Developing Games with OpenAL?

AciDive asks: "I am currently working on developing a game and I want to use OpenAL for the sound. I have downloaded the SDK and currently have it working with Dev-C++. The reference documentation that comes with the SDK is good but it leaves something to be desired. What I would like to know is has anyone here on Slashdot ever done any sound programming with OpenAL and if so what resources did you use to get yourself started?"

Comments

I guess you could use that.....

[trompete]

I use LibSDL because I want to do more than just sound in a cross-platform application. Did you consider using SDL for sound before you chose OpenAL?

Re:I guess you could use that.....

[eviltypeguy]

OpenAL provides a 3D audio API, SDL does not. OpenAL can even use SDL as an output device, and it is cross platform and portable. If the poster wants 3D audio, then OpenAL is is only "free" cross-platform portable choice.

Re:I guess you could use that.....

[Carnildo]

For someone who just wants sound, libSDL is a very large package to add to a program.

Re:I guess you could use that.....

[Lord Omlette]

The submitter apparently wants to be in good company...

Re:I guess you could use that.....

[cryoknight]

SDL has licensing issues. You can't use it for a commercial application since you'd have to include your source code. Thus, it's not of much use unless you are just trying to learn the basics of game development.

Re:I guess you could use that.....

[Anonymous Coward]

1. SDL has licensing issues. You can't use it for a commercial application since you'd have to include your source code. Thus, it's not of much use unless you are just trying to learn the basics of game development.

???

The SDL libraries were developed to port commercial, closed source, games to Linux. Since then, it's become a good cross platform set of tools. Where did you hear that it can't be used in commercial games or in any other closed source program?

The base SDL libs are LGPL-licenced, and even if they were GPLed, it wouldn't be much of an issue (Linux the kernel is GPLed, for example). Check the Simple DirectMedia Layer web site.

The restrictions are important for commercial use, but minimal.

In sum, you *CAN* include the source of whatever you base it on, but you *DO NOT HAVE TO*. If you change the LGPLed libs themselves, *AND SOMEONE ASKS FOR THAT SOURCE* you have to hand over *THAT SOURCE ONLY* -- not your closed application. The restrictions are important for commercial use, but minimal.

Re:I guess you could use that.....

[Anonymous Coward]

SDL has licensing issues. You can't use it for a commercial application since you'd have to include your source code.

LOL! Just so folks aren't confused by this error, if you're curious go Read The Fine FAQ :)

Not that good

[aramith]

I have a friend who, I think, was developing some stuff with OpenAL, and he said he wasn't that impressed with it. I can't really remember for sure, as I haven't looked at it at all. Maybe he'll respond here and be able to actually give you information.

Re:Not that good

[the_truk_stop]

On the other hand, I seem to recall that a major game (Tribes 2, if I recall correctly), was produced using OpenAL, so at least someone was impressed by it. ;)

Re:Not that good

[Dreadlord]

UT2004 uses OpenAL for sound too.

Re:Not that good

[mstorer3772]

False.

Tribes 2 used FMOD.

I can understand your confusion though, because TORQUE, from www.garagegames.com, does use OpenAL. Torque is a pay-for-the-source version of the Tribes 2 engine. Lots of cool stuff going on over there.

Sadly, the OpenAL implementation in Torque isn't that widely reguarded in its development community because... (drum roll) the sound engine was originally written for FMOD. OpenAL was shoe-horned in to remove that particular royalty from the engine.

Re:Not that good

[Anonymous Coward]

The Loki port of Tribes 2 for Linux used OpenAL, not FMOD. Loki also used OpenAL in FAKK2, Rune (and expansion), MindRover (as does LGP's continuation of that title's port), and Soldier of Fortune used an early version. I believe UT2k3 and UT2k4 for Linux also use OpenAL.

Note, this does not necessarily mean that the original Windows version of the code used OpenAL.

Re:Not that good

[Dreadlord]

UT2004 uses OpenAL for both Windows and Linux BTW.

canonical help

[jvalenzu]

Subscribe to the mailing list . Try #openal on irc.freenode.net. You can read a brief introduction to it in Game Programming Gems 4 as well, but as always the most up to date references are online.

nb: trolls

[Anonymous Coward]

If you want your comments to be credible, do what the parent poster does, and refer to 'friends' as he, not she.

No one is going to believe any slash-dotter who says they have a female friend, and although you are looking for things to flag your posts as trolls to the cognoscenti, a 'she' is just way too blatant.

Having said that, a '-1, offtopic' score for a totally ontopic post is as impressive as '+5, interesting' in this case.

As a matter of fact...

[mstorer3772]

I'm using OpenAL right now in my own little game project. It's kind of a cross between Robotron 2084 and Asteroids. It represents upwards of 20 hours of work and it shows (meh). As does my utter lack of artistic ability. The particle effects aren't bad though.

I'm not doing a whole lot with OpenAL, but I *am* using it. Positional audio, which is the only sound I have in game. No music (yet).

My project, "Bubble Cruiser", is using OpenAL on top of the default sound engine (DirectX I believe). I had some initial trouble but have massaged it into something pretty decent.

Advice: Start from their sample code. The Creative SDK comes with a couple samples that will get you started.

I tried writing the code from scratch at first but ran home to the samples almost immediately.

And I wasn't terribly impressed with the docs either. Typical. But between the API reference and the sample code, you'll do fine.

OpenAL?

[All_Star25]

I'm using it on a SF project (no sound code committed to CVS yet; hence no link) and in addition to the developer docs included with the SDK, I took a look at some DevMaster tutorials on the web. They cover the basics and also some more advanced topics. It was a good start for me, even though, depending on what you want to do with it, you might have to make up some of your own stuff on the way. At least, that's what I did.

How about accelerated hardware for Linux?

[motown]

For awhile, I thought OpenAL was going to die a silent death (no pun intended). Therefore, I have been pleasantly surprised lately, with both Creative (one of the initiators of the standard) and NVIDIA releasing Windows drivers with hardware-accelerated suport for the OpenAL API.

Unfortunately, there is still not a single audio solution available, which offers hardware-accelerated support in Linux.

The only promising development I've heard of recently was news a while ago from a group of people who somehow managed to obtain full specs for Vortex sound cards, originally developed by Aureal, which was bought by Creative when bankrupcy was imminent. Apparently, the specs are complete enough for the group to develop Linux drivers that can expose hardware-accelerated 3d audio through the OpenAL API.

Does anyone else have any news on this? As well as news on future hardware OpenAL support in Linux by Creative (which promised this years ago and sofar hasn't delivered on this) or NVIDIA?

What can the fine ALSA developers tell us about this?