I am trying to learn programming for games from the bottom up. I am basically a total beginner, and i am frustrated with the resources that i have found so far. It seems like the tutorials i have been to are out of date, and so the code snippets are outdated, and the suggested compilers are several versions ahead of what they are using. As a result, I get bugs i cant even begin to work out on the most fundamental beginner levels of programming. I was hoping someone could link me to some solid up-to-date tutorials for win32, windows, C++, or DirectX basics. Right now i have the windows visual c++ 9.0 express edition, and Bloodshed Dev-c++ compilers. I would be happy to trade them out for something else, as long as it works with what the tutorials are teaching. I would appreciate any help, but also feel free to let me know if I am making some kind of wrong assumption, or if i am headed in the wrong direction entirely. Thank you.

Quote:It seems like the tutorials i have been to are out of date, and so the code snippets are outdated, and the suggested compilers are several versions ahead of what they are using. As a result, I get bugs i cant even begin to work out on the most fundamental beginner levels of programming.

Tutorials usually are pretty bad. A serious learning resource is either a book or a focused article.

Actually, since you say you are a complete beginner, I suggest not going the C++ route. It’s not a good first language, and you will hear that opinion repeated by several others on this forum. You can read other forum posts that are archived here, to see the arguments we make against C++. There’s even one going on currently in the Game Programming thread (see: why is C++ still being over-used). The usual recommendations here are pick out of Python, C#, and Java. That’s a good selection.

Now, assuming you decide to still stay with C++ despite advice otherwise. First, you want to focus completely on C++. You mention Win32, and DirectX. It is not OK to start with those topics. The prerequisite to them is experience with C++ and with programming. It’s not enough you know C++, you also need to be able to comfortably write console based programs.

On windows, you want to be using the Visual C++ compiler. VC9 (or VC 2008 Express Edition) is good. Stay with that compiler. For the record, Dev-C++ isn’t a compiler. It’s an IDE, and one we now actively recommend against.

And with C++, you have the original issue of good learning resources. Get the following book: Accelerated C++ by Koenig. It is the best investment of your money if you want to learn how to really think in C++. If you have additional money to spend, you will find another worthwhile investment to be C++ Primer, 4th edition, by Lippman. These two books will get you very, very far as beginner and many intermediates in C++.

Thanks. As it happens, I do have one of those books. I will give it another look and see if I can learn more from it. In the mean time I will try out python, but of course, I know even less about that. Can you give me any good resources for getting started?

If not allready mentioned, these are two great tutorials to get you going:

- Book: Beginning Cpp Game Programmng by Michael Dawson.
- Online tut: The Cpp Workshop found Here

Free online:

• C++ A Dialog


• Thinking in C++, Volume 1 & 2