deep
as in Deepsea
Posts: 1066
Registered: 09-01 |
Ajapted said:
There were two programmers who raised this as a potential issue,which is significant.
Significant or meaningless? The processors mentioned (Alpha and Dreamcast) are going to be used like .0000001% of users. There are also other processors. Again they aren't used. Designs are done for the majority and current technology, not the minority and obsolete equipment.
Of course any format can be read if you do it right
Exactly - you have to do it right. That's like saying you should know how to code:) But again, for 99.999% of compilers, coders and machines this is brutally simple and requires minimum knowledge. It HAS TO BE THAT WAY since data base design requires this.
If a coder doesn't know how to do this, then he's just out of his league. This isn't introduction to programming
but I'm looking to keep it simple
It IS simple for 99.999 percent of cases. This "issue" is being blown up way beyond the real world. This is a purely academic argument.
I can only think of two arguments for the 6-byte format:
Why waste space when you don't have to? that's the issue here. Pushing the "hard drives are big" argument really has nothing to do with this - it's just a better design. The other is not relevant for obvious reasons.
(What is TU ?)
Tits Up. Imagine dead and lying on it's back :)
It doesn't have to be done. When a port only needs GL nodes (e.g. EDGE), then it doesn't matter what the normal nodes are, since they are ignored.
Ah, but it does have to be done. You assume that a person makes a level just for EDGE and only plays on EDGE. In fact, many levels are much more generic and designed for ANY port. So when that level is played on port Y, it's goes TU on port Y. Not a good thing. What exactly are you going to write for normal nodes when a user builds both and it exceed the stock format??
But for ports which still use normal nodes, it would be good to do something. You started a discussion here on DW about a year ago, but nothing came of it.
Actually something did come of it : V4 which does both extended normal and GL nodes as you know :) But since all the ports were in transition AND I wanted to get a hold of you last year before I discussed this some more, I just put it on hold (and I was modifying port code to see how it all worked). No port was in imminent danger since most of them couldn't support levels past 32k linedefs anyway. V4 is used in the R3D ports.
1) Use ZDoom's compressed format. It does remove all limits: segs, nodes/subsectors AND vertices.
Look closer. It has a 64k vertex limit. I have a test level that exceeds that. Need to ask Fredrick if I can post it since it's one of his levels pasted.
2) Use another (uncompressed) format.
That's counter to your argument above about both simplicity, alignment and drive size. But if it went that way, it should be a modified ZDOOM format so it truly is unlimited and at least conforms to a similar design. Don't need another totally different ZIP thingy. Alignment is a NON ISSUE.
That's not something for me to decide, it needs consensus from all the port authors.
Except for ZDOOM, not a problem. I'm curious why didn't you didn't do that for V3? The V3 spec is why I was trying to contact you last year to get to what is now the "5" spec.
Last edited by deep on 05-01-05 at 16:04
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