Best way for an indie developer to get started w/ PPC?
Author
I was thinking of getting into PPC development, but there are two problems;
- I do not have a PPC.
- I do not have any money.
So what would be the best thing to do here? I was thinking of one solution, which may not be the best, but perhaps can get me started. My idea is to develop a game in either PocketHal, GapiDraw, or some other cross-platform SDK that'll allow me to develop a game on the PC then port it to PPC with a small amount of work. Once I get a game finished, I could possibly show it to a few companies and see if they'd be interested in it. If they are, then perhaps I could "trade" the game for whatever licenses I need (in the case of GapiDraw) and a PocketPC. Or maybe strike up some other deal. The main goal here I think is to get myself started so I can afford a PPC, that way I can continue with future game development. And maybe, just maybe, with a little luck I can have a future in PPC game development.
What are your thoughts here?
Hi,
You don't really need to buy anything to start development.
Naturally, it is always better to have the hardware ready, but nothing should be stopping you from dowbloading the FREE tools and start developing using an emulator.
I found a great article for you that really has everything you need in order to get started :
http://www.codeproject.com/ce/Pocket_PC_Development.asp
As for dealing with other companies like you mentioned :
I could be wrong here, but from my experience approaching an established company with a "will work for hardware/food" appraoch, doesn't work so well. They tend to smell the blood really fast and will probably just ignore you.
However, I think that all in all the total cost of development with real hardware is not really that high, even if you are not a rich man. I would start off with the emulator and save a few tens of dollars every month, or try to get a second hand device.
Cheers,
Adi.
You don't really need to buy anything to start development.
Naturally, it is always better to have the hardware ready, but nothing should be stopping you from dowbloading the FREE tools and start developing using an emulator.
I found a great article for you that really has everything you need in order to get started :
http://www.codeproject.com/ce/Pocket_PC_Development.asp
As for dealing with other companies like you mentioned :
I could be wrong here, but from my experience approaching an established company with a "will work for hardware/food" appraoch, doesn't work so well. They tend to smell the blood really fast and will probably just ignore you.
However, I think that all in all the total cost of development with real hardware is not really that high, even if you are not a rich man. I would start off with the emulator and save a few tens of dollars every month, or try to get a second hand device.
Cheers,
Adi.
You can work with emulator pretty well, or write your own "emulator" and use win32 programming most of the time and then replace your code (mainly initialization stuff) with PPC code.
WCE is pretty much compatible with W2k regarding many aspects. Therefore if you write a game for w2k which uses a simple gdi backbuffer copy (mouse/few keys/240x320 screen res) and windows for music/sound playback(not directx stuff) then porting it to PPC shouldn't take you more then few days. (the good thing here is you can easily debug this version, which is more troublesome on target device..)
And like previously mentioned, buy real hardware.. currently cheapest models like the hp 1915 can be bought for around 200$ new... and you can get a used part for less.
ps. visit www.pocketmatrix.com (incl. dev. forums there)
WCE is pretty much compatible with W2k regarding many aspects. Therefore if you write a game for w2k which uses a simple gdi backbuffer copy (mouse/few keys/240x320 screen res) and windows for music/sound playback(not directx stuff) then porting it to PPC shouldn't take you more then few days. (the good thing here is you can easily debug this version, which is more troublesome on target device..)
And like previously mentioned, buy real hardware.. currently cheapest models like the hp 1915 can be bought for around 200$ new... and you can get a used part for less.
ps. visit www.pocketmatrix.com (incl. dev. forums there)
> http://www.codeproject.com/ce/Pocket_PC_Development.asp
I found this article very descriptive, but it has little details as to how to get set up with Embedded VC 4. Here's my receipe:
First, install ActiveSync from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/downloads/activesync37.mspx
Then install Embedded Visual C/C++ from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=1DACDB3D-50D1-41B2-A107-FA75AE960856
IMPORTANT: The license number is at the end of the web page! The download eVC SP2 here and install it over eVC4: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=ce7f1aaa-54eb-4989-812b-7f955605dcb8&displaylang=en
Then install the PocketPC 2003 SDK from this link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9996b314-0364-4623-9ede-0b5fbb133652&displaylang=en
That latest installer contains all the libraries, binaries, header files and emulators you need.
If you get around owning a PPC device, just plug it in and ActiveSync will register it automagically; it will also register in eVC as a new target on every new project you initiate.
-cb
I found this article very descriptive, but it has little details as to how to get set up with Embedded VC 4. Here's my receipe:
First, install ActiveSync from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/downloads/activesync37.mspx
Then install Embedded Visual C/C++ from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=1DACDB3D-50D1-41B2-A107-FA75AE960856
IMPORTANT: The license number is at the end of the web page! The download eVC SP2 here and install it over eVC4: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=ce7f1aaa-54eb-4989-812b-7f955605dcb8&displaylang=en
Then install the PocketPC 2003 SDK from this link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9996b314-0364-4623-9ede-0b5fbb133652&displaylang=en
That latest installer contains all the libraries, binaries, header files and emulators you need.
If you get around owning a PPC device, just plug it in and ActiveSync will register it automagically; it will also register in eVC as a new target on every new project you initiate.
-cb
I just want to say, this is one of the easiest platforms to program for. It's really cheap because Microsoft gives free tools and there are so many resources online.
Also, the GapiDraw library makes it _that_ much more easy at a cost of only $100 US.
Also, the GapiDraw library makes it _that_ much more easy at a cost of only $100 US.
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