RE: What about DJGPP ?!?!

["MartinezJ" <MartinezJ@aurorabio.com>]

Title: RE: What about DJGPP ?!?!

what game libraries would you recommend to visual c++ 6??

John Martinez
Management Information Systems

-----Original Message-----
From: Dataw0lf [mailto:dataw0lf@ductape.net]
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 1999 10:01 AM
To: gameprogrammer@gameprogrammer.com
Subject: RE: What about DJGPP ?!?!

For a beginning game developer, I would certainly recommend DJGPP.  It, and
the Allegro game library, will introduce you to DOS game programming and
allow you to become familiar with basic concepts.  However, if you are
seriously dedicated to becoming a game programmer, spend the money to get
Visual C++ or Borland Builder.  Builder is awesome for developing game tools
(i.e. map editors, level editors, animation tools, etc.), but C++ has a good
debugger and is relatively easy to use.

--Dataw0lf

-----Original Message-----
From:   gameprogrammer-owner@gameprogrammer.com
[mailto:gameprogrammer-owner@gameprogrammer.com] On Behalf Of Slightly
Hacktic
Sent:   Sunday, September 12, 1999 11:35 PM
To:     gameprogrammer@gameprogrammer.com
Subject:        What about DJGPP ?!?!

Hi all,

I am just a beginning game developer, though I've been trying out some game
programming stuff for a year or so and I'm still not sure with what compiler
to begin.

I read that the DJGPP is an excellent game develop compiler. So I thought I
have found my compiler.
I've read lots of tutorials on game development with lots of code for DJGPP
and non-DJGPP compilers.

My problem is that most tutorials show how to plot pixels straight to this
A000:0000 memory area, while in DJGPP I would need to use _farpokeb() or
_farsetsel() to set some 'selector' (_dos_ds) to enable me to access this
memory area.
When I finally figured this real and protected mode stuff out I come across
other functions and constants like __dpmi_segment_to_descriptor(),
__djgpp_conventional_base, far and near stuff, etc (DJGPP's library shows
zillions of these 'scary' kinds). It would almost look like DJGPP is a
language of its own and not ANSI C. I know ... I know ... behind all of
these functions and constants the ANSI C probably would surface.
Should I just turn the protected mode off by using __djgpp_nearptr_enable()?

Also I recently read in a posted mail in this list that the openGL library
for DJGPP is not the Opengl32.dll (that comes with the windows-OS) but
something else (forgot the name). While the DJGPP is a fully 32 bit
compiler?!?!

Are there any other things like these that I would encounter with DJGPP that
is different from 'general' code used in most online tutorials? Or is it
just the graphical stuff that is so different?

If I learn all this DJGPP stuff, would I still be marketable with other
compilers (like Borland C) without a rehabilitation?  Would it still be wise
for me to continue with DJGPP for easy coding?

Thanks;
-=* Mark *=-

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