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02.01 - The C Language

Teej · 2004-05-09T18:53:46

Why C? There is a distinction that can be made between an algorithm and its implementation. If I tell you how to manually convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, you can write a program that performs this operation in any one of many programming languages, and the end result would be essentially the same. Similarly, if I outlined the technique of scrolling the display, it would be equally as useful regardless of the actual language used. Of course, that’s not to say that any programming language is equally as capable. There are a few common languages that meet the criteria for writing games, and each has its pro’s and con’s. For instance, Visual Basic is touted as a simple and intuitive general-purpose programming language, but it is considered less than ideal when speed is a priority. So why C? The C language is perhaps the most popular programming language, and is used for everything from operating systems to games. And all for good reason – C is blazingly fast, superb in its level of control, and is highly expandable. In my experience, C offers the best compromises for game development. Frankly, I’m not giving you much of a choice. Currently, all code examples in this forum are in C, and that’s for the simple fact that it’s my language of choice. My only point is that it may very well be the best choice regardless. In a nutshell, you can go ahead and apply what’s covered in this forum to any language/platform you wish, but you’re on your own if it’s not in C. C Language Resources There are a couple of places I can direct you to if you’re looking to learn (or continue learning) the C language. If anyone has any other links, please share them with us. www.informit.com contains a few complete online books that teach the C language. And best of all, they’re free! www.cprogramming.com contains a C++ tutorial; much of the information is essentially straight C though… Questions or comments? Please reply to this topic.

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Started by Teej April 08, 2001 11:53 PM

21 comments, last by Teej 19 years, 11 months ago

Anonymous

April 19, 2002 12:17 PM

scarface-cD: that is not quite true. C and C++ have a common subset that is almost as large as C but C is not strictly a subset of C++. However most (but definently not all) C code will compile as C++ code too. Also compilers will usually have a few errors which makes them seem even more similar than they are.

smiley4

193

December 06, 2002 11:13 AM

While we are on the subject of programming languages, is possable to write a program useing COBAL, BASIC, FORTRAN, C,C++, XML, PASCEL,and any others you can think of together to just script the program?

Now I shall systematicly disimboule you with a .... Click here for Project Anime

Anonymous

May 09, 2004 06:53 PM

Hello all,
Im a newbie c programer. Im interested in game design but i have no clue were to find some lesson''s or what tools i need. Can someone please point me in the right direction, thanks.

The_steven_guy@hotmail.com

02.01 - The C Language

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02.01 - The C Language

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