quote:Original post by DanG
- Is OpenGL or DirectX better for introductory games?

OpenGL and DirectGraphics are roughly equivalent. Choose one, choose both. Just ignore the people who try to make a religious issue of it.

quote:- How serious a game can the average hobbiest make?

It all depends on dedication and hard work. You can make something absolutely stellar in concept and gameplay . Just realize that you may not have as much visual polish as id Software ("may not" - that''s hilarious!)

quote:- Is game development all code or is there artwork and design?

Are games all code or is there artwork and design? No, game development is not all code, and yes, there is artwork and design. All software should be properly designed before any code is written. I''ll give you a personal example:

I used to be a graphics programmer under DOS, but I''m transitioning to Windows graphics (I''ve been doing other things). I could jump in, grab a bunch of tutorials and hammer out a series of display systems, tweaking them until I get a decent one....

Or I could study the documentation of the API(s) I''m interested in using, understand the(ir) architecture(s) and my own requirements, and lay down a complete design. Then, I''m more likely to get it right the first time, and I''ll definitely get it right in fewer tries.

quote:also i was wandering where you get the new DirectX package.

Microsoft''s DirectX homepage (it''s a hefty download).

quote:Is DirectX a good API? Can you do everything in OpenGL you can do in DirectX? Does DirectX make it easy to interact with sound, input, graphics, video?

You really shouldn''t compare DirectX and OpenGL; you should compare DirectGraphics and OpenGL. DirectX comprises Sound/Music and Input components among others, while OpenGL is purely a graphics API. yes, you can pretty much do everything that you can in OpenGL with DirectX (give or take a few esoteric operations).

quote:RELIGION IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.

I could drive you nuts proving to you that you''re religious...

In DOS you had to write it all yourself (or use someone else''s library - which had it all). It wasn''t all complicated if you stuck with a certain 8-bit indexed color mode whose memory could be addressed linearly even in real mode. Or, you bit the bullet and dived into VESA.

It was fun, it was hell. Either way, it''s largely a thing of the past. Search for Mode 13h for detailed information on this pastime. Input often involved replacing (and chaining to the original) keyboard interrupt vector table and writing small drivers for joystick and mouse input. We also had to do software 3d (later we could use Glide, but I''ve never bought a 3dfx/Voodoo card).

Aren''t you happy you have nice APIs like DirectX and OpenGL now?

A lot of people are still into DOS development, but fortunately for them both the hardware and software have advanced; you can use nice libraries like Allegro.


To you it''s a Bently, to me it''s a blue car...
"Diddy"
P.Diddy