[off-topic] Sony releases PS Vita SDK

[Nick Sabalausky]

"H. S. Teoh" <hsteoh at quickfur.ath.cx> wrote in message 
news:mailman.1939.1334865913.4860.digitalmars-d at puremagic.com...
> On Thu, Apr 19, 2012 at 03:37:38PM -0400, Nick Sabalausky wrote:
>>
>> But D is *real* systems language, unlike C#. And frankly, it beats the
>> snot out of C#. I'm not just saying that subjectively as D fan: Five
>> years ago (if not less) I considered C# and D tied as my favorite
>> languages. But the more I used both, the more I got fed up with C#'s
>> dumb limitations and MS's disinterest in addressing them, and the more
>> I liked D.
>
> I've never programmed in C#, so I can't really objectively compare C#
> and D. I *will* say, though, that in many ways D feels like "C++ done
> right", or "what C++ should have been". In that sense, I think the
> factors that drove game devs to abandon C++ should be what drives them
> to adopt D.
>

Right. Agree totally.

As for C#: I've always seen it as...maybe not "Java done right" because I'm 
not sure that's possible (if "done right", there wouldn't be much Java-ness 
left)...but "Java done much better". It's really just "Java with less suck".

C# *is* merely Microsoft's Java as many people have accused, but it's a much 
better Java. A Reduced-Fat Vanilla Latte, if you will ;)  For example, at 
least it *HAS* pointers and delegates, and it had foreach, [gimped] generics 
and auto-(un)boxing *long* before Java did.

>
>> If D can't be made to attract game devs away from C++/C#, then I'll
>> loose what little faith I have left in mainstream games development.
> [...]
>
> Well, the Manu's of the world are still clamoring for some missing
> features in D that will finally convince them to adopt D.  :-)
>

Yea, D *does* still need some work for game devs. Most notably, mature 
non-x86 toolchains. The custom allocator stuff needs to be finished too, and 
a better way to avoid accidental use of the GC.

> But IMAO, indie gaming is where it's at these days. True creativity has
> left commercial games since id's DOOM days.
>

Yea, pretty much. With a few exceptions (Splinter Cell 1 though...3 or 4, 
and some Japanese stuff), I see the mainstream industry as mostly a 
"Pixar-wannabe high-def-animation factory" these days. They don't care about 
gameplay anymore, just storytelling, animation and emulating Hollywood. Yes, 
emulating Hollywood. Seriously: Just browse through almost any issue of 
"Game Developer Magazine" from the past 5 or so years - half of it's a bunch 
of very *deliberate* and unapologetic "How can we be more like Hollywood?". 
It's an outright insult to the medium of videogames (Not because of 
Hollywood sucking, but because any medium that tries to ape another medium 
is inherently being untrue and disrespectful to itself).