Download the borland compiler i use that and its fine.

I think you may want to take a minute and think about what part of getting results from C++ you think takes up all the time...

Setting up an application with directx or opengl/sdl doesn't take very long once you know how to do it - plus lots of that code can just be reused when you make youre next project so that would bring it's time down to zero...

After that, the main part of a game is the interaction of every object, and the player. In the case of, say a fps or other 3d environment, it doesn't matter if you're using c#, basic, c++, or assembly (well, assembly might be pushing it) - the bulk of that time is still going to be figuring out the math involved, and figuring out the structure and order of how everything happens and is evaluated. This part of a program, for the most part, will only change in syntax, and it's implementation will take you just as long in any language.

maybe the problem is that you haven't spent enough time learning c++, and so you don't know more "advanced" techniques or concepts that, in turn, make creation easier and faster. Try creating a simple program like breakout or tetris - then compare your code to that of someone who made the same program, but who has much more experience than you. I do this as much as possible and almost every time I find ways to improve part of my programs/games that I make in the future.

I also just have one more comment for you to consider. If you go and learn a higher level language like vb or c# etc for a while, and then eventually decide you want to learn c++ (because you shouldn't be able to get a job only knowing vb), you may find it almost impossible. I started learning vb, c++, and now c# all at the same time - and after a few topics in vb or c# I'd go back to c++ and get frustrated that doing the same thing in c++ was taking longer to learn. So, if you're anything like me, going from a high-level language to a low-level can be harder than just starting with a low-level... however that being said, i've been programming vb & c++ for about 4 years on and off now and c# for a little over a year, and 95% of the time i choose to program in c++...

Quote:Original post by skyfire
i've made another attempt to learn c++ and although i understand most of the concepts pretty well, i think that's completely ridiculous that it takes so long to get anything done. could anyone point me to some other programming languages that are low level like c++ but don't take so long to get anything done? any help is appreciated.

If you're not doing so already, take a look at SDL. It is fairly easy to get something up and running quickly using C++. Alternatively you might want to take a look at pygame, which is essentially a Python binding to SDL with some added classes useful for gamedev. Might make your life a bit easier.

okay, i guess i'll stick to c++.

edit: i decided to use the sdl library and everything's fairly easy to pick up.

I second looking into SDL, or Allegro for that matter, both are similar and will get you going on making 2D games.

Developing in C++ becomes a lot nicer when you've figured out how to use the Standard Template Library (STL), and figured out what polymorphism is. Although C++ my seem difficult to get a grasp on (I still write horribly crappy code and have been with C++ for three and some years) you will be happy you stuck with it, as there really aren't as many limits to what you can do with C++ as there are with other languages.

the switch from BB to c++ is annoying, it took me a month and a half to get in the swing of c++ after I left blitz basic. keep going.