March 2004 Sputnik Summary

 

Pre-GDC Talk: Common C++ Performance Mistakes in Games - Pete Isensee

 

Description: The Xbox Advanced Technology Group reviews dozens of Xbox games at the source code level, analyzing performance, pinpointing bottlenecks and recommending solutions. Naturally, the focus of these reviews is on graphics and Xbox hardware, but it's surprising how often C++ performance issues crop up in games. Even the most technically astute developers stumble when it comes to C++. This talk covers the most common issues seen by ATG, identifies treacherous language features, discusses the places to tread cautiously, and exposes some common misconceptions about a programming language that game developers use and misuse with abandon.

 

Idea Takeaway: Most game developers use C++ on a daily basis, but a surprising number don't give much thought to how basic language features and library components can affect the performance of their game. Even the best developers in the world are tripped up by C++ now and then. Attendees will come away from this talk with concrete examples of how C++ misconceptions and misuse directly affect game performance. Programmers learn how to avoid these kinds of performance issues in their own games.

 

Pete Isensee: Pete has been programming in the game industry for ten years. He's shipped titles ranging from adventure stories to casual online games, working on platforms ranging from PCs to Macs to Xbox. He's currently a lead engineer with the Xbox Advanced Technology Group. He has a degree in computer engineering and was a C++ template geek long before compilers knew what to make of functors and traits.

 

 

Power Point Presentation - Coming?