When Python is too Slow for my Steam Game
Summary
TLDRThe script discusses the use of Python for developing 2D video games, highlighting its beginner-friendly syntax and ability to handle complex logic efficiently. However, it also addresses Python's performance limitations, particularly when dealing with cellular automata in the upcoming game 'Yanuk'. The developer explores potential solutions, including optimization, using C extensions, or leveraging GPU power with tools like Numba. The summary concludes with the decision to implement the Smooth Life algorithm as a shader in OpenGL, which is a performance-optimized approach for handling complex patterns in game development.
Takeaways
- 🐍 Python is praised for its beginner-friendly syntax and ability to express complex logic concisely, which is beneficial for rapid game development.
- 🚀 The speaker's game, 'Yanuk', is a top-down shooter featuring cellular automata as enemies, which originated from a Blackthorn Prod competition.
- 🔬 Cellular automata in 'Yanuk' are based on algorithms that create lifelike behavior using simple rules to determine a cell's state based on its neighbors.
- 🎮 The game started with Conway's Game of Life, a simple and popular algorithm for creating enemy patterns, which performs well in Python.
- ⏱️ Python's performance limitations became evident when developing 'Yanuk', particularly with more complex cellular automata requiring extensive neighbor checks.
- 🛠️ The developer considered optimizing Python code, using C modules for performance, or leveraging GPU computation with tools like Numba.
- 🎨 The solution chosen was to implement the cellular automata algorithms as shaders in OpenGL, which is supported on almost any hardware and resolves performance issues.
- 🌟 Shaders are highlighted as a versatile solution for performance bottlenecks in 2D game development, applicable to various effects and simulations.
- 🛑 'Yanuk' will feature different automata algorithms in various areas, with Conway's Game of Life being the first, and Smooth Life being planned for future areas.
- 🏗️ The game development includes significant additions such as terrain, shadows, level editing, water, a shopping area, character pathfinding, physics, and new weapons.
- 📅 The developer is cleaning up the codebase and preparing for a November 2024 release, marking the first Steam game in five years, with a demo and teaser trailer expected in the coming months.
Q & A
Why is Python considered beginner-friendly for developing video games?
-Python's syntax is simple and easy to understand, which makes it accessible for beginners. It also allows complex logic to be expressed concisely, facilitating speedy development in experienced hands.
What is the main downside of using Python for game development mentioned in the script?
-The main downside is Python's performance limitations, which can become evident in certain scenarios, especially when dealing with complex algorithms or large datasets.
What type of game is 'Yanuk' and what is its unique feature?
-'Yanuk' is a top-down shooter game with a unique feature of fighting cellular automata instead of typical enemies. These automata create lifelike behavior using simple rule sets.
What is the basis of the cellular automata used in 'Yanuk'?
-The cellular automata in 'Yanuk' started with Conway's Game of Life, a simple and popular algorithm that can create interesting enemy patterns.
Why might Python's performance limitations become a problem in 'Yanuk'?
-Python's limitations can become a problem when implementing more complex cellular automata that need to make decisions based on hundreds of neighbors in a world with over 10,000 cells, without causing a stutter in the game's frame rate.
What are some options a Python game developer might consider to overcome performance limitations?
-Options include optimizing code in vanilla Python, using existing modules written in C for improved performance, writing C code to use with Python, using compiled Python code, or running the algorithm on the GPU with tools that support parallel execution.
Why is 'Smooth Life' a suitable enemy automata for 'Yanok'?
-'Smooth Life' is a cellular automata that can be used in 'Yanok' because it is highly parallelizable, allowing each cell to be computed separately based on a single world texture input.
How can shaders help in overcoming the performance limitations in 2D game development with Python?
-Shaders can be used to offload computation to the GPU, which is broadly supported on almost any hardware. They can handle complex calculations like watercolor effects, water surface simulation, and physically based lighting, which might be too slow when interpreted by Python alone.
What is the significance of using shaders in the development of 'Yanuk'?
-Shaders allow for the implementation of complex algorithms like 'Smooth Life' and 'Conway's Game of Life' to run efficiently on the GPU, which is crucial for maintaining high frame rates in the game.
