C#

#1 Yeah right...
C# is not portable nor cross platform, so the answer is No.

#2 One might want to TRY and keep onself informed before flaming. http://www.go-mono.com/

#3 Thanks J. Donavan Stanley. Yea, I knew about the Go-Mono project (funded by Ximian, not just some underfunded OSS group). And, if anyone has ever used C# they can attest to it's cool features like garbage collection and easier syntax. I prefer it over C++, and I have done a lot of development with it.

No offense to open source (I love it myself), but usually what Microsoft wants is what they get. Take a look at IE over Netscape, Windows over MacOS/Linux/BeOS/Misc., MS Office over StarOffice, XBox over GameCube (maybe PS2 in time), and the list goes on.

Hence there is merit to my question: Are there plans to put the engine into C# instead of C++. Or, is there any way to include C# code into the engine seemlessly?

Thanks,
Justin Kuepper

#4 There will be a DX implementation of C# in DX 9... not sure there will be one for Opengl though. And I dont know if it can do bindings to C/C++ or not.

#5 Actualy since your game is really just a collection of scripts there's not a lot of point in C# support within the engine itself.

I'm not saying it can't be done, just that I don't nessesarily see WHY it would be done. But then again I've not even bothered to tinker with C# even though I own Visual Studio Enterprise.

#6 if your looking to do C# programming without shelling out the money for VS C# .NET you can get SharpDevelop. An excellent free IDE for doing C#, VB.NET, ASP.NET and Java .NET. You can grab the latest beta here - http://sourceforge.net/projects/sharpdevelop

-Tim aka Spock

#7 I want to use C# because it fits with the .NET framework, and I wanted it to work with ASP.NET for a MMG I am working on. And, the syntax is easier, and it has improved features. That's why I want to use it. I am not saying its necessary, I was just wondering if it's a possibility in the future.

I use SharpDevelop, but it still has a way to go until it gets as good as VStudio.NET.

#8 Aside from general M$ bashing, I see three very serious reasons for not using C# in any game engine:

a) It is new and not tested enough. It took C and C++ years to mature, and there is no reason to expect anything else from C#

b) Performance. Especially as far as compiler optimizations go, which take even longer to mature (hell, we're still building better C compilers all the time). There's a reason why Quake3 isn't written in Java.

c) Microsoft. I would never use something tied too close to someone who is known (and has been convicted) for shaddy business practices. Who knows what they'll change in the next EULA of the development studio that you just bound your whole project to?

#9 THe way I see C# is that I am going to learn it. Since its becoming cross platform its definitely going to become a standard that businesses will start wanting. Whether it will be used in games... I don't know. But I am sure .NET will be used in the business world.

#10 I've done quite a lot of work using C# and managed C++, and I've got to say that for applications development its great. I've sat 2 of my MSCD exams so far and I'm moving away from writing MFC applications more and more to move over to C#. For games though, I don't really see it becoming anything near C++ for years at least. C++ is such a powerful optimised language whereas C# is new and although powerful, its geared towards working within the .Net framework for building web-applications.

Now if only VS.Net would stop linking itself with the Torque .cs script files life would be a lot easier :)

#11 Well, if DX9 is being built with C# compatability then Microsoft must see some kind of value in the language for gaming. With DX libraries I think it could be an good language to write games with.

Also, in my quest for information I found this website: http://www.exocortex.org/3dengine/. This is a 3D engine written in C#, and the author seems to like C# and he sees potential in using it in 3D applications (read the article for more info I am not going to rewrite it here).

#12 Guess that kills my theory on no opengl in C# :)

As far as using C# for a game, Visual Basic and Java both have been used to create 3d games.. it can't be worst than they are.

#13 Justin: Well, if DX9 is being built with C# compatability then Microsoft must see some kind of value in the language for gaming.

Actually, it only proves that M$ sees some kind of value in

a) pushing C#
b) tying it and DX together

It'll be interesting to see what tricks they play. Like certain C# features only available through the DX libraries, to stop the movement towards OpenGL.

#14 This is reminiscent of the days Java was unleashed on the world. "Everything will go Java." "Java is the best thing since the discovery of sex."

Actually, C# and Java are not all that different. Oh and alot of the "features" of C# (garbage collection, easier syntax) are the same reasons Java apps where supposed to take over the world.

Gee, Microsoft thinks C# is great for DX. Well, they make DX, and they make C#. How can we "microsoft" kick Sun in the ass a little harder? Why put C# support in DX of course. Simply put, C# is Microsofts response to losing the lawsuit Sun slapped on them for the JVM in Explorer a few years ago. So the language is really just a direct competitor with Java. It's not some new concept with Microsoft wanting to help developers. By the way, it was originally called COOL for you trivia minded folks.

I learned it because the same managers that want VB apps will want C# apps because they read about it in the newspaper. Not because I couldn't make the app better, more efficient, and more maintainable in C++.

Sorry about the rant, I just don't buy into the whole VB managed form based crap. It's great for prototyping, but that's it. Just my opinion.

#15 As a "general purpose" programming language, which C and C++ were designed to be Java replaces both of them with applomb. Since C# is a direct response to Java I am sure that it will have a place in the language world.

C and C++ are both moving from "general purpose" languages to something more specialized, "highly performant general purpose languages". I mean for 99% of all software written, C/C++ are overkill from a return on investment standpoint given hardware capabilities now days.

For "highly performant" applications like real time simulations be it games or more "practical" scientific real time simulations it will be a few more years before C/C++ have any real competition from Java or C# or whatever else comes around.

For highly complicated distrubited systems with more moderate time requirments like every business application I have ever worked on in the past 20 years, Java and its ilk are a much better choice for ROI considerations.

That said, having the ability to "plug in" different "scripting" languages in place of the TorqueScript might be a nice thing. Since Python has already been accomplished I am sure that some one could bind just about anything they wanted in.

If nothing else having a more "standard" and simpler syntax like Java or C# for the non-time critical game logic could only be a GoodThing