Need info on free game makers

Post by **marshallh** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:23 am

Truevision 3D is just a wrapper around DirectX, you are still going to have to program to use it.

It all depends on how much time you are willing to spend on this. Learning C++/DirectX will open up lots of things in the future, while just using a tool like DarkBasic will get you the game, but not very much programming knowledge.

XPCportables · Post by **XPCportables** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:28 am

on that note, I am looking for some really thorough guides for beginning C++ programming. The few guides that I have read have jumped right into programming something, without even telling me what is is that they are making. I picked up a book on DirectX programming which I will read once I learn C++.

HotDog-Cart · Post by **HotDog-Cart** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:48 am

www.cplusplus.com

Thats all ya need.

Post by **Skyone** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:23 pm

HotDog-Cart wrote:www.cplusplus.com

Thats all ya need.

Not a bad site, but I've found out that any site/book that starts out with hello world never works for me. I find it better to learn from harder tutorials that actually teach you the structure of your program, and how it interacts with the console (in hello world's case, at least).

With that said, possibly look at the structure and syntax of a basic C++ program and turn it into what you want, not what the book wants you to learn - that way, you won't be discouraged of such languages due to boredom.

Yet another reason we should make a programming forum here!

XPCportables · Post by **XPCportables** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:40 pm

What's a really good free C++ compiler?

dudex77 · Post by **dudex77** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:03 pm

Nightwheel, are you looking for a game maker that requires no programming knowledge at all? If so I think youd have better luck looking for one for a 2d game rather than 3d.

Limewater · Post by **Limewater** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:27 pm

XPCportables wrote:What's a really good free C++ compiler?

I prefer to use gcc. It's not necessarily what I would recommend to a beginner, though. However, it is ANSI standard and is one of the only free one with which I have any experience. I'm sure someone else on the board would have a more user-friendly suggestion.

http://gcc.gnu.org/

Also, you could try PCGrasp. Last I remember, you have to install Cygwin to use it, though, and that can be a bit of a pain.

But regarding books, I would suggest the Sam's book "Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days".

You can try to just learn online, but I think that if you don't have too much programming experience yet then it helps to have a little more structure. The book is written assuming a minimal amount of prior knowledge, so it's pretty accessible for a beginner. The book's not too expensive, either. In 2000 it was only about $30.00 new, and I know they've revised a couple of times since then. You can probably find a used copy pretty cheap on amazon or something.

Do get a recent edition, though, because some things, like how headers are handled, have changed in the last seven or eight years.

Good luck!

Post by **marshallh** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:00 pm

XPCportables wrote:What's a really good free C++ compiler?

http://www.bloodshed.net/devcpp.html

XPCportables · Post by **XPCportables** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:03 am

Yay, I found the Sam's "Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days" book online at this website http://newdata.box.sk/bx/c/. Also, I had DevC++ before, but it gave me errors when I tried to compile anything. This new one works fine though.