I've been looking into scripting languages such as Lua, Python and Small over the past couple of days, in the hope of integrating one into my engine, so testers (a couple of friends), can fiddle with "tha settin's" by changing variable values and the math code.

The one thing that struck me is the necessity to compile the script into P-Code either using a JIT system or stand alone compiler app, is it necessary? The question can be broadened out by asking:

* How dramatic is the speed increase?

* Do you consider creating 2 languages(the script lang and the P-Code) like a sledgehammer to crack a walnut?

I'm a sucker for re-inventing the wheel but will gladly use someone elses library code if its out of my sanity/intelligence perimeter, and I think I should be ok on this one

Any suggestions on whether P-Code compilation is truly necessary and mention of person experiences whilst making a VM would be appreciated