Game Programming on Linux or Mac?
Author
Hello,
I am a programmer interested in getting into game development and design. I have read a lot of things about game programming on Windows, but the GNU/Linux and MacOSX options seem to be few and limited.
I have experience with Python, Java, and some with C++. I am wondering if anyone can suggest a guide to getting started on Linux or Mac or both and perhaps some (open source) software as well.
Thanks,
Dylan
GNU C / C++ Compiler + SDL + OpenGL and your good to go for both (and Windows as well but you could use Visual Studio if you are developing on a Windows PC or Xcode if you developing on a Mac).
Author
Thanks for the help! I found some guides out there for C++ game development in Windows, but nothing in Linux. Know of anything?
Comparatively, yes there are more 'how to write game code' tutorials written with Visual Studio in mind, but I think the more you look, the more you'll find it's better to become comfortable with your tools first. Once you have a handle on using whatever environment you've chosen, you'll see that there aren't really 'few and limited' options for OSX or Linux.
Any of the languages you listed are well supported on all platforms, and all platforms have robust enough tools to get the job done. Personally I use Visual Studio on Windows, CodeBlocks on Ubuntu and of course XCode on OSX.
The question you need to ask is what *kind* of game programming are you interested in? The common denominator for graphics between all three platforms is OpenGL, and for audio OpenAL. Perhaps a few tutorials on those subjects would be what you need, if you have some experience programming.
NeHe is a great place to get started with OpenGL for one.
Any of the languages you listed are well supported on all platforms, and all platforms have robust enough tools to get the job done. Personally I use Visual Studio on Windows, CodeBlocks on Ubuntu and of course XCode on OSX.
The question you need to ask is what *kind* of game programming are you interested in? The common denominator for graphics between all three platforms is OpenGL, and for audio OpenAL. Perhaps a few tutorials on those subjects would be what you need, if you have some experience programming.
NeHe is a great place to get started with OpenGL for one.
http://docs.mandragor.org/files/Common_libs_documentation/SDL/SDL_Documentation_project_en/guidevideoopengl.html
It is in C not C++ but the difference is marginal.
It is in C not C++ but the difference is marginal.
The options aren't as limited as you think. Generally, all the good libraries out there are cross-platform.
For C++, pretty much all the popular libraries are cross-platform, including OGRE, CrystalSpace, Irrlicht, Delta3d.
Anything Java-related is almost definitely cross-platform, including JOGL, LWJGL, and jMonkeyEngine.
Ditto for the Python world: there's PyGame, PyOpenGL and Panda3d.
There are also the excellent non-free engines Torque and Unity.
For C++, pretty much all the popular libraries are cross-platform, including OGRE, CrystalSpace, Irrlicht, Delta3d.
Anything Java-related is almost definitely cross-platform, including JOGL, LWJGL, and jMonkeyEngine.
Ditto for the Python world: there's PyGame, PyOpenGL and Panda3d.
There are also the excellent non-free engines Torque and Unity.
I do everything in c++, SDl and OpenGL. Platform is not a problem, I'm happy anywhere there is a compiler that can compile SDl and OpenGL stuff. I currently use an apple Macbook Pro as my main machine. Previously I had a linux desktop. I don't currently own a copy of windows, since the MBP didn't come with it and I can't justify the expense right now (student).
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