Submitted by Anon on Sun, 02/11/2007 - 22:56.

Optimizing video games is an art form. This site is dedicated to the art of video game optimization. Optimizing video games is a right and left brained process that requires a deep understanding of hardware, api usage, tools, and techniques. Vertexbuffer.com has the following opinions about optimizing video games:

  • When optimizing video games, every PC is at a minimum dual core (GPU & CPU)
  • Optimizing the incorrect core, or parallel stage, can result in zero FPS gains
  • Optimizing anything other than the slowest bottleneck or hotspot is not an efficient use of our time
  • Optimizing hotspots smaller than 8% is waste of time
  • Optimization is NOT something we do ONLY after we write the code.
  • You can make a slow game in OpenGL or DirectX. An API is the interface to the hardware. This site will focus on the hardware.
  • Big "O" notation works great on paper, today's algorithims run on complex hardware. My hardware bubble sort is faster than your software quick sort.

Chapters
Introduction to Graphics Optimization
PC Graphics System Overview
The Optimization Process
Intro To Optimization Tools
More on Hardware
Optimizing System Memory
Optimizing CPU Processing
Intro to Multi-threading
Too many draw calls - it's a cpu issue
Fixed Function Pipeline
Shader Pipeline
Conclusions

About the Author
Eric Preisz is the course director for optimization and Architectures Department Chair. His passion for optimization started when the first TnL graphics card hit the shelves. He later refined his optimization techniques while working at Dynamic Animation Systems and Valador,Inc. He has developed technologies for the Simulation and Training industries that include: large area database terrain paging, multi-channel image generators, and collaborative environments.

Eric is an official Garage Games associate. He developed his experience working with Garage Game's TGE and TSE for applications used by NASA and the Veterans Affairs.

He continues to further the use of game engine technologies in the Simulation and Training world through C2C Simulation, a game engine based MS&T service company.

Eric has published several papers on optimizing games and is co-authoring a book on game optimization with a release date of July 09. Notable speaking events include the Game Developers Conferece where he spoke at NVIDIA’s sponsored session titled “GPU Optimization with the Latest NVIDIA Performance Tools”.
For information on how he can help your organization optimize graphics applications, e-mail him at eric at commandtoclient dot com.


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