Why Fenix?

[HEP]

Why should one use Fenix in general? I'd like to know your opinion.

Furthermore: Why should one prefer it over SDL. I did a comparison of the two and SDL seems to win in almost every aspect. But since I don't know Fenix well enough (only from docs), I maybe missed something. Therefore I am asking you.

 

[Squidge]

You use whatever your happy with, but if you talking about what I think your talking about SDL requires a knowledge of C. Most people who know C don't use Fenix, but Fenix is easier for people who don't know C.

 

[ruckage]

As squidge says its simply much easier to use and the results can be quite impressive. It still does take some time to learn (partly due to a lot of the docs being in spanish) but after looking through others sample code you can catch onto it fairly quickly. The only downsides in my opinion are that it requires the runtime which will increase file size, it's still a beta and has some bugs (the worst of which is random crashing) and it's not as fast as sdl although it is still fairly nippy and perfectly adequate for most purposes.

 

[Goity]

it has a few decent features integrated such as mode7 too

 

[HEP]

Thanks for the feedback. You confirmed my impression, that it's mainly easier to use for people who don't know C. Since I know C, I would use SDL then because that's easier for people who know C. But I thought that Fenix had maybe some cool features like builtin code for loading maps and things like that.

 

[moi]

don't forget that your fenix application once compiled will work on all plattforms that support fenix, such as dreamcast or pc.

 

[kevcal]

If you know C and are interested in built-in routines for gaming, I'd investigate Allegro:

http://alleg.sourceforge.net/
http://www.allegro.cc/

I use this a fair amount (although not on gp2x yet) and it has some very useful routines - then again I know nothing about SDL!

Kev

EDIT: Sorry hadn't realised this thread was in the Fenix area.. I know nothing about Fenix either, so will remain quiet from now on.

 

[Dubya']

EDIT: Sorry hadn't realised this thread was in the Fenix area.. I know nothing about Fenix either, so will remain quiet from now on.

That's OK by me. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have discovered Allegro. Thanks!

 

[yonni]

Thanks for the feedback. You confirmed my impression, that it's mainly easier to use for people who don't know C. Since I know C, I would use SDL then because that's easier for people who know C. But I thought that Fenix had maybe some cool features like builtin code for loading maps and things like that.

Fenix does have builtin functions for loading graphics, sounds, animations, etc. It has easy-to-use (compared to the C/C++ equivalents) DLLs that allow use of everything from TTF fonts to TCP network connections to GUI elements. Fenix is built on C and SDL, and as such is not that much slower.

Basically, what fenix is IS a set of cool built in code specifically designed for making games. Scrolling, mode7, mode8, palettes, .FNT fonts, etc

Obviously, use what you're comfortable with. I just feel that fenix was not represented fully here.
(clearly, i recommend fenix as you will spend more time writing a game, and less writing an engine for it)