What are some of the recent developments and additions made to 'Yanuk'?
-Recent developments in 'Yanuk' include terrain shadows, proper level editing, water features, a shopping area, character pathfinding and physics, secondary weapons at a gun shop, and a new gun for defensive purposes.
What are the upcoming tasks and features for 'Yanuk'?
-The upcoming tasks focus on new content such as areas, automata upgrades, and typical quality of life game features like menus and settings. There is also anticipation for a demo and a teaser trailer in the coming months.
Outlines
🐍 Python's Pros and Cons for Game Development
The speaker discusses the advantages and limitations of using Python for developing video games, particularly for 2D games. They highlight Python's beginner-friendly syntax and its ability to handle complex logic with concise code, which can lead to rapid development. However, they also acknowledge Python's performance issues. The speaker shares their experience with Python's limitations while developing their upcoming Steam game, 'Yanuk,' a top-down shooter featuring cellular automata as enemies. They explain how cellular automata, which can create lifelike behavior with simple rules, can be computationally intensive, especially when considering thousands of cells and their interactions. The speaker outlines potential solutions to overcome Python's performance limitations, such as optimizing code, using C modules, or leveraging GPU computation with tools like Numba.
🛠️ Overcoming Python's Limitations with Shaders
The speaker elaborates on their decision to use shaders to address Python's performance issues in their game 'Yanuk.' They explain that cellular automata are highly parallelizable problems, making them suitable for GPU computation. The speaker shares their strategy of implementing the Smooth Life algorithm as a fragment shader in OpenGL, which is compatible with Python, to achieve efficient computation. They also mention the benefits of using shaders for various niche cases in 2D game development, such as watercolor effects, water surface simulations, and physically based lighting. The speaker concludes by discussing the progress made in developing 'Yanuk,' including the addition of new features like terrain shadows, level editing, water, a shopping area, character pathfinding, and new weapons, as they prepare for the game's release in November 2024.
🎉 Anticipating the Launch of 'Yanuk' on Steam
In the final paragraph, the speaker expresses excitement about the upcoming release of 'Yanuk' on Steam, marking their first game launch in five years. They mention plans for a demo and a teaser trailer to be released in the coming months and invite viewers to add the game to their Steam wish list. The speaker also hints at focusing on new content and Quality of Life improvements for the game, such as menus and settings, as they approach the release date.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Python
💡Game Development
💡Cellular Automata
💡Conway's Game of Life
💡Performance Limitations
💡Optimization
💡Shader
💡OpenGL
💡GLSL
💡Yanuk
💡Game Mechanics
Highlights
Python's beginner-friendly syntax and ability to express complex logic make it great for developing video games.
Python's performance limitations can be a downside, especially for certain types of games.
2D games can generally be developed in Python without performance concerns if data is well-organized.
The game 'Yanuk' features cellular automata as enemies, which can pose performance challenges in Python.
Cellular automata algorithms create lifelike behavior using simple rule sets.
Yanuk started with Conway's Game of Life, a simple yet popular algorithm for enemy patterns.
Conway's Game of Life performs well in Python due to its simplicity.
Some cellular automata require processing hundreds of neighbors, which can strain Python's capabilities.
Optimizing Python code or using C modules can help overcome performance issues.
Using C with Python or compiled Python code can significantly improve performance.
GPU-based solutions can be used to address Python's performance limitations.
Cellular automata problems are highly parallelizable, making them suitable for GPU processing.
Shaders can resolve many performance issues in 2D game development with Python.
The Smooth Life algorithm can be implemented in a GLSL fragment shader for performance gains.
Yanuk will feature different automata algorithms in various areas of the game.
Conway's Game of Life has been successfully ported from Python to a shader.
Yanuk has undergone significant development, including terrain, shadows, level editing, and more.
The game will feature a proper shopping area, new weapons, and defensive capabilities.
The developer has cleaned up the codebase in preparation for further game expansion.
Yanuk is set for release in November 2024, marking the developer's first Steam game in 5 years.
The developer is focusing on new content and quality of life features for the upcoming release.
