Hello everyone, This statement of course assumes that one needs to learn Lua. And after some online research it seems that learning a scripting language is definitely a plus, if you want to get a job in the game industry, or even for developing your own games. Most companies currently seeking programmers don't require a scripting language, but it is a plus. Lua works with C++, which is what I'm currently studying, and it is also the most common scripting language the companies asked for. I assume it is good if the companies producing AAA titles suggest you look into it. My question really is: when should I start studying Lua? I'm doing the tutorials on www.cplusplus.com, and I'm up to multidimensional arrays. So far, so good. I haven't had any real difficulties. I couldn't recall it all off of the top of my head, but I'd say I have a pretty firm understanding of the concepts thus far. I plan on starting IUS this Fall to get a BSCS, and I'm also planning on doing the foundations and advanced courses through Gameinstitute, since IUS won't focus on games. I can supplement one with the other. Plus, I would like to learn Lua, just for the fact the using a scripting language seems to simplify things. Should I go ahead and pick up a book on Lua now and study both C++ and Lua? IUS and Gameinstitute should cover my C++, so I don't see a need to pick up a book on that until later, maybe a reference book or something. Gameinstitute should also cover the Window's programming and DirectX. Of course, all of this needs to be studid forever, and I'd also love to learn more languages, but this seems like a good start. Sorry for being long-winded. My teachers encourage it. So, Lua, now or later? Thank you, Morgan.

I say later, as its best to really focus on one language at a time. This way you can learn more complex concepts, and start building some more advanced games and programs. Lets be honest, its better on a resume if you have experience developing 2d games with C++ and SDL then it is developing text-based games and also knowing some LUA. It will depend on certain jobs and companies, but if you can develop some strong skills in C++ for game development, you can then pick up LUA, and learn how to implement it to improve your games. I believe python can also be used for scripting such things as well. Which one is better, I have no idea, and it's out of the scope of this thread really.

Thank you,

I agree on waiting. Everything with Lua, as I understand it, can be implemented with C++, just differently and some might say harder. I think I'll try and pick up on Lua later on once I'm more comfortable with C++ overall.

I'm new to this, but I've done my research. However, SDL is a library correct? It is used to handle keyboard input, sound, graphics, and the like, right? And it is used entirely through C++?

Quote:Original post by J4k4r74
Everything with Lua, as I understand it, can be implemented with C++, just differently and some might say harder.

Generally speaking you can't do anything with Lua until you've coded it in C++ in the first place. It just becomes more convenient to re-use the C++ functionality once you've wrapped it with Lua.