I recently wrote about dlmalloc and how it is a poor choice for a memory allocator for console games. As I explained in my previous article, dlmalloc has two major limitations. It manages a pool of address space composed of discrete regions called segments. It can easily add segments to grow its pool of address space, […]
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Scalable Concurrency in Despair Engine
In my last article I promised a follow-up description of the memory allocation system that I wrote for Despair Engine during the development of F.E.A.R. 3. Before I get to that, however, I’ve been inspired by Charles Bloom‘s recent posts on the job queue system that is apparently part of RAD Game Tools‘ Oodle, and […]
The Hole That dlmalloc Can’t Fill
dlmalloc Dlmalloc is a general-purpose memory allocator developed by Doug Lea since 1987. It is highly optimized, easily portable, and elegantly designed. It functions as a drop-in replacement for malloc and the source has been generously released into the public domain. The code is also an absolute joy to read, with every line conveying volumes […]
CrossStitch 2.0: Dynamic Shader Linking in a Statically Linked World
In my last article, I described the first generation of CrossStitch, the shader assembly system used in MechAssault 2. Today I’m going to write about the second generation of CrossStitch, the one used in Fracture. Development on CrossStitch 2.0 began with the development of Day 1’s Despair Engine. This was right at the end of […]
CrossStitch: A Configurable Pipeline for Programmable Shading
Some pieces of code are a source of great pride and some pieces of code are a source of terrible shame. It is due to the nature of game development, I believe, that many of the most interesting pieces of code I write eventually become both. That is certainly the case with the CrossStitch shader […]