Google ports Quake II to HTML5

[console]

http://googlewebtoolkit.blogspot.com/2010/04/look-ma-no-plugin.html

Google translated the Java port of Q2 to Javascript, and ported it to HTML5 in-browser technologies (WebGL, WebSockets, HTML5 Audio)


(Of course, it says "up to 60 fps", but, still... )

[|iR|Focalor]

No box jumps? BOGUS!

Here you go Razor. Go ahead and start making hax for it before everyone else. FAME AND GLORY ARE YOURS!

[The Happy Friar]

That's AWESOME! 

This brings up a VERY interesting question: GPL requires you hand out the code IF you hand out the binaries.  In this case, you're not handing out the binaries, it's like watching a video streaming, but you can interact with it.

So is this a way for someone to not hand out their code now?  Interesting question!

EDIT: the copyright is also wrong.  It's Copyright 2010 Bethesda.    At least that's what all their other stuff says now.

[console]

This brings up a VERY interesting question: GPL requires you hand out the code IF you hand out the binaries.  In this case, you're not handing out the binaries, it's like watching a video streaming, but you can interact with it.

So is this a way for someone to not hand out their code now?

Actually it's not streaming video.  The javascript code is being downloaded to the browser and run locally.  So the GPL would still apply.

[The Happy Friar]

so then there's not even an executable ,you're getting the code anyway?  From the FAQ it sounded more like it was streaming the game to you vs you executing it yourself.

[console]

so then there's not even an executable ,you're getting the code anyway?  From the FAQ it sounded more like it was streaming the game to you vs you executing it yourself.

I took a look at the source.  It's still written in Java, a modified version of the Jake2 Q2 port.  But they use the Google Web Toolkit (GWT) to translate the Java into Javascript.

So, yes, your browser would be receiving the Javascript source code and executing it locally.


One point made by the developers is that because it's a Javascript translation of a Java port of C code, it's still using idioms that are efficient in C, but not so efficient when brute force translated to Javascript.  Also, Q2 doesn't use modern OpenGL features like vertex buffers, and so incurs more CPU overhead--especially in Javascript--than would be necessary if the renderer were brought up to date.

So I'm inclined to believe the developers' observation that there's a lot of room to improve the speeds (fps) they're currently getting out of the game.


Regards,

[The Happy Friar]

Yeah, I read their writeups too.  It's very neat.  Even though it's just a test, since it's GPL this could put (with work) all of the older Q1/2/3 mods in to a web-based delivery format within a few years & put the Q1/2/3 developed games up there too. 

In my view, this is the biggest thing done to the Quake series GPL code since it was released.