Which game LIbrary should I use?
Author
I have just started learning how to program a game in DirectX. My goal is to program games for PC/Mac, and I am still not sure about which of the tools I should use to get started? DirectX, Allegro, OpenGL, or others? and which other game libraries are the most popular and commonly used in the gaming industry besides DX and GL?
You should realy start by learning C++ and the best place to start is a book called "Game Programming All in One". Most people say this book is bad but it has very good information and i do understand what the author is trying to tell me. Dont expect ot read this book once and learn how to program in 3d though, it takes time it toke me several times to read over some of the parts to completly understad it and some of it i still have a hard time doing so.
It also has a good libary ConLib (for C++ basic text color, background color, title, ect..) its a great place to start for basic adding color to your game. The C++ game it has you build after the first section is accualy FUN i could play it for hours if i had the time!
Im not yet on the Direct X section because im trying to make sure i know what im reading (i suggest you do that to) ,but i will be soon and the book looks realy promising!
That just about all i have to say except, HAPPY PROGRAMMING!
It also has a good libary ConLib (for C++ basic text color, background color, title, ect..) its a great place to start for basic adding color to your game. The C++ game it has you build after the first section is accualy FUN i could play it for hours if i had the time!
Im not yet on the Direct X section because im trying to make sure i know what im reading (i suggest you do that to) ,but i will be soon and the book looks realy promising!
That just about all i have to say except, HAPPY PROGRAMMING!
Quote:Original post by DeepPurple25
I have just started learning how to program a game in DirectX. My goal is to program games for PC/Mac,
DirectX is a Windows only API. If you want to develope for Mac, DirectX isn't going to do you much good. OpenGL/OpenAL is crossplatform, so that may suite you better.
Have you just started programming, or just started DirectX programming? DirectX (or OpenGL) can be pretty befuddeling if you're trying to learn a language along with it. If you've never programmed before, I recommend putting graphics programming on hold and just pick a language and learn it first.
And also, is the game 2D or 3D? If 3D, OpenGL sounds like it would be best for you. If its 2D, check out SDL. Its crossplatform and much easier to pick up.
Author
Allright guys Ill look into these, thanks a lot. I do have C++ experience before, I know everything from hello world to poitners. Okay so this is the starting place you suggested, but do I have to in the future, eventually learn DX and GL? Because I see that all the games I play require DX or GL. Well I am into both 2D and 3D, but motre into 2D.
If you are doing mainly 2D, then take a look at SDL. It takes care of a lot of the low-level details for you and you will have games up and running much more quickly than if you jumped into the low-level DX stuff. SDL is also cross-platform (DX is not).
SDL seems to be the popular choice and with good reason. The interface is intuitive, and it's a pretty nifty all-in-one solution. All-in-one packages also serve as a good introduction into how to organize things when you program them yourself.
If you eventually move on to 3D, this also applies to 3D engines. For instance, I struggled for a while with OpenGL, but now that I'm using Irrlicht, I've gotten a ton more done. I hear OGRE is good too, but it doesn't come with integrated collision detection as far as I know, so I'll save that for another day.
If you eventually move on to 3D, this also applies to 3D engines. For instance, I struggled for a while with OpenGL, but now that I'm using Irrlicht, I've gotten a ton more done. I hear OGRE is good too, but it doesn't come with integrated collision detection as far as I know, so I'll save that for another day.
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