Well, the main libraries (DirectX and OpenGL) seem to be more focused on graphics. While libraries such as Allegro or SDL offer other important sections required in game development too.

So perhaps this could be defined as for non-gfx specific libraries?

It doesn't sound very nice though.. ;)

SDL and Allegro are primarily graphics libraries. And I don't think putting in cross-platform is a good idea, even if most 3rd party libraries are crossplatform, that's not the point about them that we will be primarily discussing. We'll mostly be talking about the libraries, how to use them, what they're used for, solving problems we're having with them, and, incidentally, we may occasionally talk about their crossplatformness.

Quote: SDL and Allegro are primarily graphics libraries.

At least for Allegro I disagree. Allegro also has support for sound, keyboard, mouse, joypad, config file routines, datafile support, fixed point maths, unicode strings, MIDI, timers & simple GUI support.

I prefer to think of it as an all round lib for writing programs.

Maybe so, but I think that this forum can also be used to discuss the graphics aspects of Allegro and SDL (which was originally intended to be a library like Allegro, but is now primarily used just as a cross-platform window manager for use in OpenGL programs, with input and sound and a bit of networking on the side).

Quote: Original post by Magmai Kai Holmlor
I like "Cross Platform Game APIs", but that would technically disclude third party libraries that are not cross-platform... not that I can think of one like that.

That's why I didn't want to use cross platform in the name. That, and it feels... limiting, in a way. I guess since it implies that you have to be interested in the cross platform abilities of it.

Call it 'For Beginners'.

This was very childish of me. I apologize.

[Edited by - Pipo DeClown on July 7, 2004 4:04:56 PM]

Rhino, as you probably know, I still plan to finish an open source, cross platform and high perfs math library for games. Somehow a HAL, the OpenGL of SIMD/maths technologies. Please, everyone consider the aspects of generality in this example, not what it is specifically (not my purpose here).

Do you think it might be a place used to receive some feedback from other game developpers before the product becomes adult (before 1.0 in my case) ?

Quote: Original post by Magmai Kai Holmlor
I like "Cross Platform Game APIs", but that would technically disclude third party libraries that are not cross-platform... not that I can think of one like that.

Tokamak.

Quote: Original post by Charles B
Do you think it might be a place used to receive some feedback from other game developpers before the product becomes adult (before 1.0 in my case)?

I think it would be an excellent place for that, coupled with the Math forum, and Your Announcements. Design and architecture of new middleware libraries is just as relevant a topic as using existing ones, IMO.

What's wrong with the current title? I like it. It doesn't limmit the scope, and it covers more than just graphics.

I say leave it.

"Alternative Game Creation Technologies"

Similar to:

"Alternative Medicinal Practices"