Sorry if this is a "flame bait" topic. I''ve used the search engine and checked the forum faq, but I just need a bit of feedback from the other "suits" out there. I''m venturing/wading into the commercial market (via shareware or whatever you want to call it), but my friend and I are trying to decide the optimal library to target our market.. We''re both experienced DirectX library programmers, but have been approached (by many sources) of pro-SDL users. We like the looks of the library, but is it commercially viable to release products using the SDL? How much of a shareware market is the Mac/Linux compared to the PC? (ie. is it worth the time and investment in SDL) The license agreement with the library seems like we can release commercial projects, but I guess I need to clarify that here as well..

Making Mac-only games is a commercially viable strategy (for /small/ development houses).

Given that SDL gives you a Mac and Linux port at very low cost, it is a very tempting option. The question now is:

How much more effort is it for you to develop using SDL? How many Mac games do you need to sell to cover that cost? If you can just break even there, you gain several intangible benefits:

- Having PC, Mac, and Linux versions gives you quite a bit of marketing leverage. There''s not too many games that do that.
- Cross platform development weeds out a lot of bugs

Of course, cross-platform testing costs money too. But /if/ SDL is no major effort above using DirectX, there''s not much of a reason to not use it - even if, in the end, you only release a PC version.


- Robert

Thanks for the feedback Robert, and it makes sense.

We are a very small development house at the moment, so any testing on non-intel platforms will have to be tested by my McFriends..

Considering we haven''t really started any implementation yet, then I suspect that there will be no more cost of switching over to SDL than there would be using DirectX.

Although we are experienced DX programmers, I suspect that there will always be some "gotchas" that will cost some extra man hours to workaround..either earlier or later in the project cycle.

Whereas with SDL, it appears that we have an easier time to get the engine up and running, but will probably encounter those same "gotchas" (they''re always there for any library) at a later phase in the development.

With all things being equal, perhaps it is a better "marketing strategy" to be able to release our title on more than one platform..

Really, I wouldn''t worry about "time investments" with SDL. I basically learned SDL in a day, and the official SDL chatroom (irc.freenode.net #sdl) is quite helpful. More helpful than if you were to ask a DirectX quesetion in #gamedev. Also, there are some SDL incarnations that can run on the Dreamcast, the GameBoy Advance, and the XBox. The XBox one requires a mod-chip, though. However, since you''re planning to release it as shareware, then I guess that wouldn''t matter.

I''d really doubt if there''s much of a shareware market for Linux. Most Linux users are all about the "free, and open-source" thing...However, Mac users are always looking for great software ''cos there''s just not enough software to go around in the Mac world.

--SuperRoy
[ Author:: Linux GameDev Articles ] [ Programmer:: WhitespaceUnlimited ] [ Webdesigner:: CTH3.com Webdesign ]

quote: Original post by SuperRoy
Really, I wouldn''t worry about "time investments" with SDL. I basically learned SDL in a day, and the official SDL chatroom (irc.freenode.net #sdl) is quite helpful. More helpful than if you were to ask a DirectX quesetion in #gamedev. Also, there are some SDL incarnations that can run on the Dreamcast, the GameBoy Advance, and the XBox. The XBox one requires a mod-chip, though. However, since you''re planning to release it as shareware, then I guess that wouldn''t matter.

I''d really doubt if there''s much of a shareware market for Linux. Most Linux users are all about the "free, and open-source" thing...However, Mac users are always looking for great software ''cos there''s just not enough software to go around in the Mac world.

--SuperRoy
[ Author:: Linux GameDev Articles ] [ Programmer:: WhitespaceUnlimited ] [ Webdesigner:: CTH3.com Webdesign ]

You''re comparing a general game development chat room with a room specifically for a single application, of course you''re more likely to get a response from the more specific room . If you went to a directx only chat room, chances where, you''d get a good response similar to how you could in the all sdl chat room.

By the way, I would go the SDL route, it''s very easy to learn (I don''t think you''ll run into many/any gotcha''s along the way either), and it''s worth it to have multi-platform games, so if someone tells their aunt about one of your games, she can buy it for her Mac, and she tells her nephew who runs linux, etc, etc. A larger audience means more of a chance of someone buying it . And, using SDL won''t take many more hours than directx, so it''s definetly worth the time I would think.

Thanks guys,

After lurking around in the SDL forums, and after fiddling with some code, I decided that although using SDL is a great option, I decided to purchase a license to the Torque engine at GarageGames.com

It''s still multi-platform but it has a lot of components that have been (cross fingers) tested in commercial-quality products.

I''m gonna see how hard/long it''ll take to convert my existing codebase over to that engine and see if it''ll help trim some corners..

thanks all!

A bit old, but on the subject - here''s Carmack take on it, circa two years ago

I do believe he''s talking more on the perspective of developing your own engine as well as your game though - I imagine the added costs of porting are quite lower if you use a preexisting engine.

"I woke up sweating and clutching my pillow. Thankfully the powerful and reassuring visage of Optimus Prime staring back at me from my pillow case served to ease my frayed nerves. Like the giant robotic father I never had he always knows just what to say" - Gabe, Penny-Arcade

Alexandre Moura

There''s an article over at Gamasutra on Mac porting: http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20010711/wood_01.htm

Overall, I think I could say that shareware for the mac is a very strong market - since we don''t get the regular games at the same pace as you do, we (generally) tend to be quite open towards it.

There''s an article over at Gamasutra on Mac porting: http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20010711/wood_01.htm

Overall, I think I could say that shareware for the mac is a very strong market - since we don''t get the regular games at the same pace as you do, we (generally) tend to be quite open towards it.