What Next?
Author
Okay, I have read a couple of books on C++. I know the fundamentals of C++ and want to start using it. I have made a few simple console app text games and would like to start working on some more advanced projects but I have no idea where to start. Could someone point me to the right direction? Thanks
Presumably you want to to something with graphics. I would suggest you grab a simple 2d graphics API and start experimenting with that. Maybe SDL.
There are some pretty good getting started tutorials here, including setting up the library for your combination of OS/IDE.
Alan
There are some pretty good getting started tutorials here, including setting up the library for your combination of OS/IDE.
Alan
Pick an old game that you are familiar with and try to re create it (pac man, pong, arkanoid..)
remember that you are now doing graphic games so you will
a) feel frustrated if you dont know how to draw correctly (i hate this!)
b) feel overwelmed as you set up all the controls and resource handling
c) its all very different from console operation... really
edit:
Just because you will feel a,b and/or c remember to keep trying and try not to worry too much. Its a hard journey but its worth it.
Good luck
Yours Truly
K
remember that you are now doing graphic games so you will
a) feel frustrated if you dont know how to draw correctly (i hate this!)
b) feel overwelmed as you set up all the controls and resource handling
c) its all very different from console operation... really
edit:
Just because you will feel a,b and/or c remember to keep trying and try not to worry too much. Its a hard journey but its worth it.
Good luck
Yours Truly
K
also, the biggest shift in development from learning to usefull is going from simple sequential application that stop and ask for input exactly where they want, to event driven systems that have a message queue with a line of events possibly waiting to be processed at any time.
Event driven programming is a very very important concept for any real application (because mouse events, network packets, AI decisions, keyboard events etc ... all happend rather arbitrarily).
Event driven programming is slightly hard to learn at first, but it simplifies complex programs a whole whole lot. I tried to make a console based bard's tale like clone game, and found I just couldn't do it. It was too hard to manage and manipulate the games state manchine in such a manner, but the event driven normal application version was much easier.
Event driven programming is a very very important concept for any real application (because mouse events, network packets, AI decisions, keyboard events etc ... all happend rather arbitrarily).
Event driven programming is slightly hard to learn at first, but it simplifies complex programs a whole whole lot. I tried to make a console based bard's tale like clone game, and found I just couldn't do it. It was too hard to manage and manipulate the games state manchine in such a manner, but the event driven normal application version was much easier.
I would also recommend looking into SDL and Lazyfoo's tutorials. They will give you a good starting point on handling events and basic graphics. Once you get the basics down I would recommend working on a Pac Man clone. Doing so will cover the basics of creating a tile-map, events, input, graphics, simple AI and collision.
You could also check out the "CPP Workshop" which has two projects you may be interested in trying out yourself. Text-based, but still pretty massive. If you haven't tried any big project before, it could help you with seeing 'the big picture'. If not, the other suggestions are good too.
Personally I use the Allegro library for graphics, but I've heard a lot of good things about SDL too. By the way, does anyone have any tutorials/articles on event driven programming, because now that you mention it I'm having some trouble with that too.
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