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Author Topic: Open Arena on Universal Windows Platform (former WinRT)  (Read 9484 times)
Mustafa2
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« on: May 30, 2016, 03:56:15 PM »

This post is only a theoretical contemplation.
I wonder is it possible to move Open Arena on such platform like UWP (Universal Windows Platform, former WinRT)? I know that only a client could be adjust because UWP doesn't support Windows Services - a technology dedicated to write server side applications. Regardless of that, we have some other problems to resolve.
1. Microsoft excluded OpenGL form a set of legal technologies used to create Windows Store Applications. So, such game/client will need a renderer based on DirectX. I think so.
2. We shouldn't use ASCII strings because it could be highly inefficient. New releases of Windows use UTF-16 internally to represent strings of characters and every call of function similar to "print()" will require such code page. Other formats are translated to UTF-16 by Windows every time when we need to print something on the screen.
3. I'm not sure how GUI in Open Arena/Quake 3 was implemented (because I don't know the whole source code yet Smiley ), but it could be another big problem. Universal Windows Platform require GUI written in XAML, so it's probably that this part of the game should also be rewritten.

I've written this post only for educational purposes. If anyone known something about the source code of Open Arena (or Quake 3), I would be very grateful for any advice, notice etc.
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Gig
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« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2016, 05:40:43 AM »

I'm not the right person to reply to this post, I hope Fromhell or someone else may give you proper infos.

Googling a little, I can see there are some systems for running at OpenGL ES in UWP, I don't know about standard OpenGL. However, if there is really the requirement to rewrite the whole GUI as you said, it seems really too much work...

A few links after a little googling. I haven't really digged a lot in. And I'm not the one who can say
https://opengl.codeplex.com/
https://github.com/MSOpenTech/angle
https://github.com/MSOpenTech/angle/wiki
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/dn764944.aspx
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/design
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc189036%28v=vs.95%29.aspx

PS: I'm not used with USING Windows Store Apps as well. I don't even know why some of the icons in the "Games" section do have the "xbox" logo...
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sago007
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« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2016, 02:22:22 PM »

1. The main show stopper is that OpenArena uses OpenGL. There are now workarounds.
2. Calling the UTF-16 versions of functions is not that big a deal. You can always convert it. Many programs uses the old/deprecated UTF-16 format then talking with Windows and then convert it to the superior UTF-8 format for internal handling. UTF-16 is a design flaw that both Windows and Java suffers from.
3. The GUI is not a problem either. OpenArena does not have one (except for the console that fromhell just enabled again).

However I cannot thing UWP without thinking about this article: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/03/tim-sweeney-to-microsoft-universal-windows-platform-can-should-must-and-will-die/

Quote from: Sweeney
PC UWP can, should, must, and will die as a result of industry backlash
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There are nothing offending in my posts.
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