Need help : new is game developement

[cloud]

I dream to be a game developeper as I like games and would like to create game as a living.

The problem now is that I don't know where to start. I currently learning C++ and i'm not very good at it yet.

Can you all recomend me any books or website that I can imporve my C++ skills. I would also like to know what skills and software is requirer to develope a game expacially for a beginner like me.

Thanks in advance

[Bluecat]

Effective C++ and More Effective C++ both by Meyers are very good and I found them very helpful.

The CodeProject (www.codeproject.com) is a good website. Has a lot of decent articles, as does GameDev (www.gamedev.com).

[NuriumGames]

'The C++ Programming Language' by Bjarne Stroustrup (Creator of C++, you can't ask for a better author) look for the third edition. It's a very dense and quite difficult book, definitely not for beginners, is regarded as the best.

'Thinking in C++' 2nd edition, volumes 1 and 2 by Bruce Eckel. Also a very good, and freely available for everyone. Also not for beginners, but not as dense as the previous one. Get it here:
http://www.mindview.net/Books/TICPP/ThinkingInCPP2e.html

With these two books you'll have all the C++ that you need (and much more), do not try to master them in every aspect, read, learn where you have the information, and use them when needed. Also you'll find there some generic programming practices applicable to any language, very useful too.

[Diodor Bitan]

Shouldn't you be telling him about Blitz Basic or something like that? He said he wants to make games, not to learn that monstrous language.

[RedKnight]

He said he wants to make games, not to learn that monstrous language.

C/C++ is not a Monstrous Language.
One day when he's old enought, and one to make a 3d game engine.
He'll Wish he had learn C/C++ instead of Visual/ Blitz basic. :D

[ggambett]

http://www.gamedev.net

[Bluecat]

Shouldn't you be telling him about Blitz Basic or something like that? He said he wants to make games, not to learn that monstrous language.

C++ isn't monstrous. It's cool and nifty.

Having worked with some Basic code early in my career, I still shudder every time I see it mentioned as a viable development language. ;)

[EpicBoy]

Lots of fun bias and blanket statements in this thread.

BlitzBasic is a viable development language.

C++ is a viable development language.

Depending on your requirements, one may be more viable for your project than the other. No need for putting the other one down.

[Bluecat]

Lots of fun bias and blanket statements in this thread.

BlitzBasic is a viable development language.

C++ is a viable development language.

Depending on your requirements, one may be more viable for your project than the other. No need for putting the other one down.

Nah. I'm not putting down BlitzBasic, just as you said, 'fun bias.'

I had some truely horrendous experiences with Basic early in my career, MS Basic to be specific, and I've never recovered. ;)

[Diodor Bitan]

C++ isn't monstrous. It's cool and nifty.

It's monstrous. You can say that and be proud you tamed the monster and got it to do the powerful stuff it can, but that doesn't make it any less of a monster.

I expect everyone here agrees that the shortest path between a beginner programmer who doesn't know C++ and a finished game that can deliver hours of entertainment does not pass through "Modern C++ Design" but is closer to "Macromedia Flash Player" or "Blitz Basic" or some such.

[Bluecat]

It's monstrous. You can say that and be proud you tamed the monster and got it to do the powerful stuff it can, but that doesn't make it any less of a monster.


Well... it's really no more monstrous than Assembler, or C, or Pascal, or any other 'early' language. As I said, I don't consider it monstrous at all. In fact I like C++, it has some excellent features. But I guess that it is all a matter of opinion.



I expect everyone here agrees that the shortest path between a beginner programmer who doesn't know C++ and a finished game that can deliver hours of entertainment does not pass through "Modern C++ Design" but is closer to "Macromedia Flash Player" or "Blitz Basic" or some such.

I agree. It would be easier for someone to learn how to program (not just games) in a language like Python or BlitzBasic (not having used it, I don't know that though.)

However, Cloud asked for references for learning C++, not BlitzBasic. It's not really helpful to someone to tell him to use BlitzBasic if he wanted to learn C++. Who knows, he might be intending to use the Torque engine in which case recommending anything other than C++ is a complete waste of time. I figure if he wanted to know which language to use, he would have asked that question.

[Mithril Studios]

Good C++ books:

The Waite Group's "C++ Primer Plus", which takes you from ground zero, and their follow on covering more advanced topics (such as STL) "Object Oriented Programming in C++"

I've also really liked the books that Deitel & Deitel have published for Java, so I would lean towards their C++ books being pretty good too.

As an alternative, why not check into learning C# or Java -- both of these languages enable you to grasp the fundamentals of programming, without all the cruft of C/C++.

Anthony

[cloud]

Thanks for those tips.

Honestly I never heard about BlitzBasic before. Is it something like VB?
The reason why I ask about c++ because currently my university is teaching it, so far just started Object Oriented Programming in C++.

I do find C++ quite difficult sometimes and I just manage to get a B grade for my previous exam(array,string,void,etc..beginner stuff). I know that getting such result won't take me anywhere near to write a game. Even now i'm struggling to finish my assignment which is about creating a 'drawing software' like paint.

[Sybixsus]

Honestly I never heard about BlitzBasic before. Is it something like VB?

No. Nothing like it at all. It's a language with certain game libraries built in, such as a 2d engine, 3d engine, simple audio functionality from FMod, a little bit of DirectPlay for networking, etc. It's not strictly basic syntax any more, I'd say more of a Basic/C hybrid with some simple object-orientation.

It's not exactly bleeding edge technology, but it covers all the basics like multitexturing, cubemaps, normal maps, a few blend modes, and more importantly it's fast and stable. There are a ton of shareware and commercial games out there which were written with it.

It's highly unlikely it'll ever get you a job with a well known developer, but it scores very highly in the "getting a good looking, fast, stable and compatible game finished in the shortest time" stakes. In other words, it's a bit like Java or C#, in that you exchange a little control and a little power for a a lot of convenience and a shallower learning curve.

Now that I've told you what it is and what it's good for, I'll leave you to decide whether you want the control or the convenience.

[Diodor Bitan]

Original post by Bluecat
However, Cloud asked for references for learning C++, not BlitzBasic. It's not really helpful to someone to tell him to use BlitzBasic if he wanted to learn C++. Who knows, he might be intending to use the Torque engine in which case recommending anything other than C++ is a complete waste of time. I figure if he wanted to know which language to use, he would have asked that question.

You're right, I was a bit out of line. He did say his purpose was to make games (learning C++ appeared to me as only a means to this end), and that he didn't know where to start (making games). Depending on how much he already knows on programming and whether he has to learn C++ anyway (as it turns out), and, more importantly, what kind of games he wants to make, C++ may be the correct course anyway.

[Indiepath]

Try www.blitzbasic.com (Blitzbasic and Blitz3D)
or www.garagegames.com (Torque game engine)

Both are good choices if you want to skip the "I want to make my own 3D game engine" part which can take 2-3 years... or even more.

I use Blitz3D ( www.morphlings.com ). It's a good choice: Fast, easy-to-use, more features than I need, reasonable price. and it doesn't take a steep learning curve (took me 3 hours to put animated 3D model on screen... I can only wonder how many years it would have taken if I had started from the scratch...)

[cloud]

BlitzBasic seems interesting. It a game engine rite,like unreal,Littech,etc. Is it easy to learn,since I never use a game engine before.

Is it as hard as 3Dmax studio? Which until today I still don't know how to use it.