Developing Games with OpenAL?

AciDive asks: "I am currently working on developing a game and I want to use OpenAL for the sound. I have downloaded the SDK and currently have it working with Dev-C++. The reference documentation that comes with the SDK is good but it leaves something to be desired. What I would like to know is has anyone here on Slashdot ever done any sound programming with OpenAL and if so what resources did you use to get yourself started?"

I guess you could use that.....

[trompete]

I use LibSDL [libsdl.org] because I want to do more than just sound in a cross-platform application. Did you consider using SDL for sound before you chose OpenAL?

Re:I guess you could use that.....

[eviltypeguy]

OpenAL provides a 3D audio API, SDL does not. OpenAL can even use SDL as an output device, and it is cross platform and portable. If the poster wants 3D audio, then OpenAL is is only "free" cross-platform portable choice.

Re:I guess you could use that.....

[Carnildo]

For someone who just wants sound, libSDL is a very large package to add to a program.

Re:I guess you could use that.....

[Lord Omlette]

The submitter apparently wants to be in good company [openal.org]...

Re:Not that good

[the_truk_stop]

On the other hand, I seem to recall that a major game (Tribes 2, if I recall correctly), was produced using OpenAL, so at least someone was impressed by it. ;)

Re:Not that good

[Dreadlord]

UT2004 uses OpenAL for sound too.

Re:Not that good

[mstorer3772]

False.

Tribes 2 used FMOD.

I can understand your confusion though, because TORQUE, from www.garagegames.com, does use OpenAL. Torque is a pay-for-the-source version of the Tribes 2 engine. Lots of cool stuff going on over there.

Sadly, the OpenAL implementation in Torque isn't that widely reguarded in its development community because... (drum roll) the sound engine was originally written for FMOD. OpenAL was shoe-horned in to remove that particular royalty from the engine.

Re:Not that good

[Anonymous Coward]

The Loki port of Tribes 2 for Linux used OpenAL, not FMOD. Loki also used OpenAL in FAKK2, Rune (and expansion), MindRover (as does LGP's continuation of that title's port), and Soldier of Fortune used an early version. I believe UT2k3 and UT2k4 for Linux also use OpenAL.

Note, this does not necessarily mean that the original Windows version of the code used OpenAL.

Re:Not that good

[Dreadlord]

UT2004 uses OpenAL for both Windows and Linux BTW.

canonical help

[jvalenzu]

Subscribe to the mailing list [openal.org]. Try #openal on irc.freenode.net. You can read a brief introduction to it in Game Programming Gems 4 as well, but as always the most up to date references are online.

As a matter of fact...

[mstorer3772]

I'm using OpenAL right now in my own little game project. It's kind of a cross between Robotron 2084 and Asteroids. It represents upwards of 20 hours of work and it shows (meh). As does my utter lack of artistic ability. The particle effects aren't bad though.

I'm not doing a whole lot with OpenAL, but I *am* using it. Positional audio, which is the only sound I have in game. No music (yet).

My project, "Bubble Cruiser", is using OpenAL on top of the default sound engine (DirectX I believe). I had some initial trouble but have massaged it into something pretty decent.

Advice: Start from their sample code. The Creative SDK comes with a couple samples that will get you started.

I tried writing the code from scratch at first but ran home to the samples almost immediately.

And I wasn't terribly impressed with the docs either. Typical. But between the API reference and the sample code, you'll do fine.

OpenAL?

[All_Star25]

I'm using it on a SF project (no sound code committed to CVS yet; hence no link) and in addition to the developer docs included with the SDK, I took a look at some DevMaster tutorials [devmaster.net] on the web. They cover the basics and also some more advanced topics. It was a good start for me, even though, depending on what you want to do with it, you might have to make up some of your own stuff on the way. At least, that's what I did.

How about accelerated hardware for Linux?

[motown]

For awhile, I thought OpenAL was going to die a silent death (no pun intended). Therefore, I have been pleasantly surprised lately, with both Creative (one of the initiators of the standard) and NVIDIA releasing Windows drivers with hardware-accelerated suport for the OpenAL API.

Unfortunately, there is still not a single audio solution available, which offers hardware-accelerated support in Linux.

The only promising development I've heard of recently was news a while ago from a group of people who somehow