How to get into graphical game programming?
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I was wondering how/when I should start graphical game programming. I've been into console project for about 3 weeks now and I'm looking to go up a step. Is this the right next step? What would I need to know to make this step? I'm trying to keep this brief but if you have any questions please ask away. Thanks.
I was wondering how/when I should start graphical game programming. I've been into console project for about 3 weeks now and I'm looking to go up a step. Is this the right next step? What would I need to know to make this step? I'm trying to keep this brief but if you have any questions please ask away. Thanks.
1) Pick any 2D API (Either the one provided by your platform/OS or a higher level one, whichever you prefer)
2) Load an image and display it on screen
3) Get the image to move at a fixed speed (say 20 pixels per second or whatever) regardless of framerate when you press the arrow keys
4) Make games.
the 2D graphics library SDL http://www.libsdl.org/ is pretty basic. try do what simon said, or get a square bouncing off the sides of the window.
then try to make pong/tetris/breakout. Those games cover all the basic gaming concepts
then try to make pong/tetris/breakout. Those games cover all the basic gaming concepts
I was wondering how/when I should start graphical game programming. I've been into console project for about 3 weeks now and I'm looking to go up a step. Is this the right next step?
If you've been programming for 3 weeks, then it's not the right next step. Work on learning the rest of the language, the standard library, more complex programs.
What would I need to know to make this step?
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You need to be comfortable working with pointers, templates, memory manipulation, debugging mildly complex programs, building programs in the range of 2000 lines of code minimum...
Everyone tries to make this step about 30% of the way to where they need to. If you think you're ready in 3 weeks, try in 9-12. Learning graphical programming concepts isn't exactly simple and is best done when you're already comfortable with the programming concepts that library integration brings.
In saying that ^^, you might be some really gifted person and can learn programming and graphics all at the same time. Give it a shot. youll soon find out the things you dont understand, at which point you can go back to the drawing board and learn them.
At least this way gives you a path to learn from
At least this way gives you a path to learn from
In saying that ^^, you might be some really gifted person and can learn programming and graphics all at the same time. Give it a shot. youll soon find out the things you dont understand, at which point you can go back to the drawing board and learn them.
Or you can not waste your time trying to do two things at once...
You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake.
Tons of intelligent people come here thinking that they are above the usual advice of starting slow, not using C++, not getting into graphical programming for a while. The fact of the matter is that this is the advice for the intelligent crowd. Just because you're hot stuff compared to your school peers doesn't mean you're that high a percentile among aspiring programmers. And even then, programming is an art. Getting good at it takes practice and dedication. There are no shortcuts, just landmines.
I was wondering how/when I should start graphical game programming. I've been into console project for about 3 weeks now and I'm looking to go up a step. Is this the right next step? What would I need to know to make this step? I'm trying to keep this brief but if you have any questions please ask away. Thanks.
By graphical, did you mean like a game where you can actually see pictures rather than ASCII art? Or did you mean to know how to push polygons and render realistic graphics?
You need to be comfortable working with pointers, templates, memory manipulation, debugging mildly complex programs, building programs in the range of 2000 lines of code minimum...
Everyone tries to make this step about 30% of the way to where they need to. If you think you're ready in 3 weeks, try in 9-12. Learning graphical programming concepts isn't exactly simple and is best done when you're already comfortable with the programming concepts that library integration brings.
Not exactly true, it depends, really. I moved from text-only to graphics programming without barely knowing about pointers and memory allocation (and did not know anything about the other topics, I just knew loops, arrays and structs, not much more). I did barely know what a library was and struggled with linker errors all the time.
That was more than a decade ago, with time I learned everything else and now I work as a graphic programmer.
Templates, really? What use there is the need for learning that concept at this point, he is not going to need that yet, he just needs to start messing around with some graphic libraries, SDL and such, and work his way up the rest of concepts. Working with graphics instead of text is surely more complex for a beginner but also much more interesting, and that's a sure way to make him want to learn more stuff instead of having the feeling of hitting a roadblock.
The use that pretty much every single useful part of the standard library makes use of templates?
I learned C/C++ and Java by jumping in and making games. I do it just for fun and not for a job. I found creating the junk programs as a way to learn very boring.
I did have a basic understanding of C/C++ but nothing beyond arrays, loops and keyboard/mouse commands. With Java I knew nothing I just jumped in and went with it, but by then I had a greater understanding of C/C++ and libraries like Allegro.
Best way to learn is to do imo.
I did have a basic understanding of C/C++ but nothing beyond arrays, loops and keyboard/mouse commands. With Java I knew nothing I just jumped in and went with it, but by then I had a greater understanding of C/C++ and libraries like Allegro.
Best way to learn is to do imo.
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