Getting Started: Our plan

["GameProgrammer.Com" <bob@pendleton.com>]

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GameProgrammer.Com: Getting Started: Our plan
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By Jim Corosa on Friday, August 11, 2000 - 06:05 pm:

 Hi,
 I am a 21 year old computer programmer with a college
diploma and 14 years of computer experience (at least 6 in
programming). I'm also new to games but know a great deal
about them. I know every language under the sun; dos and
windows. Ok enoug tooting my own horn... first off: I use
Visual Basic every day. For slow running but quickly
produced (and sloppy) database/business applications, it is
great. As far as games go - throw it in the garbage! You
will never be able to create a real-time application with
it. You need a low-level language, which will give YOU the
control that YOU need. You will need one of these compilers:
C/C++, Visual C++, Pascal, or Assembler. The games that you
buy now adays are written for the windows platform, usually
in C/C++ with C Windows API and DirectX. You can get all of
this functionality in a Visual C++ compiler (which also
compiles C/C++ code) and allows you to call inline Assembly
too!!! Then you will need to download a free copy of the
DirectX SDK. You will get all of this plus a coure with that
Programming Starter Kit. I have not read or used it, but I
am familiar with the package. Once you have completed it,
you will be able to write retail quality games. However, two
warnings: 1) If you don't know that much about C windows API
or DirectX and 3D logic - get prepared for a headache!!! 2)
Don't get sucked into the mode of using someone else's game
engine - this is cheating, not programming. If you want a
real feeling of accomplishment, you have to create your own
game engine (which you can reuse for other games). It sounds
like you definately need to get a good book though. You have
the right idea - a team of people to break the project into
tasks. Don't get discouraged and get the most up to date
literature on the subject that you can find!

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