Blizzard Entertainment Planning A Linux Game For 2013

[b15hop]

The thing there is this: The real problems is adapting the UI, Input, etc. that is operating from the Android world over to the Linux- or vice versa.

In the end, it's little different than any of the adaptation layers LGP, Myself, or Ryan came up with for making Windows games "go" on Linux natively. Biggest problem for most of it is that it's got a really alien to most everything Linux view of filesystems and the like necessitated by the way you'd need to do a mobile device with their frameworks. In the end, it's pretty much Linux, with some REALLY wierd APIs compared to what you're used to.

SDL isn't enough these days?

I guess at least OpenGL still has a grip.

What's the biggest issue? Sound? Input? Graphics? Weird file structures?

[Svartalf]

SDL isn't enough these days?

I guess at least OpenGL still has a grip.

What's the biggest issue? Sound? Input? Graphics? Weird file structures?

Input and waaay non-standard directory structures. Sound's adaptable via several routes. OpenGL is more ES, which is the same, but different. Input's the bugabooo. You don't have, typically a mouse. You don't have, typically a joypad or keyboard. You've got a multitouch surface on phones and tablets- and you *MIGHT* have a joypad via Android TV (I have two they handed to me...). The touchpad doesn't work the way many of the games expect input. SDL? It works well enough for some things, but it doesn't all the way compensate for some of what I talk to. Besides...you'd be surprised at how many games DON'T use SDL. At least one of my ported titles uses Allegro- to good advantage. It's not there for that. The one that DID use SDL...well...the studio has a port...it's not out yet because it's not ready for primetime. It's a tech demo. Many of the SDL-ish titles are that way, really.

Fixing that was part of the promise of Ouya. Fixing it is part of the promise of Android TV.

Once you have that hurdle sorted...the filesystem...I think I've an answer there.