[OT] Previously: DMD - Windows -> C# in gamedev

[Nick Sabalausky]

"Peter Alexander" <peter.alexander.au at gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:jed20n$1e23$1 at digitalmars.com...
> On 8/01/12 8:55 PM, Nick Sabalausky wrote:
>>
>> They should both be more than fast enough in D if you're just compiling
>> gameplay scripts. Especially on typical game-dev machines, which are
>> above-average spec anyway.
>
> Here's a quote for you:
>
> http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/39368/InDepth_Incremental_Linking_And_The_Search_For_The_Holy_Grail.php
>
> "As an example, for me within our current code at Bungie, a single file 
> change in the code I usually work on can cost as much as 10mins in linking 
> (many targets). If I opt to build a single target (say the runtime), then 
> this is reduced to ~2 mins. This is without any linker optimization such 
> as Link Time Code Generation which is known to heavily increase Link 
> time."
>
> The rest of the article is about trying to get incremental linking 
> working. At the end he says:
>
> "Once you have resolved all the issues that can stop incremental linking 
> from working, you are a short step from the Holy Grail. Something I 
> personally have never had working before but will be actively fighting for 
> in the near future."
>
> So Bungie can't get incremental linking working. Good luck for the rest of 
> us.
>
>

FWIW, that *is* C++. Even without that, D compiles/links an order of 
magnitude faster.

>>> - Can't account for the time it takes to boot your application back up
>>> after compiling and get back into the state you were in when you wanted 
>>> to
>>> make the change.
>>>
>>
>> So compile the scripts to a dynamic lib instead of a static one. Shoot, 
>> id
>> was already doing that back with Quake 1 or 2, weren't they?
>
> On PC, yes. It's not so simple on consoles.
>

I see. That's very unfortunate.

>
>>> - Also, DMD is slow at optimising.
>>> http://d.puremagic.com/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=7157
>>
>> Yea, like Walter said, just don't use that in the middle of an
>> "edit-comple-test-edit" loop.
>
> You often have to. The norm in the games industry is to always run with 
> optimisations on unless you are debugging. The game simply runs too slow 
> without them.
>

Engine, yes, but gameplay scripts?