New Project Advice

http://www.opengl.org/wiki/index.php/Getting_started#OpenGL_3.0

Appreciate the response, and I have read this already. However with no definitive timetable on when deprecated items would be phased out of specification, I really can't judge what to plan for. I personally just hate the fact that future revisions won't guarantee backwards compatibility. However for me, OpenGL is still better than the alternatives.

My plain at this point would be to implement 2D rendering in such a way that I could use immediate mode for now, and have the capability to then extend OpenGL 3.0 methods for rendering 2D graphics into my code base. Then at runtime I could check the OpenGL version, and call the appropriate methods. Does this sound like a reasonable approach?

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Original post by Etherstar I personally just hate the fact that future revisions won't guarantee backwards compatibility.

Where did you read that it wouldn't be backwards compatible. The site says plainly that it will be:

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OpenGL Wiki All that GL 3.0 brings to the table is a new way to create a context. You can use it to make a GL 3.0 context. Old programs that obviously create a standard context are not effected by this. They will continue to run. GL 3.0 doesn't mean that old programs won't run anymore.

I may be missing out on something if you could please point that out. Since you're starting out a new project have you even gathered all the information that the game will require to be made ( story, characters, weapons ) that way you know how to design the engine around that? If not work on that until you get finished and then if OpenGL 3.0 isn't out, then you could try coding without the 3.0 features and just update your code to use it. However the 2.0 code will still be functional so technically there would be no reason to update it, although I suppose it would be a good idea.

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Original post by openglJunkie Quote: Original post by Etherstar I personally just hate the fact that future revisions won't guarantee backwards compatibility. Where did you read that it wouldn't be backwards compatible. The site says plainly that it will be: Quote: OpenGL Wiki All that GL 3.0 brings to the table is a new way to create a context. You can use it to make a GL 3.0 context. Old programs that obviously create a standard context are not effected by this. They will continue to run. GL 3.0 doesn't mean that old programs won't run anymore. I may be missing out on something if you could please point that out. Since you're starting out a new project have you even gathered all the information that the game will require to be made ( story, characters, weapons ) that way you know how to design the engine around that? If not work on that until you get finished and then if OpenGL 3.0 isn't out, then you could try coding without the 3.0 features and just update your code to use it. However the 2.0 code will still be functional so technically there would be no reason to update it, although I suppose it would be a good idea.

Thanks for responding. I think I had the typical knee-jerk reaction of panicking when I read about the deprecation model. I guess my concern was that when say OpenGL the 3.1 spec comes out, and the previously deprecated items I decided to use were now phased out (immediate mode), my program would essentially be broken at that point on systems using 3.1. However, you are right in that everything would still work just fine under 3.0. With a little sensibility, I should be ready for the transition regardless of when it happens.