Why would it being newer mean it runs faster? That's illogical. if anything, the older code should run faster because it was designed for slower processors.
Not really. The Windows version became bloated, especially after new Windows releases with compatibility code. Hell, Half-Life 2 could run on 98, 2000, Me, and XP at release. Tack on Vista (ugh), 7 (yay!), 8, a source port (Was there only one?) and new hardware support.
Source was, at a later date, rewritten and redesigned around Linux and OSX. Being rewritten, it's obviously going to be more efficient than the same engine that's pretty much buggy as hell* and strung together at this point. Not to mention, since things are going to be re-implemented they're going to be implimented in a more clean, efficient way. It's not like Valve said "hurrr-duuur, minmum effart! Lets jst thruwe it an linex. Lawl."
Why would the older code being older mean it would run faster? That's illogical, if anything, the older code should run slower considering Source used archaic methods of...Everything, and still does for a lot of things today. Newer code means newer methods and more efficient ways of going about something.
*Part of the reason for writing Source 2 is that Source is so bad at this point that it's slowing them down.
Then again, I'm using logic here. Logic isn't allowed when "muh linux**" is involved.
** I actually like Linux.
Yeah, probably. That doesn't mean that OS specific optimizaations are what is giving most of the speed boost - and that certainly doesn't mean that Source 2 won't have any codebase optimization...
That doesn't mean that OS specific optimizaations are what is giving most of the speed boost
So it's OpenGL that makes Half-Life 2 faster on Linux, then? Because, of course, a complete rewrite for OpenGL wouldn't require any optimizations. Oh noes.
When did I say it wouldn't have any codebase optimization? Point to it. It's okay that you're wrong. Go ahead.
I said that it wouldn't be extremely optimized. Context is a bitch.
Again, speaking as a programmer who's written his own simple game engine
That makes you qualified...How? Of course you wouldn't have had to do a lot of cross-platform optimization. I'd bet money that the Havok physics code is miles beyond what your "simple" engine is doing and is miles complex more than your engine.
and read books on game engine design
Oooh! Again, doesn't make you right. I've read books on quantum mechanics. That doesn't mean that my every statement about it is correct.
you that most optimizations are general, and about choosing different algorithms or data structures.
And Half-Life 2 wasn't originally written like that. I don't know what you don't understand---OpenGL and DirectX are completely different.
OS-specific optimizations aren't just rare, but also less likely to give a significant performance boost.
Touts Half Life 2 as being faster on Linux
It's not about the optimization and rewriting, man!