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The future of C++

General and Gameplay Programming Programming

Started by Nene September 16, 2006 05:26 AM

67 comments, last by GameDev.net 17 years, 6 months ago

Spoonbender

1,258

September 20, 2006 08:58 AM

Quote:Original post by ToohrVyk
Define "next years".

And when you've defined that, define "the main game programming language" [grin]

If you're asking whether you should learn C++, the answer is "if you like", and it doesn't really matter whether it's widely used or not. If you learn it, it'll help you pick up other languages easier, and if you decide to learn another language first, that will help you pick up C++ easier.

Kylotan

10,510

September 20, 2006 09:02 AM

Quote:Original post by Saruman
I was around for the C to C++ shift where the game industry was one of the last software industries to make the change and were hesitant, and I don't see that happening anytime soon especially with any of the current offerings.

Especially since you could migrate slowly and progressively from C to C++, cherry-picking the features you wanted. It's not as easy to do that with any of the newer languages.

Saruman

4,339

September 20, 2006 09:11 AM

Quote:Original post by Kylotan
Especially since you could migrate slowly and progressively from C to C++, cherry-picking the features you wanted. It's not as easy to do that with any of the newer languages.

I 100% agree with you on that. A lot of people don't realize the resistance in the industry to moving to C++ from C because 'it was too slow', etc. Finally when people started seeing the benefits of C++ they began slowly migrating to it and coding in what I like to call 'C with Classes'. Finally the move to actual C++ has been stabilized over the last couple of years... and even then you will run into a lot of 'C with Classes' code.

_goat

804

September 20, 2006 11:07 AM

I honestly believe the "C++ killer" will be a better-designed natively compiled language, with whatever compilation model. There are just some cases, that are not necessarily in the gaming industry, where interpreted or managed code just won't work (embedded stuff, stuff with small amounts of RAM), at which point natively compiled code (C, and C++ sometimes) is the only option. But by the time that language is around, I figure almost everyone in gaming will be using interpreted programming languages, simply because as demand for C++ declines, demand for "better versions" of it decline.

[ search: google ][ programming: msdn | boost | opengl ][ languages: nihongo ]

RDragon1

1,205

September 20, 2006 11:12 AM

Quote:Original post by _goat
I honestly believe the "C++ killer" will be a better-designed natively compiled language, with whatever compilation model. There are just some cases, that are not necessarily in the gaming industry, where interpreted or managed code just won't work (embedded stuff, stuff with small amounts of RAM), at which point natively compiled code (C, and C++ sometimes) is the only option. But by the time that language is around, I figure almost everyone in gaming will be using interpreted programming languages, simply because as demand for C++ declines, demand for "better versions" of it decline.

But, managed languages ARE natively compiled...

Anonymous

September 20, 2006 05:35 PM

Don't you worry. For those who want to get every little bit of performance on a certain platform, the choice is C (C++ adds great overhead) with assembly code on the bottlenecks. Period. Besides, console makers want their platforms to have exclusive titles. They don't want a Java Virtual Machine or a .NET framework available in their architetures, because the games made for their consoles could be easily run on other platforms. So, even if those "managed" languages could beat native ones, they wouldn't be used on consoles or even on computers (it really relieves me, because being limited by languages in which I can't optimize anything low-level is really frustrating).

_goat

804

September 21, 2006 04:54 AM

Quote:Original post by RDragon1
Quote:Original post by _goat
I honestly believe the "C++ killer" will be a better-designed natively compiled language, with whatever compilation model. There are just some cases, that are not necessarily in the gaming industry, where interpreted or managed code just won't work (embedded stuff, stuff with small amounts of RAM), at which point natively compiled code (C, and C++ sometimes) is the only option. But by the time that language is around, I figure almost everyone in gaming will be using interpreted programming languages, simply because as demand for C++ declines, demand for "better versions" of it decline.

But, managed languages ARE natively compiled...

I said interpreted languages...

Oh, I meant "interpreted and managed code".

[ search: google ][ programming: msdn | boost | opengl ][ languages: nihongo ]

paulecoyote

1,065

September 21, 2006 05:08 AM

Considering there are still pockets of COBOL in other industries, and some games still written in C, I doubt C++ is going to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Anything posted is personal opinion which does not in anyway reflect or represent my employer. Any code and opinion is expressed “as is” and used at your own risk – it does not constitute a legal relationship of any kind.

Emmanuel Deloget

1,382

September 21, 2006 07:14 AM

Quote:Original post by Anonymous Poster
Besides, console makers want their platforms to have exclusive titles.

Not wrong, but not totally true either. Some games are released simultaneously on multiple consoles.

Quote:What do you think about the future of C++?

C++ will become more and more C++++, with more features and so on. Ultimately, it will become a Monster Language and people will find it way too complicated and will resort to more modern, better designed languages with similar functionalities. However, I don't see this becomming true before at least 5 years, and more probably 10 or 20.

So far, it will continue to be the language of choice for game development in the next years - as it is now well supported by all the major gaming platforms - but this may change after the "next years" (whatever this means).

Regards,

-- Emmanuel D. [blog, in French] [blog, very bad googlized translation]

Karadok

100

September 21, 2006 07:59 AM

Original post by Promit

Honestly, we're in a tight spot. People know full well that C++ sucks and we need something better.

No, it doesn`t. Only a lot of bad programers using it.

i mean: No, it doesn`t. Only a lot of bad programers sucks in using it.

[Edited by - Karadok on September 22, 2006 4:59:51 AM]

The future of C++

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