Transcripts
python can be great for developing video
games since python syntax is beginner
friendly while also allowing for complex
logic to be expressed in a small amount
of code this can result in very Speedy
development in experienced hands however
Python's well-known downside is its
performance I've always said that python
can be used for nearly any 2D game
without much worry as long as you know
how to organize data that said there are
some edge cases and since I'm someone
who designs a game first worries about
implementation later I appear to have
had a runin with Python's performance
limitations in my upcoming steam game if
you haven't seen my game yanuk before
it's a top- down shooter that originated
in a black th prod competition where you
fight cellular automata instead of
typical enemies which listed on Steam
cellular automata are algorithms that
can create lifelike Behavior using
simple rule sets to determine the state
of a cell based on its neighbors yanuk
started with Conway's Game of Life which
is an extremely simple and popular
algorithm that can create some
interesting enemy patterns it performs
just fine in Python since each cell just
looks at its immediate neighbors however
some of the more interesting cellular
automata need to make decisions based on
hundreds of neighbors running that in a
world with over 10,000 cells where each
cell needs to look at hundreds of other
cells without causing a stutter in your
game's frame rate is one of those cases
where Python's limitations can start
popping out to set the bar I plan on
using Smooth Life as one of the enemy
automata in yanok now as a seasoned
python game developer I know I have a
few options available to me first I
could attempt to optimize my code in
vanilla python by either writing some
big brain code or by using existing
modules that are written in C under the
hood for improved performance in this
case there may be a route with scipi
using convolutions to gather neighboring
cell information however this kind of
solution could end up taking a decent
amount of effort while still only being
applicable to one cellular automa
algorithm option number two is to either
write some C to use with python or use
compiled python code for increased
performance which could be done with
things like piie or number now option
number three is to solve the problem by
running the algorithm on the GPU of
course python doesn't run on the GPU
natively but there are some tools like n
that can allow you to write python
functions that run in parallel on the
GPU these are all potential options to
consider if you run into performance
limitations yourself but I only need one
solution for yanok cellular automata is
typically a highly parallelizable
problem since usually each cell will
drive its next state based purely on the
old state of the world rather than being
intricately connected to neighboring
cells each cell can be computed
separately based on a single World
texture input into the automata this
applies to Conway's Game of Life Smooth
Life and even lenia well wait a minute
we take in a texture and change the
state of each pixel based on a single
input texture and some constants that's
a Shader the nice thing about solving
this problem with a Shader in opengl
which you can use with python is that it
is broadly supported on almost any
hardware interestingly enough nearly all
of the niche cases where interpreted
python is too slow in 2D Game Dev can be
resolved with shaders want to paint the
world with watercolor effects shaders
one to simulate water surfaces shaders
one to have physically R casted lighting
also
shaders I already use shaders all the
time in my games nowadays I have a video
on that if you want to learn so all I
really have to do is yon the Smooth Life
algorithm drop it in a glsl fragment
Shader and poof I have Smooth Life
running in Python I've also gone ahead
and ported the old conways Game of Life
algorithm from python into a Shader each
area yanuk will run a different autom
algorithm and Conway's Game of Life is
the algorithm for the first area there
is still one more step in making the
Smooth Life automa compatible for yanok
for future areas downscaling if you want
to see how that works you'll have to
wait for the next yanok devlog in the
meantime I've made significant strides
towards turning yanuk into a proper game
I've added terrain Shadows proper level
editing for me at least water a proper
shopping area to expand the world with
Gary the armadilla blacksmith centipede
pathfinding and physics secondary
weapons at gun shop and a new gun that
can create walls for defensive purposes
I had a massive questionable code that
was originally written as quick as
possible for the Blackthorn prod
competition that needed to be cleaned up
to extend the
game with that cleaned up I am now ready
to make even bigger additions as the
newly announced release month approaches
November 2024 if Yano seems interesting
I would greatly appreciate wish list on
Steam the upcoming tasks Focus primarily
on new content rather than mechanics
such as areas automata upgrades Etc and
typical Quality of Life game features
such as menus settings and the like this
will be my first steam game in 5 years
I'm getting pretty excited there will
probably be a demo and a teaser trailer
in a couple of months thanks for
watching
[Music]
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