innovation. interaction. inspiration. leveraging middleware jeff wofford deep red games...
TRANSCRIPT
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Leveraging Middleware
Jeff Wofford
Deep Red Games
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
We’ll talk about…
• What is middleware?• Problems middleware tackles• The case for/against middleware• Choosing your middleware• Adapting to middleware• Questions
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Middleware As Evolution
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Middleware As Evolution
=?
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
What Is Middleware?
• Software• Licensed• Provide game functionality• Game-independent• Usually API and libraries (.lib, .dll, or
source)• Occasionally complete .exe (e.g. UT
mutated via mods)
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Problems Middleware Tackles• Rendering• Physics• Sound• Networking/Distributed Simulations• Scripting• AI/Behaviors• One-Stop-Shops
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
The Case Against Middleware• Programmers hate it• Slower?• Not a silver bullet
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Programmers Hate It
• Programmers don’t like their problems solved for them.
• Middleware brings foreign code into the game.
• Learning someone else’s code feels slower and harder than just writing it yourself.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Slower?
• Argument: Game-specific code is faster and better than generic, game-independent code.
• Often true, but to what degree?• On systems capable of 25M tris/sec,
is a 10% difference in engine performance going to be noticeable?
• Data is the bottleneck, not code.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Not a silver bullet
• Middleware doesn’t solve all your problems.
• It takes anywhere from 10%-60% as much knowledge to use a library as to write it.
• Middleware is sometimes significantly buggy.
• Middleware may not turn out to do what you thought it would do.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
The Case For Middleware
• There are lots of success stories• More mentons available for the
game• Tackles your riskiest problems
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Lots of Success Stories
• Already instrumental in many major successes.
• Major contribution to FPS development.
• Half-Life• Deus Ex• Alice• Munch’s Oddysee
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Mentons
+ =
+ =
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
More Mentons for the Game
• Team has limited menton capacity.• Middleware allows importation of
thought-work, allowing conservation of mentons.
• Less time spent worrying about technical issues, more time for gameplay, visuals, user experience.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Reduces Risk
• Why are game developers infamous for lateness? Technology R&D.
• Technology is the riskiest portion of schedule.
• Technology is really difficult to schedule. Complete solutions really reduce risk, in proportion to completeness.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Moving to Middleware
• The decision to use middleware has a deep impact on project, people, and overall organization.
• Issues:– Marrying project and technology– Evaluating technology– Choosing your provider– Negotiating the license agreement– Adapting the organization
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Marrying Project and Technology• Technology impacts game design,
and vice versa.• Identify middleware during
preproduction, when game design is coming together.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Evaluating Technology• Spend plenty of time on evaluation:
– At least a week per candidate for a focused API like physics.
– At least a month per candidate for a broad API like rendering.
• Read between the lines of technology demos. Take feature claims with a grain of salt.
• Don’t rely on programmers naïve to the concepts to evaluate accurately.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Choosing Your Provider
• Middleware involves a long-term relationship between licensor and licensee.
• Evaluating middleware involves evaluating the provider as well as the technology.
• Evaluate stability and support.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Stability
• You need your middleware provider to outlive the project.
• Middleware is a young industry with great instability.
• Ask about:– Company history– People– Funding– Plan for the future
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Support
• Good support is indispensable with any middleware.
• You need it most when approaching a deadline.
• Middleware should be provider’s primary business.
• Dedicated support team.• Test support during evaluation
period.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Negotiation
• Ask for the price you want to pay.• Exchange royalties for price, or vice
versa.• The only way to go: Staggered
payment plan.• Multi-project deals.• Pitch your project.• Agree on what will happen if things
go south.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Adapting Your Organization
• Technology vs. Content development.
• Impacts:– Project plans– Who you hire
• Major impact on programmers.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Impact on Programmers
• Content programmers vs. Technology programmers
• Content Programmer:– Passionate about games– Relates well with artists, others– Happy mucking with foreign code– Creative– Diverse skills– Consistent productivity
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Impact on Programmers (2)
• Technology Programmer:– Calculus-level maths– Modify generic engine for needs of
specific game.– Create specialized visual/audio effects,
AI, physics, algorithmic animation.
• It’s not just about rendering anymore. Stop trying to beat Carmack at his own game.
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Middleware and Maturity
• Middleware is the industry maturing.• Middleware adds creative power to
projects:Time
Mentons
Focus
+ Reliability
= Better Games
= More fun, more respected, more profitable
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
The Future?
If =
?=
then
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innovation. interaction. inspiration.
Links
My web sitewww.jeffwofford.com
Licensing Q&A with Glen Dahlgrenhttp://www.unrealengine.com/features/qa-glen1.html
3D Engines List http://cg.cs.tu-berlin.de/~ki/engines.html
Evaluating Physics Engineshttp://www.gamasutra.com/features/
20000913/lander_01.htm