I actually tried doing that as well, loading sounds only when needed and unloading them when they weren’t needed. I was still getting the same access violation crashes on sdl2.dll after a bit of playing, never managed to track down why as the game would then refuse to crash when running with debugging symbols. The divide by zero crashes I mentioned previously were related to how sdl_mixer does its fade ins and fade outs when using specific audio channels, I couldn’t find a way to get around the problem without straight up modifying sdl_mixer’s source and rebuilding it so I just stopped using faders.
Audiere was about the same amount of work to make than sdl_mixer was as it has the exact same dependencies, this was on Windows using MSYS and mingw which is really rare that something will just make out of the box successfully without complaining. If it proves too troublesome to merge, I’ve still got the last working copy of the source using sdl_mixer in version control which I can keep hammering at until it functions correctly.
Just doing this for fun really, and I’m not really a big fan of that style of crowdfunding site for a number of reasons, chief among them is the implied commitment that comes along with it. I’d rather just keep this for funsies so I don’t burn myself out.
Good luck with the new job! I know firsthand how tough it is to juggle school and work at the same time- tried it myself during the 90s and failed spectacularly. These days I mull over it all the time for not trying hard enough when I had the chance. But hey, like they say: “You’re never too old to learn” so hopefully later this year if things go well financially, I’ll be going back to finally finish that comp sci degree I left pending.
