Quest for the best scene format

A graphics engine needs to know how to compose a scene from a given set of resources, such as: meshes, skeletons, and textures. This is what scene file is for - it's a document that describes relationship between basic resources, joining them into a system that can be effectively processed by the code. This file is composed either by hand (if the scene is small), or by the exporter script from a 3D modelling program. During the evolution of KRI engine the scene format changed several times. I'll try to review the development history and analyze various formats I used, based on the personal experience.

0. Composed in code: kri-1, kri-2

This is where we all start: just slapping entities on the screen directly.
Lang:    C++
Pros:
    -no export stage
    -no need to validate
    -no parsing
Cons:
    -non extensible

1. Custom binary: kri-3

All scene data and resources were stored in a single binary file of a custom format.
Lang:    Boo
Pros:
    -no external libs
    -fast parsing
Cons:
    -non human-readable -> difficult to debug
    -difficult to validate
    -resources are not separate

2. XML: kri-web

XML is a well-known document format, it has the greatest language/tool support. Besides, that's what we used at my former employer company.
Lang:    Dart, XML
Pros:
    -built-in validation with Schema
    -support for default values
Cons:
    -need to keep Schema synchronized with exporter/loader
    -too verbose
    -bloated loading code (no 1:1 data representation)
    -not clear what to put into attributes -> design ambiguity

3. JSON: claymore-engine

This is where I discovered JSON, and it immediately appealed to me because of the simple syntax and its 1:1 reflection with the data. Fortunately, this is the only format Rust had a built-in support for. However, it turned out to be a poor choice for the scene description due to the lack of heterogeneous structures.
Lang:    Rust, JSON
Pros:
Cons:
    -no heterogeneous structures -> difficult to read

From there I started looking for something like JSON but to describe the document instead of the data. I looked into YAML, which seemed nice, a bit more complex, and not supported by Rust. Then I found Candle Object Notation, which seemed like a non-ambiguous and compact version of XML, plus the 1:1 mapping to data. However, the format is not that well documented and supported... "It would be nice to have the same object initialization syntax as Rust" - I thought when this idea hit me like a train: why not use Rust then?

4. Rust: k-engine

Let's just export a rust source file, which will be compiled with the application.
Lang:    Rust
Pros:
    -free validation (your code is the spec)
    -no run-time parsing -> instant loading, no run-time errors
    -no need to learn new syntax
    -compact (no external file needed to run)
Cons:
    -need to compile the scene
    -bound to the language

This approach seems to be the perfect solution for my scene format. The only thing that worries me is that it depends on Rust compile times. Though, we can still parse Rust code at run time, if we want, while still verifying it at compile time. You can see an actual export result here. It is compact, easy to read, and elegant.

Revolution in Game Development

Hardcore gamers have been struggling to see good games in the past 10 years. With each new release, each new title, or a demo, I've been looking with hope that it can be something incredible. But, generally, there wasn't a single great game, just a couple of good ones instead. Today, all big titles are targeted at soft-core audience, because it's easier to make and sells good. Fortunately, this is going to change in 2013, and the roots of the revolution are visible now.


2013 will be the beginning of the next golden age of gaming. The epicentre of the last one was around 1998, and I'm sure there was at least one more before it in 80th. The reason for games to change is the revolution in relationship between the developer, users, and the publisher on the way to extinction. The key concepts of the new era are digital distribution and crowd funding. This revolution is happening today, and the leaders have already shown up:

1. Steam (2002): the flagman of digital game distribution built by Valve. Steam helps PC developers to sell the game, and advertise it, without having a publisher. Steam has also shown us that games don't need to be so expensive, and the price can go down faster after the release, especially if the game turned out to be not as good as advertised.

2. Humble Bundle (2010): demonstrated the effectiveness of pay-what-you-want business model applied to indie games. Plus the fact that copyright protection is undesired: both Humble Bundle and GOG service provide only DRM-free content. An interesting discovery was that Linux/Unix users are ready to pay more than Windows gamers.

3. Minecraft (2009): an original game that became popular in the open alpha state. Minecraft was not the first, but it was the brightest and incredibly successful example of the game sponsored by the live user community. People realized that they can not only pay for existing games, but also influence the future by investing in the ideas they like.

4. KickStarter (2008): a portal that connects game developers with gamers, who are ready to invest their money. Millions of dollars are gathered around ambitious projects, exceeding developer expectations by a large factor. It is the final link in a chain that leaves no place for big fat publishers. Well, except for console games... for now.

I'm calling everyone to sponsor the games you would really enjoy! This revolution will make 2013 a wonderful year of games, which would be able to compete with veterans of 1998. For a complete picture, here are the games I'm proud to support:

Wasteland 2
ShadowRun
Age of Decadence
StarFarer
Tortured Hearts

A Perfect Game

Computer games are substantial part of my life. They bring new ideas, unique experience, and challenge my tactics and reflexes. I always think about qualities of game in general, and try to judge existing games upon these characteristics. There is a game that reached my heart, and I would like to tell you about it.
I played all genres, with RPG being the favorite. I adore Fallout 1/2, Arcanum, X-Com 1/2, Unreal-1, Planescape: Tourment, Baldur's Gate, Jagged Alliance, MechCommander, and other classics of 90th. Since that golden age the overall depth of the content was quickly decreasing, while the appearance was getting more and more detail. These titles are well respected by a limited community, but the subject is not among them. The subject came out shadowed by the titans, and having unique language, enormous system requirements, and little-to-no advertising, was left with no chance to shine.

The game Vangers was created by pure geniuses from russian K-D Lab studio. It features unique voxel-based terrain engine, novel-level futuristic story, and a gameplay mixed between RPG/action/simulation. The world you are literally thrown in lives by it's own laws (unlike XCom/JA/MC, where everything is user-centric). You are not special there (unlike Fallout/Arcanum/Planescape/BG), in fact there is a thousand of others, who are faster, stronger, and even able to reach the story goals before you. The world behaves as a living organism: try to leave the control for a second, and you will notice swarms of little creatures flying, swimming, crawling in the terrain; other vangers rushing in a race competition; global world cycle changing from winter to warm summer... The landscape is dynamically persistent through the game: once destroyed a bridge in a crazy fight - and you have to look for another way to cross the river. The role-playing is based on your very actions, not on some digits in your stats. On the one hand, you are absolutely free to do anything there, even the suicide can be your game ending. On the other hand, there is a strong story line that keeps you fully motivated to explore.


The game didn't get proper reception. Some people love it, some hate it, others don't understand, or simply never heard of this gem. It could make a perfect MMOG, but it already has various multi-player modes, and the games are still hosted. I enjoyed *playing* the story, because this is the game play in its perfect sense. From that moment, I started looking at the real world with eyes of a vanger.