Minecraft Java Is Switching From OpenGL To Vulkan

Minecraft: Java Edition is switching its rendering backend from OpenGL to Vulkan as part of the upcoming Vibrant Visuals update, aiming for both better performance and modern graphics features across platforms like Linux and macOS (via translation layers). GamingOnLinux reports: For modders, they're suggesting they start making preparations to move away from OpenGL: "Switching from OpenGL to Vulkan will have an impact on the mods that currently use OpenGL for rendering, and we anticipate that updating from OpenGL to Vulkan will take modders more effort than the updates you undertake for each of our releases. To start with, we recommend our modding community look at moving away from OpenGL usage. We encourage authors to try to reuse as much of the internal rendering APIs as possible, to make this transition as easy as possible. If that is not sufficient for your needs, then come and talk to us!"

It does mean that players on really old devices that don't support Vulkan will be left out, but Vulkan has been supported going back to some pretty old GPUs. You've got time though, as they'll be rolling out Vulkan alongside OpenGL in snapshots (development releases) "sometime over the summer." You'll be able to toggle between them during the testing period until Mojang believe it's ready. OpenGL will be entirely removed eventually once they're happy with performance and stability.

so?

[drinkypoo]

Fuck Microsoft.

That is all.

No wait, fuck Notch too, he said he would open source MC when he was done working on it.

Re:so?

[bussdriver]

His choice. His right to change his mind for like a billion $$$. What nerve; you are entitled to his work? Did he PROMISE or just openly express a passing feeling? Sign a contract? Make a conditional deal with supporters? Falsely advertise? Maybe, I don't know.

It's just a stupid game. It's not like you built infrastructure around him and made that decision on his word that he'd open source it later.

Re:

[drinkypoo]

Nah, I'm 100% unsurprised and I probably would have done the same thing faced with the big stupid money. But then people would be justified in saying fuck me.

Re:

[im_thatoneguy]

Microsoft is adapting to Apple dropping OpenGL support.

From TFA:

in the future OpenGL will not run at all on macOS devices

But fuck Microsoft?

Re:

[Xenx]

Except, Microsoft is switching from one unsupported render engine to another unsupported render engine. Either one would require a translation layer to work.

Re:

[drinkypoo]

But fuck Microsoft?

"Fuck Microsoft" is always justified.

Re:

[nightflameauto]

But fuck Microsoft?

"Fuck Microsoft" is always justified.

I vote menage a trois! Fuck Microsoft AND fuck Apple! But make sure you use protection. Who knows what kinda diseases those two carry around with them.

Re:

[UnknowingFool]

Apple announced in 2018 that OpenGL was being deprecated from Apple devices. For legacy purposes, it would still work but developers should migrate their code to Metal. This was after the release of the final version of OpenGL which was 4.6 in 2017. This is why the Khronos Group developed Vulkan as the successor to OpenGL. I don't know why it took MS 8 years to migrate off OpenGL when it was known that it was dead.

Microsoft break things again

[SmaryJerry]

Can anyone confirm if this will break all old mods? Microsoft has a habit if ignoring the important things so they can fix something that isn't broken. The mod library is the most important thing in Minecraft for most long term players, if that breaks they are literally destroying their own community.

Re:

[thegarbz]

Can anyone confirm if this will break all old mods?

Everyone can confirm this, but I think it's time we let you learn it yourself. Click the second link in TFS and do your own homework. It's right there spelled out for you.

Re:

[Adrian Harvey]

Obviously it won't break all mods. Most mods don't directly use the rendering system at all, and only a very few will do things directly in OpenGL. It will likely affect mods that change the rendering or visuals in some way, like Iris Shaders or Optifine.

Mojang seem like they are aware of the value of the modding community more than many game makers. The very fact that they are signalling this change in advance is an indicator of this!

Oh no

[Bahbus]

Minecraft is an unoptimized, piece of steamy shit. The modding community of Minecraft is toxic and lazy.

Re:

[RitchCraft]

LOL, I hear ya. My son was working on some MC mods a few years ago for friends of his. He pretty much summed up his experience with MC and the community the same way.

Re:

[xack]

Minecraft was literally a 4chan creation. The fact Microsoft covered it up tried to kiddify it afterwords shows you they are embarrassed of its origins.. If you knew how much influence 4chan has over a large range of things you would be sick. Most of Slashdot's old trolls moved to 4chan and other dark web sites too.

Re:

[Bahbus]

Shut the fuck up.

Notch

[symbolset]

Got his. That was the day to walk away.

Based on how crap Minecraft looks

[Gavino]

I'm surprised it even requires 3D acceleration.

Re:

[TeknoHog]

Even 2D desktop stuff has used OpenGL and other "3D acceleration" features for years. 2D is a subset of 3D, and there's no point in maintaining a separate API and hardware features for 2D.

More technically speaking, the "3D" part is a slight misnomer, as the end result of OpenGL rendering is always a 2D picture. Besides, OpenGL internal coordinates are actually 4D, and of course you can use any dimensionality internally in shaders. I can't speak for other graphics systems, but I'd guess they work rather s

Meh ...

[PinkyGigglebrain]

I stopped updating at 1.8.9

I have not felt any desire or even vague interest to update since. The newer version don't add anything I'm interested in and mostly just breaks my favorite mods.

So if Microsoft wants to break the newest Minecraft versions that is their call. They paid for it, it is theirs to FUBAR as they choose.

Re:

[Jogar the Barbarian]

I was on 1.7.10 for years. I only switched to 1.12.2 because the Manufactio 2 modpack looked like fun. I am disheartened at how much my elaborate factories will cause lag, but if Vulkan can in any way improve that (albeit in a new release), I'm all ears.

Re:

[drinkypoo]

I miss Toxic Skies... which last ran on 1.8. There used to be a few servers.

Doesn't matter

[kriston]

Doesn't matter. The most popular mods require a 10-year-old build of Minecraft, anyway.