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Language to use for horror game 'Mad Father'

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Started by workisnotfun January 21, 2013 10:21 PM

4 comments, last by jwezorek 11 years, 2 months ago

workisnotfun

105

Author

January 21, 2013 10:21 PM

Hello everybody,

Would you know what programming language I should use if I wanted to recreate the horror game 'Mad Father' from scratch? I am a beginner at game development but have been programming in C and Java for 3 years and have taken courses on the lots of CS ideas but none that were video game related. :-( I've always wanted to program games and thought I'd start with something like 'Mad Father' first because I liked practically everything about it. I see that most recommend C++ on the For Beginners forum for programming games but I think I could pick this up fairly quickly.

I'd like to know what programming language I should use for this kind of game (more generally would be an rpg game that looks like it should be played on the gameboy (possibly incorporating fighting when I get better)) and why. Any advice on what I should watch out for as I start developing would be great as well.

Thanks,

Newb

Liuqahs15

819

January 22, 2013 12:07 AM

There are many many languages that would suit your needs. Java and C are two of them. So just pick whichever of those two you like best, since you're already familiar with them. You'll find language, in the general case, is not going to be the difference maker between you being able to make a game good or not. Good luck.

jwezorek

2,664

January 22, 2013 01:19 AM

[quote name='workisnotfun' timestamp='1358806919' post='5024054']
I see that most recommend C++ on the For Beginners forum for programming games but I think I could pick this up fairly quickly.
[/quote]

Most don't recommend C++ for begginers. Lots of beginners come into these forums dead set on writing their first game in C++ so people go a long with them.

If you have experience in C and Java and want to write a game, I'd go with Java. I don't know what "Mad Father" is but from googling it looks 2D meaning you could use some Java 2d game framework like Slick2D or JGame. Just pick one and learn it.

Zzazzy, a puzzle game for iPads | my blog

KnolanCross

1,974

January 22, 2013 03:21 PM

C and C++ are a bit complicated to learn, the advantage is that if you learn it really well, all the other languages will be pretty easy to understand.

The game you want to recreate is a 2d, tile based game, pretty simple to code. I would recommend python, it is pretty easy to learn and there is a great engine to use, named pygame. Also, this book covers the basics:

http://inventwithpython.com/pygame/chapter1.html

Currently working on a scene editor for ORX (http://orx-project.org), using kivy (http://kivy.org).

workisnotfun

105

Author

January 23, 2013 07:32 PM

C and C++ are a bit complicated to learn, the advantage is that if you learn it really well, all the other languages will be pretty easy to understand.

This is exactly why I want to code this project in C or C++, and I am already familiar with C and I think C++ should be simple to pick up (just syntax differences I'm sure). With that established, should I use C or C++? and where can I find tutorials to make a game like 'Mad Father' from scratch?

P.S. The reason I want to make it from scratch is because this will provide a greater learning experience than using something that already has thousands of libraries built into it and does all the work for you. I would rather use C or C++ because memory management and speed can be improved based on how well you code than if you use Java and I want to think of this project as training to build good habits like ways to make the game run faster, with less lag, etc.

jwezorek

2,664

January 23, 2013 08:15 PM

I would rather use C or C++ because memory management and speed can be improved based on how well you code than if you use Java and I want to think of this project as training to build good habits like ways to make the game run faster, with less lag, etc.

There is no reason to not use java for a tiled 2D game based on the idea that a Java implementation will exhibit "lag" but a C++ implementation will not.

If you want to write in C++ then write in C++ but don't delude yourself into thinking you are doing so for performance reasons. Beginners more or less will never see the speed difference between C++ and Java. If you write a Java game and it runs slowly, it is probably because you wrote it poorly not because of the language you chose. Likewise, C++ will not magically make a game run fast; in fact, if written poorly it will run really slow i.e. nothing is slower than crashing.

I am already familiar with C and I think C++ should be simple to pick up (just syntax differences I'm sure)

The difference between C and C++ is not a difference in syntax. They are radically different languages. If you treat C++ as C with some syntax differences you will write bad C++.

The reason I want to make it from scratch is because this will provide a greater learning experience than using something that already has thousands of libraries built into it

So you want to use C++ but not use libraries? ... Beginners tend to have a warped view of what making something "from scratch" means.

Zzazzy, a puzzle game for iPads | my blog

Language to use for horror game 'Mad Father'

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Language to use for horror game 'Mad Father'

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