Help a noob understand. What does the "code refactor" business mean?

[Delarme]

Since the modding API was first announced, they said it was in C#. It would be utter lunacy to switch an entire project from C++ to C#, not least because C# is about 100% slower.

Um no. 10% to 15% maybe for unmanaged C++ vs C#. And that's assuming you're taking significant time to optimize your code, which most developers don't. The biggest trip up with C# for developers for games specifically is managing the GC. If you can manage that, it should perform amicably. And of course you can use both if you want in a project.

I do highly doubt they are rewriting the engine into C# though.

 

[kreamy]

There's a reason companies like Rockstar, CD Projekt Red, and many others avoid roadmaps and timelines and estimates (which will INVARIABLY be interpreted as "promises" by gamers) - Making accurate software engineering estimates requires a LOT of time and labor, particularly when you're in the business of creating your own game engine. Most games today are made with pre-made engines like Unreal 4 that have been in development for nearly 20 years and have thousands of resources and documents online. In almost all cases it makes more sense to use that time and labor to simply drive the game forward, software development is mostly iteration and a lot of trial and error due to the enormous amount of variables involved.

The 5 Laws of Software Estimates

Estimates are typically a necessary evil in software development. Unfortunately, people tend to assume that writing new software is like building a house or fixing a car, and that as such the contractor or mechanic involved should be perfectly capable of providing a reliable estimate for the...

ardalis.com

100% agree. but obviously they didnt want to pay royalties (and what a shame that is for us as gamers - here we are after all - paying AAA dollars for an experiment)

 

[babelfisch]

100% agree. but obviously they didnt want to pay royalties (and what a shame that is for us as gamers - here we are after all - paying AAA dollars for an experiment)

I am not sure if a third party engine would be capable of rendering and simulating thousands of people on the battlefield.

 

[svennd]

I am not sure if a third party engine would be capable of rendering and simulating thousands of people on the battlefield.

They can and do in some instances; TW isn't breaking a new era in gaming; By all means they are a rather small blip in the game field, but having your own engine means doing it the way you want, which has been the case since well forever; and it has worked for them.

Beside the fact that they are refactoring, it would have been nice if they pushed some smaller patches with polishing up small bugs; we are a month w/o anything that doesn't seem nice so early after release of the beta. #imho

 

[babelfisch]

They can and do in some instances; TW isn't breaking a new era in gaming; By all means they are a rather small blip in the game field, but having your own engine means doing it the way you want, which has been the case since well forever; and it has worked for them.

Beside the fact that they are refactoring, it would have been nice if they pushed some smaller patches with polishing up small bugs; we are a month w/o anything that doesn't seem nice so early after release of the beta. #imho

Absolutely agree. Just wanted to point out that their engine is probably better suited for their specific demands than any other 3rd party engine. So the 'they didn't want to pay royalties' argument is nonsense in my opinion.