Direct X or OpenGL ???
Author
Okay I am pretty new to programming. I am 15 years old. I have done a pong game in GDI and one in Direct X... both were 2d. I found this site on Open GL programming and it doesnt look like something i couldn''t handle. I think it would be fun to do 3D games. I was just wondering if I should do more in 2D games before I move on or if I would (with a lot of work) be able to tackle the 3D stuff. I''de love to hear your oppinion on it.
Thanks
Yes, do more 2D games. You can do 2D with DX just fine.
OpenGL is what you want to learn when you''re ready to write cross-platform 3D. The greatest body of your work will involve understanding the details of working with a vast range of 3rd party gfx hardware, and implementing fail-safe code to compensate for the shortcomings in capability and driver quality.
Best of luck!
-------------
-WarMage
...what do I know...I''m only the Chosen One...
OpenGL is what you want to learn when you''re ready to write cross-platform 3D. The greatest body of your work will involve understanding the details of working with a vast range of 3rd party gfx hardware, and implementing fail-safe code to compensate for the shortcomings in capability and driver quality.
Best of luck!
-------------
-WarMage
...what do I know...I''m only the Chosen One...
www.amazon.com
Go there and buy "OpenGL Game Programming" by Kevin Hawkins and Dave Astle.
NeHe.gamedev.net is the best OpenGL tutorial site..... if you don't have the money to buy the book. I suggest the book though.
OpenGL does 2d just as good as DX.
You just load a texture and assign it to a quad ( sqaure ).
Good Luck.
Edited by - Drizzt DoUrden on October 15, 2001 7:58:13 PM
Go there and buy "OpenGL Game Programming" by Kevin Hawkins and Dave Astle.
NeHe.gamedev.net is the best OpenGL tutorial site..... if you don't have the money to buy the book. I suggest the book though.
OpenGL does 2d just as good as DX.
You just load a texture and assign it to a quad ( sqaure ).
Good Luck.
Edited by - Drizzt DoUrden on October 15, 2001 7:58:13 PM
Hi,
Well, I started 3D stuff at your age (I''m 17 now), and its rather hard at the beginning. The Problem ist not the API, but the Math involved. You will have to learn a lot about 3D Maths, vectors and matrices, etc., which is 11/12th grade stuff.
The first rotating cube is easy, but you will probably want to do more complex things, where often Maths is the problem. (Kinematics / Lightmapping / Shadowcasting / PVS-and BSP-Stuff).
If you are interested in making a *game*, I would stick to 2D. If you want to create a 3D Engine, and if you have some interest in Maths, I''d suggest to start with 3D.
Where are you from, if I may ask? Perhaps I can help you a little.
syn
Well, I started 3D stuff at your age (I''m 17 now), and its rather hard at the beginning. The Problem ist not the API, but the Math involved. You will have to learn a lot about 3D Maths, vectors and matrices, etc., which is 11/12th grade stuff.
The first rotating cube is easy, but you will probably want to do more complex things, where often Maths is the problem. (Kinematics / Lightmapping / Shadowcasting / PVS-and BSP-Stuff).
If you are interested in making a *game*, I would stick to 2D. If you want to create a 3D Engine, and if you have some interest in Maths, I''d suggest to start with 3D.
Where are you from, if I may ask? Perhaps I can help you a little.
syn
OpenGL rules! Forget all that cross-platform fail-safing: just write it for your machine. DirecX needs even more of that crap and that''s just for windows machines!
God I wish I''d started at your age: I''m 21 now and still having trouble getting a textured cube up on screen. That said I''m sposed to be writing a game for a project this year. HA!
God I wish I''d started at your age: I''m 21 now and still having trouble getting a textured cube up on screen. That said I''m sposed to be writing a game for a project this year. HA!
OpenGL is much more easier to grasp...(if u use glut or glaux) but basically both are as good as long as u know what you are doing...aint gonna hurt learning both of em 
Hah playmesumch00ns, I am 21 this year too and suppose to do a game for my project lol...mebbe we could work out something?
Contact me
ycjoo1@yahoo.com
Edited by - ycjoo on October 17, 2001 8:45:22 AM
Hah playmesumch00ns, I am 21 this year too and suppose to do a game for my project lol...mebbe we could work out something?
Contact me
ycjoo1@yahoo.com
Edited by - ycjoo on October 17, 2001 8:45:22 AM
Has anyone forgot about Direct3DX? The library that helps immensily in dealing with the math involved in Direct3D. IMHO I think it suitable for some professional games. The functions are fast enough for commercial games.
Also I''m only 15 so HA!(And yes I am experienced enough in C and C++ with windows programming. I didn''t skip any prerequisites)
-And that was my gloat for the day.
Also I''m only 15 so HA!(And yes I am experienced enough in C and C++ with windows programming. I didn''t skip any prerequisites)
-And that was my gloat for the day.
Author
okay well thanks for the advice. I started open GL 3 days ago and have already gotten far. Your right the math is the only really difficult stuff, but luckily I understand it. Anyway I will be putting some stuff up later to show some of my progress. Anyway thanks
Hmm this is a pretty interesting question.. I''ve been switching between OpenGL and DX for some time now (can''t decide ;D) And I''m currently making a game in DX.. I dunno why ppl say DX is "a programmers hell" (sometimes) and that OpenGL is far easier.. I mean OK the first OpenGL steps like rotating a alpha blended multi-texture mapped cube is real easy compared to DX if you''re into programming but it''s all about MATH in the end I tell ya.. I started out with DX and bought this book "Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus: Fundamentals of 2D and 3D Game Programming" really long title anyways it really got me going with DX and if you see it this way; DX might be a little more "detailed" programming but once you got it it''s cleaner in a way I can''t explain.. It''s a lot more function calls but they''re all obvious if you know what I mean. Ok there are a lot of pros with OpenGL compared to DX; it''s portable but how many do REALLY use i.e Linux for games? Anyhow you don''t need a 140 meg SDK to use the API and you don''t need any HUGE runtime files, if any (included w/ OS). As I say I feel DX a lot more cleaner and "safe".. Maybe because it''s really Microsoftish 
I mean designed for ONE OS.. I dunno but this time I think I''ll stick to DX... There are alot more information concerning DX than OpenGL I think.
BUT THAT''S JUST ME!!!
Btw, I REALLY recommend that book I mentioned, by André Lamothe, because it handles EVERY little aspect of basic Win32/DX and game programming. I mean there''s detailed and easy math explanations, a C++ primer, trigonometry review and a whole HUGE chapter on advanced AI, physics, collision detection and SHITLOADS of sweet information!! BUY IT NOW!!!! ;D
Good luck game programming!
/Sandman
I mean designed for ONE OS.. I dunno but this time I think I''ll stick to DX... There are alot more information concerning DX than OpenGL I think. BUT THAT''S JUST ME!!!
Btw, I REALLY recommend that book I mentioned, by André Lamothe, because it handles EVERY little aspect of basic Win32/DX and game programming. I mean there''s detailed and easy math explanations, a C++ primer, trigonometry review and a whole HUGE chapter on advanced AI, physics, collision detection and SHITLOADS of sweet information!! BUY IT NOW!!!! ;D
Good luck game programming!
/Sandman
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