[Bf-committers] Blenderplayer and debug/release options + file vs command line

[brita]

There are currently some inconsistencies in the way blenderplayer handles
some (visualization) options. I started to address this, but it turned into
an usability discussion and so feedback from all is welcome.

Blenderplayer can be started from within blender or externally. It mostly
uses the defaults for debug visualization options and not what the user has
specified in the properties panel (most of these are only used for
the embedded player). Unless.. overridden by command line options, and this
is only possible when running blenderplayer externally, not from within
blender.
So, currently:
Display: "Debug Properties", "Framerate and Profile" and "Deprecation
Warnings" use the default settings with no regard to what the user chose.
This can be considered a "release" mode.
Display: "Physics Visualization" and "Mouse Cursor" use what the user
chose, which is not consistent with the above.
If a user wants to launch is game in the standalone player with the debug
options, currently, he *must* do so from the command line and know how to
pass options (ex: -g show_profile = 1 -g show_framerate = 1 ...).

I see several problems here:
1) personally, as a user, if I choose some options and then launch the
player, I expect to see what I chose, regardless if it is the embedded or
standalone player
2) for ease and speed of use, there should be a way to launch blenderplayer
from within blender with the options the user chooses
3) it should be easy to export or save the game without the development
options (not having to select and deselect about 5 checkboxes)
4) the behaviour for physics and the other options should be the same


Solutions discussed so far:
1) have blenderplayer to always use the options from the blender file,
unless overridden by command line options. The exporter would save the
binary with no extra visualization (release mode).
2) have a checkbox in the display panel to specify if the blenderplayer
should launch in 'release', meaning, disregarding the other checkboxes and
using the defaults. This is quick, but looses a finer grained control.
3) have options duplicated for the embedded player and the blenderplayer
4) the blenderplayer follows the file options when launched from within
blender, and the default-release ones when launched externally or exported.

All the solutions assume the same behaviour for physics and the rest. None
considers 'exporting' in debug mode.


As a side note, more visualization options are being planned for my gsoc
debug and profiling proposal, such as gpu profiling. So, more checkboxes
are expected.


--
Inês Almeida