I don't think Xyphyx was trying to be funny, it was a fair assessment.

He is also right in that XNA is a decent framework for starting out; there is plenty of learning resources available and you can take it pretty far if you are willing to put in the effort, while its still be very accessible for someone starting out.
It will have to be C# like he mentioned, which is a nice language; powerful enough but still easy to pick up and start creating some functional code. Going from C# to C++ isn't a massive jump either.

If you want to go C++ and have only just started coding then be prepared for a steep learning curve. It will most certainly be alot longer before you have anything really functional to show for it. C++ is worth it, but it wont be pleasureable for you to work with anytime soon, I'd imagine. I could way off though and you are the next Carmack or whoever :p

In a month you could have a simple 2D game with XNA, where as you might only be still fighting with your first class in C++, and then you meet your first linker error and you will wonder what the...

If you need 2D you could try:
Gorgon - tape-worm.net
Hge - hge.relishgames.com

I've not used any of these yet :-P


I am also working on the releasing framework I've been using as a starting point for my 2d projects.

code.google.com/p/airbashframework/

I only put it up a few hours ago, so the SVN has only the Video class. If you are using Visual Studio 2008, comes with .libs and headers for any external libs used.

It's aimed at only doing the boring stuff of setting up the project, and initializing anything required. From then on you would be dealing with the actual libraries and their api, those some nice helpers would be provided.

Take a look at it in a few days ;-)

[Edited by - FireNet on January 6, 2009 10:55:32 PM]

Quote:Original post by Falling Sky
Just for the record, you should learn the language you want to use BEFORE you try to make a game with it.

Extremely true, and learning the language, at least all the the basics of C++ and a little bit about STL will allow you to code a lot more efficiently.

Otherwise you would be doing voodoo, doing things without really knowing what is going on and not being able to take full advantage of the tools available to you.

However it does not mean you can't code a game while you are learning C++, just make sure they are small.

Also if you are using a framework or an engine, there is an extra bit learning to use it.


If you are not familiar with C++, keep the 3rd party stuff to a minimum as you are starting out. Just use GLUT, and stick to coding a simple game rather than coding a full game with everything. GLUT will give you rendering via opengl and input, pretty much all you need to make a simple game. And using GLUT is fairly trivial, just a few lines of code of init and you can be off making games.