hi guys i would like to start making 2d browser games, And i was wondering if i could do this with SDL? or would i have to learn flash?

If i am trying to make a gaming website with 2d and maybe a few small 3d games do you think it would be wise to let players download the games or would that put off a few people? Or is flash my only option? Could i use allegro or something? I mean i would like to learn SDL but if i made games with it and put it as a DL on a website would that attract people?

A Flash game can be started almost instantly, but a downloadable game requires much more interaction before it can be played (if it can be played at all - not everything you download immediately works). It's up to you, but if you want to make it as easy as possible for your players, then Flash is a good choice. In the end however, you also just have to build good games to attract people. FLash may lower the bar, but a bad game won't be able to keep a players attention for long.

As for SDL, I wouldn't say 'learn SDL'. SDL is just another library, like so many others. Sure, if you work with it for a while you'll get more familiar with it, but it's not like 'having worked with SDL' is such an important skill. Being able to quickly get familiar with libraries is more important than having worked with any library in specific.


But whatever you do, pick something and go with it. You an always try different things later, after you've built a few games. The experience you gain will help you on other platforms just as well, so it's not like you'll be wasting your time. :)

ok thanks alot for your input. I was just unsure if this was going to turn away alot of people but the point you have about good and bad games makes my mind up i am going to stick with SDL