What operating system do they use at work?
Author
Hey everyone, im pretty new here, so I am sorry if threads like this one usually are posted in a different forum.
I was wondering... What operating system does the programming group usually use in a game development studio? And the visuals group?
Is Linux used often for (other then server stuff) game development, or is it wiser to master the Windows programming enviornment?
Thanks!
It's wisest to not overspecialise on anything...
You only destroy your career prospects if the industry changes in the slightest.
Tons of people were left behind when they made the mistake in not seeing the advent of DirectX and insisting in keeping working in DOS only.
Tons more were left behind when they didn't realise the potential of networked applications.
Now everyone who isn't flexible enough to work on anything anywhere and is unwilling or incapable of picking up an entirely new skillset in a few weeks is basically guaranteed to be impossible to employ in the near future let alone for the next decade.
You only destroy your career prospects if the industry changes in the slightest.
Tons of people were left behind when they made the mistake in not seeing the advent of DirectX and insisting in keeping working in DOS only.
Tons more were left behind when they didn't realise the potential of networked applications.
Now everyone who isn't flexible enough to work on anything anywhere and is unwilling or incapable of picking up an entirely new skillset in a few weeks is basically guaranteed to be impossible to employ in the near future let alone for the next decade.
While I agree with everything Jwen said, I think the tendency in business environments is to use Windows and Microsoft Visual Studio. I could be wrong because I don’t actually work at a game development company, but I couldn’t see the advantage of using anything other than VS .NET if cost is not an issue. Unless the company uses primarily Macs, which is not uncommon but far less frequent for programmers. Without getting into the great O/S debate, most companies will run Windows if for nothing else other than the simple fact that almost everyone knows how to use it.
Edit: I also wanted to add that if your in the business of developing games, switching from one compiler or O/S to the other should be a fairly simplistic task.
Edit: I also wanted to add that if your in the business of developing games, switching from one compiler or O/S to the other should be a fairly simplistic task.
We use Visual Studio for development; we develop on and for Windows PCs. At this point in time, Windows is the most marketable target platform for games. There are increasingly good cross-platform tools, though, and those are absolutely worth learning - SDL, OpenGL, OpenAL, Allegro, and even some stuff in the land of Java. A few developers use Linux when doing cross-platform work, and it is quite common for art teams to use Macs, especially when video work is involved.
As jwenting said, putting one's eggs all in a single basket is a bad idea, so definitely pick up multiple platforms if at all possible - although, if it isn't possible, definitely favor Windows for now. Linux is a great candidate, being free. If you don't have a spare machine to run a second OS on, you can use emulator software to run multiple OSes on a single PC.
As jwenting said, putting one's eggs all in a single basket is a bad idea, so definitely pick up multiple platforms if at all possible - although, if it isn't possible, definitely favor Windows for now. Linux is a great candidate, being free. If you don't have a spare machine to run a second OS on, you can use emulator software to run multiple OSes on a single PC.
The last games company I applied for said that "all their development work is done on Linux", yet I saw MS Visual Studio running on several of their PCs. I think you're more likely to see Linux used when they're working on console games as well as PC games.
Many artists I know (but those aren't in gaming, so it might be a bit different) use Macs (and thus Mac OS).
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