LÖVE

Should LÖVE support all the image and sound formats the software world has to offer? Or should we restrict ourselves to only the most popular ones?

Here's my view of "popular" ones, though I'm sure everyone will have different lists:

• PNG, JPEG, GIF
• WAV, FLAC, OGG, MP3, + mods

There are arguments both for and agains both approaches, although not all of them are equally important:

• + Less formats means less dependencies.
• + Less download size (for Windows/MacOSX).
• + Easier to compile on new platforms, like Wii.
• - Does potentially imply more work for the LÖVE Dev Team. (Minor wheel reinvention).
• - Could damage LÖVE's easy-to-use goal slightly (or severely).

True, most people will probably not care about download size, but it it still list-worthy. Feel free to suggest alternative "popular formats" lists. I just listed what I normally use.

<tekken>Get ready! FIGHT!</tekken>

Only popular ones, at least until a demand for rarely-used format exists? There might not be a chance to change later, though, but I still think this is good.

Somewhat off-topic: I thought a license was needed for using mp3 format.... That's why most open-source apps use .ogg? I'm not 100% sure though.

appleide wrote: I thought a license was needed for using mp3 format.... That's why most open-source apps use .ogg? I'm not 100% sure though.

You do in the US (and some other country's), because there you've got software patents, something Europe, or at least most European country's, don't (doesn't? I lost myself here) have. You can freely distribute them in those country's, however you can't distribute them in "software-patent-country's".
I'm not saying I have any experience or even legal knowledge, that's just what I know.

Whether or not MP3 should be supported is a highly related discussion. I'd like to hear the people's opinion on this.

That goes for OSS idealists as well as ... whatever the opposite is.

ogg(vorbis) > mp3, no need in proprietary formats here

I'm not an open source fundamentalist. Extremely many people use MP3, and I would say it is still the de-facto standard, although maybe diminishing. It is a loss of quality and waste of time to have to convert music you can get in MP3 just because you want to keep the software "clean."

Now, on the other hand, if license issues will get in the way of anyone releasing commercial software using LÖVE, (or any other privileges) e.g. in the US, then I feel MP3 should be left out. Otherwise i find it very important to keep MP3 support... it fits with the "simplicity" policy.

I vote to support only popular formats. PNG, JPEG, GIF (also patented), and i think maybe TGA and BMP? For audio: wave, ogg, mp3, midi... i don't know that many formats. I cannot imagine anyone using FLAC in a game, but what do i know. It is probably easy to add anyways.

Hmm, I think I just made a very bad poll. It didn't occur to me that everyone would vote "only the popular ones" if they get to choose what that means.

I'm removing the poll-part of this thread.

I can't find any valid reason to not allow users to use mp3.

Except for that minimal chance that they will have to find out that they have to pay a fee and actually will have to do it.

Do you personally think it's a good thing to boycott a proprietary format even when some users just don't care?

I bet you can guess what I think

u9_: gif is not patented

flac plz

New game! Which formats would you like to use? Don't be shy now, list a format even if there's just tiny chance you'll use it.

Most common ones, listed for convenience:

• MP3, OGG, FLAC, WAV, MIDI, XM, IT, MOD or anyone supported by SDL_sound.
• PNG, GIF, JPEG, TGA, BMP or anyone supported by DevIL.

• Mp3, Wav, midi
• png, gif, tga, jpg

but as long as png is in there, I'll certainly be fine (alpha).


yeah i actually just registered because i wanted an an obey avatar, too.