Hi there!
I just joined the forums and would like some help getting started
Videos game had been a large part of my life and I have always wondered how they worked now with some spare time I would like to learn something new.
some questions :
I"m currently learning c++ (nothing deep just basics)
What game engine should I use? And what's should I do next? Asset creation?
Need help pointing in a direction to get started.
Any help would be appreciated thanks in advanced.
Help getting started with game development
Don't worry about game engines to start with, they're not that useful for the simple games you'll be making as a beginner.
I'd recommend taking a look at frameworks such as SFML or SDL and make a few simple games using those. (replicating pong is a great first step).
Once you're good enough at programming in general to tackle a large game project you can start evaluating whatever third party game engines are popular at that time and see of something is suitable for that specific project.
Also, once you're ready to jump onto a big project, be prepared to learn a different language, C++ isn't all that commonly used outside of the engines themselves so with most modern game engines you'll only use C++ if you need to extend/modify the engine.
SimonForsman is completely right.
If you are ready for SDL and know some amount of C++. Id recommend watching few of these tutorials. It's a good start for creation of 2D games in SDL2. Definitely worth it. :D
Here is the link to part two, part one is just introduction.
Hope that helps
I used SFML 1.6 and then 2.0, and I can highly suggest those frameworks. Not because they're really "better", but moreso because they are Object-Oriented and their designs encourage modern C++, while SDL is very procedural (as it is primarily a C library).
I very much don't suggest SDL2, because its easy for a beginner to pick up bad practices while using it.
Also, please don't follow the link Darrel provided. If you do choose SDL, read the official documentation.
What game engine should I use? And what's should I do next? Asset creation?
Need help pointing in a direction to get started.
Any help would be appreciated thanks in advanced.
Start by trying to make a simple 2D game like Frogger (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frogger)
Figure out how to render sprites (aka images) on the screen.
Next make them move across the screen in a desired path.
Get input from player and move the "frog" on the screen
resolve collisions and track score.
I know exactly the boat you are in, I started with some basic C++ knowledge and tried to jump into game programming like SDL
What I did was take a step back and practice C++ until I was sick of it and practiced some more. You can't expect to make a decent game without first knowing pointers and classes like the back of your hand.
Next I suggest SFML. Im sure SDL is great but I personally found SFML to be easier to learn and understand, plus CodingMadeEasy on Youtube has some great SFML 1.6 and 2.0 tutorials.
Also I suggest learning to draw a little or some simple pixel art even if it resembles NES era graphics, unless you have a personal friend who knows how to draw you will want more than just circles and squares to represent your sprites
One thing I'll point out early on is a simple truth in programming: basic is best.
Don't make something because you -think- you'll need it later on, just focus on thinking about the simplest way to accomplish a goal that will work with your other requirements. Even on here people tend to push "best practices" a lot, but in reality there are too many.. well, variables involved in a project to just blindly follow any advice.
I highly recommend getting started with SFML, but it will take lots of reading and experimentation to get to where you understand the basics of everything.
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