Thursday 5 April 2012

Compiler Shenanigans

Next job has been storing the game fonts as bitmaps/character metrics rather than TTF. Another license restriction - I can't distribute the font files directly. Side benefit is the bitmap can be edited. Should be useful for texture or weathering effects on fonts in future games.

Recompiled the game on my Mac for the first time in months. I have to admit some apprehension...

253 errors to start with. Most of these were subtle compiler differences. Generally pretty easy to fix.

The two compilers (Visual Studio and XCode) have very different personalities. XCode is like the Nazi interrogator in Indiana Jones (the guy with the little glasses and threatening coat hanger). You will cooperate or be severely punished. Visual Studio is like one of those hippy English teachers - easy going, loose with the rules and more rewarding of experimentation.

Still have to create a utility to convert the TTF's to image/metrics, as I fudged this in the code to test it. Most likely will add some command line parameters to the game EXE to allow utility behaviours without firing up the game proper.

EDIT: The conversion functionality is now built into the engine. Any games I develop using the codebase will have a command line mode to manage assets. A neat solution, if I do say so myself!

Music-wise have been listening to a lot of Slayer this week. I bought the last two albums they did when Dave Lombardo came back. Really enjoyed them in all their Satanistic lunacy. Also explored some other tunes on Spotify - Halestorm (getting into rock with female vocals in my (38 year) old age) along with Seether and Shinedown.

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