C++ is a bad language for beginners. You'll be stuck between trying to learn C++ and trying to learn to program (which are two different things!). It's a lot easier to learn C++ once you have a solid grasp on the fundamental concepts of programming (which you can learn in pretty much any language).

A (simple) example, spot the bug in this C++ program (you can even compile it and run it, and it may work, it may not):

#include <iostream>
#include <string>

int main()
{
std::string str = "Hello!"; // Create the string
const char* hello = str.c_str(); // Save the data in the string before we change it so we can use it later

str = "How are you this wonderful day?"; // Now change the string and ask a question

std::cout << hello << "\n" << str; // Print the strings out to the console
}


Now in a real application with thousands of lines of code, spotting a bug like this is a nightmare.

Besides, in real life, a programmer will know several languages. Just because you don't start off by learning C, C++, and Assembly doesn't mean you won't ever learn them. Go ahead, make games in C++. But make them in C++ later. Make games right now in a more beginner-friendly language (C++ will eat you alive; it eats everyone). We're just trying to help you avoid a lot of unnecessary pain (there's always some necessary pain, however). Seeing as you aren't even sure where to begin with learning how to program, it would be cruel and unusual punishment to push you to try and solve cryptic compiler errors, linking nightmares, undefined behavior problems, etc. from the very beginning. You'll be able to deal with these problems much more effectively once you have a grasp on the fundamental concepts of programming.

my objective is "I want to make games. I don't care if its my own game, or work for some company". I guessed C++ would be the best because all the games I've seen so far (both indie and company ones) are made in C++.

C++ will absolutely allow you to do what you want to do, and if you've got your mind set on C++ then you should go with that choice and get stuck in to learning the basics. As you've probably realised by now, C++ is not what the overwhelming majority of our community would recommend though, but you are free to ignore that and get started learning C++ -- it's capable of doing what you want to do, it isn't impossible to learn (although as mentioned, many find it more difficult than other choices), and you'll find plenty of people that are able to help you out when you get stuck. There are also very good tools available.

A few people have already said that your choice of language doesn't really matter all that much; the important thing is learning to solve problems and express them as programs in whatever language you have chosen, sticking with it through difficulties, and dealing with complications as they arise. If you really want to use C++, make that decision, ignore the nay-sayers, and get started!


That being said, I'm just going to repeat again that you would probably be better off with a language such as C#; just because C++ is good for experienced and professional developers doesn't mean it's a good choice for you -- those people who chose to make their games in C++:

• probably already knew how to program in C++, they weren't starting from scratch like you.
  
• may have had existing libraries of C++ code to work with.
  
• may have been working quite some time ago (your example of Liero is a very old game) when there weren't so many choices available and we would have all been suggesting C++ as a better choice rather than C or assembly.
  

Languages other than C++ are capable of very impressive results, and if you've seen anything un-impressive created with them you can almost certainly blame a lack of experience from the programmer(s), poorer quality art-work, etc. rather than the programming language that was used -- there are plenty of horribly un-impressive programs created with C++ as well.



Lastly, as you mentioned your choice of C++ was based mostly on it being used for all of the games you were familiar with, I'll provide some counter-examples of games written in other languages, which might help to show that C++ isn't the only choice.

Starting with a couple of your own examples:

• The newer, and currently more widely available version of Liero is written in C++, but the original (which lacks a few newer features such as online multi-play but is otherwise just as impressive a feat of programming) was actually written in Pascal.
  
• Minecraft is written in Java.
  
• Little Fighter is written in C, not C++. Little Fighter 2 is however written in C++.
  

and then adding a few of my own...

• Jak and Daxter was written in a special version of LISP.
  
• Disney's MMORPG "Toontown Online" is written in Python (although the underlying engine is a mix of Python and C++).
  
• EVE Online is mostly written in Stackless Python.
  

...and putting aside programming languages for a moment, we'll take a quick look at using an engine, as you've argued against using an engine based on the idea that you may be limited by the engines capabilities -- I'm strongly in favour of using existing engines or libraries where appropriate, and while you are to a certain extent correct that using an engine or library can sometimes impose limitations, you're probably have a worse idea of the situation than actually exists; as long as you choose an appropriate engine there's no reason you'll run into limitations. A few commercial titles that use existing engines include:

• You mentioned the Call of Duty series; the first Call of Duty game was built using the id Tech 3 engine. Here's a list of some other titles which used the same engine, including Quake 3 and Return To Castle Wolfenstein amongst others. The list for id Tech 4 is less impressive but includes Doom3, Quake 4, and Prey.
  
• Here's a list of games which used various versions of the Unreal Engine. There are well over 100 games listed, and a few select titles include BioShock, Gears of War, and Mass Effect -- amongst MANY others.
  
• This list is games that used the Source engine, and includes Half Life 2, Left 4 Dead, and Portal.
  

As you can see, there are plenty of games made with languages other than C++, and whether you choose to use another language such as C# or decide to stick with C++ there's no real reason you shouldn't use an existing engine; you would be in good company with a massive number of commercial titles by doing so, and would learn a valuable skill (the ability to work with existing engines) that would be required for many positions should you ever wish to work in the industry.


I wrote this post in the hopes of convincing you to consider languages other than C++ -- C# would make an excellent choice for you, and should not be a limiting factor in what you can achieve, or should you choose to go with C++ after all to try to sway your attitude about using existing engines -- which simply gets the creation of basic functionality out of the way so you can focus on an actual game.

However, if you take nothing else away from this and still wish to use C++, I hope you choose to get started right away with whatever language you want. You could spend forever discussing the options back-and-forth, but you'll never get anywhere unless you jump right in and start doing things. We recommend C#, but use C++ if you really want to; just start using something now.


I hope that's helpful!

[font=helvetica, arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif][color=#282828]I'm completely new like everyone making topics in this category. I'm just not sure about the language I should start to learn because for e.g, I don't wanna be stuck with terraria-like games if I learn XNA. This happens mostly because I have no idea how this area (programming) works. Neither do I know how to learn and which communities to be in.[/font]

The upper limit for what you can do with XNA is not terraria, You could make games with a visual quality that rivals games like Skyrim or other modern console titles with it (Given enough skill and time), Its really not the tools you use that determine what the game will look like.

Here is a XNA demo microsoft have made:

Edit: This is silly, i post a youtube link and the forum has to make it inline (Rather than a clickable link) and then it removes it entierly...

//in case it removes the vid




You could write a game that is identical to BF3 using Java if you wanted to, Your choice of language can potentially increase the system requirements of the final product (Allthough strictly speaking this has far more to do with the compiler/VM than the language itself) and your choice of graphics API can restrict you somewhat in terms of what hardware features you can use, XNA is essentially at the same feature level as DX9 and the xbox360).



If you want to make high quality games you should use the tools that simplify the process the most, (Unity, UDK, XNA are all good options for the PC)

I personally feel that python is a brilliant way to get into game design and programming. It can teach you the fundamentals and lets you et things done very quickly. Also it is very readable code and is great for a beginner before jumping into C++ or another language. My suggestion woudl be to make a few basic games(pong, asteroids, tetris) in python using either pygame or pyglet, which are both great libraries.