd monitor), but aside from that many of the annoying vista-isms are now gone.
However... Because it's a clean install I now need to reinstall everything, including the sub-version server but I hope that since I'm just pointing at a depo it won't take too long this time. If I get a chance tonight I'll try and finish installing everything, then I can (I hope) plod on with more interesting things.
However... Because it's a clean install I now need to reinstall everything, including the sub-version server but I hope that since I'm just pointing at a depo it won't take too long this time. If I get a chance tonight I'll try and finish installing everything, then I can (I hope) plod on with more interesting things.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
InpOut32.dll
Yes!!! Not only have I got it working again, but they have managed to get SIGNED drivers! This means I no longer have to boot up pressing F8 and booting into unsafe driver mode. This is awesome! It also means I can carry on with my debugger and try to get it to a point that I can add the TCP/IP (or UDP) mode.
For those that are interested, full signed drivers (for my upload program for example) can be found HERE
I'm very happy!
For those that are interested, full signed drivers (for my upload program for example) can be found HERE
I'm very happy!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Source control...
I've finally (FINALLY!) gotten my subversion server up and running and even managed to open up access to other members of the team. This means Russell can now help out on the editor and debugger (if he gets bored), and once Luca gets used to it, he could actually build levels directly into the source without me having to make special versions for him.
I'm currently adding all my relivent projects into the depo and assigning various access rights but it all appears to be going well. Russell has been busy moving house so we're hoping that he'll actually start doing things again soon! (*gasp*)
(perhaps he'll even update his blog!)
I've been trying to get my debugger up and running againas it's quite close to a first version (I think), but there seems to be an issue with downloading to my plus4 - no idea why. I just hope my parallel port isn't fried again! I weas toying with doing an RR-Net for the plus4, and if my parallel port is dead, I may have no choice. I guess I could always do a C64 version in the meantime, and I still have the emulator plug-in to write as well.
I really need to get back up and running as I'm currently not getting anything done at home just now. Fingers crossed this will change soon!
I'm currently adding all my relivent projects into the depo and assigning various access rights but it all appears to be going well. Russell has been busy moving house so we're hoping that he'll actually start doing things again soon! (*gasp*)
(perhaps he'll even update his blog!)
I've been trying to get my debugger up and running againas it's quite close to a first version (I think), but there seems to be an issue with downloading to my plus4 - no idea why. I just hope my parallel port isn't fried again! I weas toying with doing an RR-Net for the plus4, and if my parallel port is dead, I may have no choice. I guess I could always do a C64 version in the meantime, and I still have the emulator plug-in to write as well.
I really need to get back up and running as I'm currently not getting anything done at home just now. Fingers crossed this will change soon!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
New video...
I've uploaded a small video showing the current state of the C64 version. I suddenly realised I'd been sitting on it for ages and no one had really seen it.
You'll notice its not quite right, as background stuff isn't animating, and bullets aren't quite right. Still, it looks pretty, and the multiplexor holds up pretty well too!
You'll notice its not quite right, as background stuff isn't animating, and bullets aren't quite right. Still, it looks pretty, and the multiplexor holds up pretty well too!
Friday, March 20, 2009
To API or not to API... THAT is the question....
I was reading an old post on a form from Tim Sweeney about how all graphics cards will go the way of the dodo, and how no one will be able to write an engine and they'll all have to buy his. He was claiming (back in 2007) that the GPU will become extict abd we'll just be left with massively parallel CPU's that do everything, and that API's like DirectX or OpenGL won't be needed because everyone will simply code their own engine.....
wow.... while a pile of crap. While things are heading towards being able to do more and more with a GPU - or many CPU's like intel's larrabee, the API won't ever become extinct and theres a damn fine reason for that. Developers simply dont have the time to make the huge number of features that directX (or openGL) already has. Who really wants to write full perspective correct, tri-linear, multi-texture stage texture mappers? Not to mention that it'll probably only work on a single platform and you'll have to do it all again. Nope, its total rubbish. Whith will probably happen, is that DX/OGL will continue to deal with new graphics cards and tech and allow game developers to carry on writing games without having to worry about all the low level crap, while a (very) few middleware folk decide to implement their own custom code. It may well even be that normal developers use DX23 for most of the normal stuff, but then implement a really cool voxel rendering system to do some special features.
This makes sense, of course it does. DirectX/OpenGL aren't just about drawing triangle, they're about taking some of the development cost away from developers and allowing their code to run on almost any hardware without any real code change. For those that remember the good-old-days where you had to write versions for every card out there, you'll shudder at the thought that it'll return. I did my fair share of software/DirectX/Glide/PowerVR/S3 ports and it was horrible. True I prefered Glide as it was about 3 times the speed of DirectX, but graphics cards are fast today, and it doesn't take a coding god to make a pretty looking game. In fact most games these days are written by what I'd call normal programmers. Folk that don't really know what the hardwares doing, but its going fast enough so why should I care - that time. And thats fine, it means the games industry grows, you can let normal coders in, its easier to find people and the world is a happier place.
I also find it ammusing that Tim seems to thing API's like DX will go away. The only platform in the world without an API are old systems like the SNES/Megadrive etc. (and older). Everything else you have an underlying OS with...wait for it... an API!!
