Renderer Development Notes

SDL

Some things to keep in mind with regards to SDL:

• SDL has to be dynamically linked so the global variables are shared between renderer and client
  • What does this mean for SDL versions? Presumably as long as they are ABI compatible it'll be fine?
• SDL Input may only work when using an SDL window?
  • In that case, window creation should maybe not be left to the renderer?
  • But the renderer certainly needs to create the GL context.
    • What if we want to write a D3D renderer? Would that require different window creation parameters? Could SDL even do that?
      • Screw D3D for now, all our current renderers and planned renderers are OpenGL.

SP/MP Unification

What problems would we run into if we try to use one renderer for SP and MP and how can they be fixed?

In general: There are differences between SP and MP so at startup a mode should be selected, changing a global setting which would then result in the desired behavior.

Problems

• differing enums. They could be translated at runtime.
• differing structs. They could be translated at runtime.
• differing functions, like Z_Malloc. Could possibly translate?

Differences

Differences that I don't know if they'll be problems? I need to investigate/ask about these.

• Z_Malloc vs Hunk_Alloc? See e.g. ParseFlare() in tr_bsp.

Missing features

Things that MP has but SP lacks and vice-versa. A unified renderer would have these, they'd just not always be used.

• SP has Light Amplifying goggles
• SP has r_debugStyle
• SP has viewfog, presumably for LA goggles fog?
• MP shares Ghoul 2 instances between client and server
• SP has (different?) flares (?)
• MP has avidemo
• SP has save game images
• MP has sv_pure