Dev-C++ is a free IDE (Integrated Development Environment) and it comes with a free C++ compiler (GCC/MinGW32). You can find it on www.bloodshed.net.

The Borland C++ Builder compiler is also free.

To download the DirectX SDK (Software Developers Kit) go to Microsoft''s DirectX page.

Dev C++ is good to start with, but as you progress farther along into more advanced API stuff in windows and direct x it becomes less standardized. I''m not saying that it''s bad, I actually use it my self, but eventually you''ll get to the point where you my do some of the stuff just a little different and you code might not be as compatible, esspecially with Direct x. As far as learning, or dos(win32 console also) it should do fine, and even as you go along it''ll do fine, but it''s some what less support in some of the tutorials out there. Actually Dev C++ itself isn''t the problem, it''s the mingw compiler at its base which is understandable, Mingw is a close cousin of the gcc compiler that is popular with linux and other unixes, so it doesn''t get along well with it''s microsoft foe. Eventually I''d like to see a more MSVC compatable version of mingw, not because i think ms is better, but it already holds a good bit of the market share, and as long as mingw is so incompatible, it won''t be able to compete as well. I think a version of mingw that could compile most of microsoft''s and borland''s code, combined with the Dev-C++ IDE, could likely compete rather well with VC++ and borland(although I like borland) if it was actually marketed.

As far as learning to be a game programmer goes, I agree with all these here who say go with text based first. After you read some of these books like teach your self c++ in 24 hours or something like that, you should have the neccesary knowledge to make these games. You could start out with simple things like hang man or maybe even card games for random stuff. You could then make some thing like a text based RPG that would take it a bit deeper. You can even make a text based strategy game, which sould be useful to practice making a simple AI. After all this you would have down the fundamentless of the mechanics behind a game, and then you can learn directx or opengl to add the graphics.

(off topic)

For the record, it''s not that mingw32 doesn''t follow the standards - it''s that msvc++ doesn''t follow the standards. I''m not saying that mingw32 follows the standards perfectly, but it does several orders of magnitudes better than msvc++.

(on topic)

I strongly recommend that your very first game should be a number guessing game. You can build up to the ideas that the other people here are talking about later - but a number guessing game can be written very quickly once you understand the basics (about 10 to 15 lines). Just my opinion.

I didn''t really mean that msvc++ followed the standard, but with it''s wide use, it sort of sets its own standard for windows programming.

Hey Mythos you wanna work together learning C++ i have 2 games in mind 1 called Axis Attack FPS you play an axis soldat and Mystic Warriors Rpg or stratagy email me or icq

Desert Fox Studios
Desert Fox
Ian Cheshire + Albert Matichev (friend)
nazgul4@qwest.net
icq-124117603
website will be up soon i hope =)

Why did you just raise a thread that is over a year old? I''m pretty sure that MythosGladiator no longer checks this...


I will not make a list of links... I will not make a list of links... I will not make a list of links...
Invader''s Realm

Can i raise it then since I am an "EXTREME NEWB!"? I was wondering if anyone has tried a program called DarkBASIC. All the "reviews" it has hosted on its site makes it sound pretty good and after downloading a trial version it seems that it might be a good choice for someone new to programming like me. The whole program costs £40 and since it has examples, tutorials, reference guides, indexes and a system of being able to run whatever you write whenever (it''ll then tell you which lines of code it doesn''t understand) and has a system of turning your code into .exe files with all media files built in or just having to have them in the same folder built in i thought it might also save a bit of money since most books seems to cost £30+ and from what I can see on this site a decent compiler costs about £50+.

If any of that didn''t make sense then check out www.fasttrak.co.uk to see what it can do yourself.

Anyway I thought it might be a good idea for me as just using the trial version and it''s sources i have managed to make a really good looking version of Space Invaders. If anyone tried this and languages like C++ could you tell me which is better for a newb?