I''m the project lead for a freeware historical RTS game called 0 A.D. and we are researching out some scripting lanuages for the game. Up untill this point had decided to go with LUA. But, our LUA scripter just left the project due to some real life matters relating to the health of his wife. Because he was really the only one who understood the lanaguage (and he really didn''t get allot of documentation down), we thought it would be best to re-evaluate the scripting as an entire module.
We just hired a few ''newer'' members who will be working with the scripting. They stumbled apon a language called ferite. I was searching this forum for information and glanced over the threads of the last year and I don''t think it has been brought up in this forum before?
So my question is, have any of you had any experiance with this language before? Do you know any good points or bad points about ferite? How does it compare to LUA?
Here is what we came up with so far:
+ Powerful.
+ Familiar C-style syntax.
+ Fairly well known.
+ Easily extendable without digging in engine.
+ Clear and very organised (looks like C++ but without the complexity).
+ Been in development for 3 years.
+ Comes with xml, dbi, regex, and other goodies built in.
+ It comes with a complete API just for implementation.
+ Integrated language, so we don''t have to compile scripts (though we''ll compile our built-in modules -- low level -- with their builder tool; must make that a final-release thing, though, so that we can keep the modules open during development for faster update). Could also bundle it to use for syntax checking -- no need to write Script Editor.
- More powerful than necessary? Lua is sufficiently powerful.
- C-style syntax isn''t very newbie friendly.
Counter: But we''ll include a library of script functions (scripting API in various compiled modules: AI, RMS, etc) so that beginners and basic modders can play around with the basics (just call functions), while advanced scripters can easily write their own scripts (we''ll need to create a library as we go for our own code reuse purposes anyway) in a format that is familiar to them.
- Lua has simpler concepts: UDTs, classes, lists, dictionaries, arrays are all one simple concept.
- According to MarkT, from what he''s seen online, AoK scripting - which was Pascal-ish and simpler - is/was more popular than AoM scripting (custom language XS), which is much more C++.
Counter: We''ll check with modding communities and see whether they would prefer a more natural language like Lua over a C-style language like ferite.
Counter-counter: Existing modders are already technically proficient. It''s potential modders that concern us ...
Counter-counter-counter: Script library will help us appeal to both.
- It''s pre-1.0. On the other hand, Lua is up to about 5.0, been in development for 6 years, and has been proven in a fair few applications.
Counter: Developer version numbers aren''t an accurate reflection. Ferite is only pre 1.0 because the developer first wants to release Windows port, but the engine itself is complete and stable.
- It doesn''t have a Windows port yet.
Counter: It will be officially released in January. If we need it earlier, the developer can hand it right to us (since we won''t be using a lot of the modules).
- It requires a license.
Counter: It''s only a BSD license: we just need to include their copyright information in our documentation, and in the binary (about section or credits) ... just so we don''t claim we created ferite.
If any of you could offer any advice one way or the other as it relates to RTS games, we would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks
Wijitmaker™
member of WFG
0 A.D.
