Ok well im a begginer at C++ language, but i kinda wanted to learn more of the game parts of C++ and i dont know what the call that or anything in the game field becuase i dont want to spend my time making stupid programs that mean nothing to me... I dont want to get off track. learning things i dont need to in the C++ programing enviroment of game development and design. So id like some hinters/termology about C++ and game development, all so i kinda wanna know what other programming stuff has to go with making games in the serious game development.
Thanks a lot for ANY information you can provide me with that will help me for future, becuase i am taking programming serious so i can become a programmer or such for the future in game development and design.
Dont say "its so hard" and stuff like that i got a lot of time to live( hopefully ) so provide good answers please.
Games with C++?
Good for you, you're already ahead of most people who think they can sit down for a month and produce the next "Halo 2". Game development is certainly not easy and requires a lot of blood sweat and tears.
That being said, here's what you'll need:
- Multimedia library(s)
These libraries allow you, the developer to leverage the amazing power of those who have gone before you. Instead of reinventing the wheel, you simply create your content and let the library deal with how it works. Depending on which platform(s) you want to develop will help determine which library you go with.
- Game engine
This will determine how components in your game will interact with each other. It could include elements such as in-game physics, collision detection, character data, etc.
- Game content
This comprises the majority of work for most games. It could include a soundtrack, sound effects, artwork, videos, and storyline. If you take a look at the credits for large games, you'll see that the number of programmers is usually much smaller than the number of artists. There's a reason for that.
Reply:Awesome,
While I know very little about what programmers are usin - some of which is stuff they've developed from C - I can tell you that there are a lot of Guilds and Groups that you can join who will help you out a lot.
If you do take your programming seriously, consider learning C++ amongst others - and do lots of Modding. Modding is great practice and gets you name out there. They often use cut down versions of C++ in the scripts.
Learning one language off by heart is not the best way to start - because programming languages come and go with trends. The best thing to do is to learn about programming itself, with a selection of languages as well. There are lots of great books on programming for games as well.
As far as learning stuff you don't need to know, frankly everything you learn today will be a bit out of date in 5 years time - but the process of learning those skills and the generic knowledge of how programs work and how logic works will be very valuable. There also isn't much in games programming that is specific to games, they tend to cover pretty much everything a programming language is capable of. They're complex lil beasties.
If you're really stuck and need extra help - try going to a few of the games sites for games you like - hit the forums and search for forums relating to games, modding or careers.
It'll be a start. ^__^
n G'luck. My brother is in the biz now - but he's using entirely different languages to what he learned at Uni, coz times change. He copes because he's learned how to learn, and about how programming works.
Reply:There is no special part of C++ that is for gaming purposes, as it is a general purpose language, and can be applied to any programming task. It is a good language to learn though, and has many resources available for the eager to learn like yourself.
There are many aspects to game development which you would need to be able to get to grips with, and not just the language or programming itself.
Two vary broad, but important areas of knowledge which i think are crucial if you want to start developing games, are maths and physics. Get a good basis in these subjects and a lot of concepts you will meet along your long journey to game programmer heaven will seem all that more easy.
To start off with, you will probably need to get an SDK (software development kit) which is suited to game development. This is kind of an extension that allows you to make games or graphical applications. To the two most command being DirectX (from Microsoft), and OpenGL. I think OpenGL is a lot easer to pick up, but DirectX includes API's for Audio, Input, and Network play (amongst others) where as OpenGL stuff covers the graphical elements.
Depending on how you want to start, you can go for the already written 'engines' or mod current games/projects and develop in that way, or start from scratch and build a game up using your own design and code. The latter will be more rewarding, but will also be harder, longer and more demanding.
The advice which was given to me, and which i now pass onto everyone else, is that you should start off with a small game, and by small i mean simple and not fancy; Tetris or Pong maybe. This will allow you to integrate all components of game development(audio, graphics, AI, input) and start to feel for how they all integrate and comunicate with each other. You can learn all of this wihtout getting bogged down with all the indepth, complicated inards of advanced graphics programming.
Once you have the basics ironed out, you can then start to add more into your games (maybe integrate particle systems for explosions or collisions in your pong game), this will allow you to start learning about physics and to see how 'real' physics is applied games, or maybe convert your 2D tetris game into a 3D version, exposing you to 3D concepts and things like vision culling and 3D transformations. Its all about getting the basics in place and getting them right, and once you have done that, then you can build upon your knowledge and produce more advanced, stable, and efficient code.
Some good sites for game programming are:
www.gamedev.net - general game development
www.gamasutra.com - general game development
nehe.gamedev.net - opengl tutorials
cg.cs.tu-berlin.de/~ki/engines.html - List of game engines
Hope i've managed to helped in some small way ;) if anything is unclear or you want me to expand on anything i have mentioned then feel free to contact me.
Reply:Get a couple of good books on game writing in c++ (lookem up on amazon.com). also learn opengl, directx, and you must be dang good in vectors and 3d math! good luk.
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