Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I've posted my first journal entry here and a lot has happened.

First of all, my original framework didn't quite work out the way I wanted it to, largely because of several issues related to C++ and poor design on my part. C++ is a very difficult language and as much as I love the control it gives you, I realized that I'm just hurting myself by programming in a language that will end up working against me due to its complexities as opposed to helping me. I have prior experience with working in C# and because SFML offers a great .NET port I decided that I would make the move over.

Second of all, there is a great book out there by the name of "SFML Game Development" and is one of the most fantastic books specific to a programming library that I have ever read. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to work with SFML or even just wants an intro to game programming. Of course, everything is in C++, but I am working on porting the majority of the framework provided into C# for my own personal use. The framework they have you make in the book is fantastic and intuitive, and solves a lot of issues that I would have undoubtedly run into if I had continued designing my own. I am about halfway though the book and expect to finish porting everything for the framework in about a month or so. Though that's being pessimistic, I can get through about half a chapter(There being 10 chapters) a night if I dedicate a couple hours to it. This is a bit slow, but porting from C++ to C# is a bit tricky, simply because C# uses several different ideas and features that C++ doesn't, and vice versa. However I am making great progress with it and am in the process of designing my game while I continue finishing the framework. I hope to being programming my game a couple weeks after I finish the framework and am making good progress with my game design/programming bible (I include a lot of comment about how I think stuff should be implemented in the code midst my design stuff).

Anyways, sorry this is so short but for now as I continue finishing the framework and designing the game, the entries in my journal are probably going to be about the design, (I will post sections of my design/programming doc as I finish them), issues and solutions I have run into while programming everything. I hope to be posting entries much more often now that I've really gotten back into the project. Thanks for reading and see you next time where I'll talk about the game I am making and some of the design.