Lua instead of SQF/SQS

[idl0r 10]

I'd suggest to use Lua or something else in future ARMA games.

I don't like Lua tbh but Lua would be *much* better than the current SQF/SQS stuff. I think both sides would benefit from it. You can do a lot more than currently possible and at least Lua is also portable.

[celery 8]

I have no idea what you're talking about and I'm too lazy to google it.

[metalcraze 290]

I also don't understand what this dude is on about and how exactly LUA will give ArmA2 engine more possibilities than devs themselves.

As well as what he means by "portable" either

[dmarkwick 261]

I have no idea what you're talking about and I'm too lazy to google it.

Well for the effort you put into saying that you could have more easily Googled it :D ;)

I don't know whether I dreamed it, but I swore I once saw some LUA activity in VBS2 trying to get some DCS action in it. Maybe the other way around, maybe it was just a PoC discussion (I was somewhat dabbling in VBS2 at the time).

---------- Post added at 01:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:36 PM ----------

I also don't understand what this dude is on about and how exactly LUA will give ArmA2 engine more possibilities than devs themselves.

As well as what he means by "portable" either

Maybe portable isn't the main value LUA could bring, but certainly inter-app crossover. Imagine DCS interfacing via LUA with VBS2/ArmA2.

[-)rStrangelove 0]

Yeah great, all the scriptkiddies use LUA to hack GTA4's MP to death. No thx.

[jw custom 56]

...but Lua would be *much* better than the current SQF/SQS stuff.

Why is that?

[Defunkt 431]

I think it's a pretty typical knee-jerk reaction to encountering SQF for the first time. Its syntax is peculiar and this lends it a sort of 'home-made' quality, I know when I started with it I'd have much preferred something more familiar. However having used it for a while I have a lot of respect for its consistency and speed of execution, I suspect something like Lua might even be a bit sluggish by comparison. Many's the time in my day job now I wish I could just [] Spawn {... things.

[idl0r 10]

portable = runs on windows as well as linux and other systems...

I don't care about GTA or any scriptkiddies at all..

Lua has a better syntax and way more functions/capabilities. I personally don't like Lua either but as I said it's IMHO better than the current SQF/SQS stuff.

Even ruby/python/perl would be ok to me if Lua is too scriptkiddy like for you...

[jw custom 56]

Lua has a better syntax...

I guess that depends on who your asking, i like the .sqf syntax.

...and way more functions/capabilities.

Like what?

[Defunkt 431]

Portable to where? The game hosts the script engine on either Linux or Windows, what more need is there for portability?

There are lots of very experienced coders here doing a lot of cool stuff with SQF and you don't hear them calling for different languages. Suck it up and learn it and you won't give Lua a second thought, you'll be too busy making stuff happen to care.

[idl0r 10]

I think it's a pretty typical knee-jerk reaction to encountering SQF for the first time. Its syntax is peculiar and this lends it a sort of 'home-made' quality, I know when I started with it I'd have much preferred something more familiar. However having used it for a while I have a lot of respect for its consistency and speed of execution, I suspect something like Lua might even be a bit sluggish by comparison. Many's the time in my day job now I wish I could just [] Spawn {... things.

Right, its the first time. From what I've seen its very limited. With a external library (like Lua) you could even fix bugs yourself or extend it with new functions capabilities as you want and simply replace the lib by your own/fixed one as the source is available as well.

Ok, I don't know much about the performance thingy so if its poor compared to SQF then I agree that Lua should not be taken.

[Big Dawg KS 6]

Ew. Why do people always have the false impression that Lua is a good scripting language? IMO, it's nothing special, and the only reason it's used so much is because it's easier to implement; and that doesn't necessarily make it better. I really don't see any benefits or logical reasons for BI to switch.

[Defunkt 431]

Incidentally I've heard that 'SQF' is actually a licensed or open source package properly known as 'O2 Script', is that right? Does anybody know anything more about it? My Google-fu has failed me.

[mr_centipede 31]

external library? as in custom functions by users and such? I think CBA already did that... with sqf of course. Either way... I would think switching to LUA would be more costly than benefit that it might bring.

Besides, a lot of regulars are already familiar and get used to it. so changes can be... "quite a sight" to behold....

[celery 8]

So what would this look like in Lua?

if (!isServer or !alive player) exitWith {hint "lol"};

while {true} do {
sleep 1;
for "_x" from 1 to 10 do {
	player addMagazine "HandGrenade_Stone";
};
hintSilent format ["%1",time];
};

[metalcraze 290]

portable = runs on windows as well as linux and other systems...

On which ArmA2 doesn't run you mean?

I don't care about GTA or any scriptkiddies at all..

Apparently others do.

Lua has a better syntax and way more functions/capabilities.

Who cares if none of them will fit or work in ArmA2?

I personally don't like Lua either but as I said it's IMHO better than the current SQF/SQS stuff.

Why?

This reminds me about "Make ArmA3 on CryEngine3!!1" childish threads. Like suddenly changing an engine or scripting language to something more mainstream will suddenly turn the game into a stuff of your dreams, not slow the development process down by forcing to rewrite everything.

[Big Dawg KS 6]

Lua has a better syntax

No it doesn't. Lua's syntax is extremely simple, but it's also extremely ambiguous. Syntatically, SQF is closer to more traditional programming languages. And I don't understand the point in Lua having such simple syntax; IMO it's better if non-programmers actually learn how to use more traditional syntax than further seperating them from actual programming; that has more benefits in my opinion.

[Deadfast 43]

Lua only allows you to do what it was implemented for. You could argue that SQF could do the same and should there be the commands to support it.

The only thing SQF lacks and what actively bothers me is the lack object-oriented programming and simple incrementation/incrementation (_i++; _j--).

[Przemek_kondor 13]

..and calling commands like function, something like:

distance(player, car2)

instead of

player distance car2

...and accesing array using [] operator

[gossamersolid 155]

Lua only allows you to do what it was implemented for. You could argue that SQF could do the same and should there be the commands to support it.

The only thing SQF lacks and what actively bothers me is the lack object-oriented programming and simple incrementation/incrementation (_i++; _j--).

because it's super difficult to write _i = _i + 1 or _i = _i - 1 ?

[Przemek_kondor 13]

Because programmers are lazy and like pure code and because incrementation operator is cute

[gossamersolid 155]

Because programmers are lazy and like pure code and because incrementation operator is cute

When I code in Java, I use _i + _i = 1 all the time. I have the ability to use _i++, but I don't :P

[Deadfast 43]

because it's super difficult to write _i = _i + 1 or _i = _i - 1 ?

I'm writing code, not an essay.

[gossamersolid 155]

I'm writing code, not an essay.

Not even a valid reason... it's 3 extra characters

_i++

_i=_i+1

[dmarkwick 261]

Not even a valid reason... it's 3 extra characters

_i++

_i=_i+1

Another way of saying it is that it's 100% extra work ;)