Theres always gonna be an API, and interfaces like DX and open GL will simply evolve to meet the demands of the programmer - whatever that is. It'll implement common features so we don't have to, and only if your really interested (and think you can do better) will you have to write you own VERY low level bit of code.
I can't wait for larrabee, not from a graphics point of view, but for the ability to run normal code on it. I really don't want to have to write another 100 triangle rasterisers for a single game because I can make each a cycle per pixel faster.... machines are fast enough to not worry too much about that, and if the Wii has proved anything, its pretty graphics isn't what makes a great game - Mr Sweeney should really buy one have have a look.
wow.... while a pile of crap. While things are heading towards being able to do more and more with a GPU - or many CPU's like intel's larrabee, the API won't ever become extinct and theres a damn fine reason for that. Developers simply dont have the time to make the huge number of features that directX (or openGL) already has. Who really wants to write full perspective correct, tri-linear, multi-texture stage texture mappers? Not to mention that it'll probably only work on a single platform and you'll have to do it all again. Nope, its total rubbish. Whith will probably happen, is that DX/OGL will continue to deal with new graphics cards and tech and allow game developers to carry on writing games without having to worry about all the low level crap, while a (very) few middleware folk decide to implement their own custom code. It may well even be that normal developers use DX23 for most of the normal stuff, but then implement a really cool voxel rendering system to do some special features.
This makes sense, of course it does. DirectX/OpenGL aren't just about drawing triangle, they're about taking some of the development cost away from developers and allowing their code to run on almost any hardware without any real code change. For those that remember the good-old-days where you had to write versions for every card out there, you'll shudder at the thought that it'll return. I did my fair share of software/DirectX/Glide/PowerVR/S3 ports and it was horrible. True I prefered Glide as it was about 3 times the speed of DirectX, but graphics cards are fast today, and it doesn't take a coding god to make a pretty looking game. In fact most games these days are written by what I'd call normal programmers. Folk that don't really know what the hardwares doing, but its going fast enough so why should I care - that time. And thats fine, it means the games industry grows, you can let normal coders in, its easier to find people and the world is a happier place.
I also find it ammusing that Tim seems to thing API's like DX will go away. The only platform in the world without an API are old systems like the SNES/Megadrive etc. (and older). Everything else you have an underlying OS with...wait for it... an API!!
Theres always gonna be an API, and interfaces like DX and open GL will simply evolve to meet the demands of the programmer - whatever that is. It'll implement common features so we don't have to, and only if your really interested (and think you can do better) will you have to write you own VERY low level bit of code.
I can't wait for larrabee, not from a graphics point of view, but for the ability to run normal code on it. I really don't want to have to write another 100 triangle rasterisers for a single game because I can make each a cycle per pixel faster.... machines are fast enough to not worry too much about that, and if the Wii has proved anything, its pretty graphics isn't what makes a great game - Mr Sweeney should really buy one have have a look.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
DO.EXE V1.2
okay.... VERY quick update. I've quickly added C/C++ hex support. So now you can specify HEX numbers as 0x186abb etc. I meant to do this ages ago but never got round to it, and since the solution file was still open this morning, I've quickly added it. Find it in the same place as before....
http://www.javalemmings.com/blog/do.zip
http://www.javalemmings.com/blog/do.zip
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
DO.EXE V1.1
I've fixed a minor bug in my DO.EXE program. It wasn't recognising lower case "c", only the uppercase one. This made entering HEX very annoying. If you use it, get the new one here. Its in C# (.NET) so is cross-platform ready using mono.
http://www.javalemmings.com/blog/do.zip
http://www.javalemmings.com/blog/do.zip
C# JIT
I was speaking the other day about the C# JIT and how it sucks sometimes... well, heres some real code to prove the point...
As you can see it not only continually reloads the base address of the array+type, but appears to insert pointless CMP instructions all over the place. The only reason I can figure for this is to attempt to prefetch the destination; however since its about to access it on the next instruction, this is pointless - Not only that but since its sequential chances are its in the cache alrady! And even is by some mirricle that it DID matter, why the hell is it doing it TWICE!!!
Man I find that annoying....
m_ArrayAccess[0].m_Pos.Y = 2.0f;
00000022 lea edx,[ecx+8]
00000025 cmp byte ptr [edx],al
00000027 mov dword ptr [edx+4],40000000h
m_ArrayAccess[0].m_Pos.Z = 3.0f;
0000002e lea edx,[ecx+8]
00000031 cmp ecx,dword ptr [edx]
00000033 cmp byte ptr [edx],al
00000035 mov dword ptr [edx+8],40400000h
m_ArrayAccess[0].m_Pos.W = 4.25f;
0000003c lea edx,[ecx+8]
0000003f cmp ecx,dword ptr [edx]
00000041 cmp byte ptr [edx],al
00000043 mov dword ptr [edx+0Ch],40880000h
As you can see it not only continually reloads the base address of the array+type, but appears to insert pointless CMP instructions all over the place. The only reason I can figure for this is to attempt to prefetch the destination; however since its about to access it on the next instruction, this is pointless - Not only that but since its sequential chances are its in the cache alrady! And even is by some mirricle that it DID matter, why the hell is it doing it TWICE!!!
Man I find that annoying....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)