Re: Where do I start??~~

["Mike Main" <anime6@earthlink.net>]

First I want to ask you a couple of questions:

 

1) How good are you with pointers?

2) How good are you at abstracting data (using classes).

 

These are two of the key things you need to understand when doing game programming.  You need to have a good understanding of pointers because doing graphics uses these a lot.  And also you need to be able to effectively abstract things.  This will make your life easier, because you can take a very complicated set of instructions for each graphic operation and then condense it all into an all encompassing game library.  If you just have strewn out code and functions, you will shoot yourself before you get far.

 

I also have two pieces of advice from a fool (me).  You need to do your project ONE PIECE AT A TIME!  Never try to envision your game in one sitting.  When I was programming my graphics engine for my RPG, I started out with what was called, Phase 1.  I outlined very simply what needed to be written, and then each day I would do a sub-phase like Phase 1-1, Phase 1-2...etc.  This helped keep me from going crazy with all that's being done.  If you try to tackle something or even THINK about the whole thing at once, you will scare yourself and most likely quit.  I know this because this is the first game I'm actually being successful at programming.  Secondly, I want to mention...don't try to be fancy at first.  Just write an all purpose game library (one in Direct X is easy), and experiment with it by writing games like Pong and Asteroids.  Don't say "Oh!  I'm going to write Quake III !"  This is something a lot of beginners on this ML set out to do on there FIRST try.  I admire their ambition, but they will lose that ambition very quickly.  So in summation...start simple and work in phases or you won't make it.

 

And as far as a good place to learn the actual programming, get the book "Windows Game Programming for Dummies".  It is probably the best book on game programming I have ever read, and it teaches you Direct X, COM, and the ethics of game selling and marketing.  Give it a read!

 

 

                                                  Michael Main

                                                  aka Deusprogrammer

----- Original Message -----

From: btinternet

To: gameprogrammer@gameprogrammer.com

Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2000 4:06 PM

Subject: Where do I start??~~

I am new to the world of Game programming.  I have quite a lot of experiece in C and quite a bit in C++ but dont know much about game programming, coding or logic.

What I'm saying is, I just want to know where to start, books to read, sites to visit.

If all you game programmers out there could find the time to give me some advice then it would be greatly appreciated.

Also, alot of people have been telling me there is a lot of math/physics involved in game programming, this doesn't put me off, I just want to know what to expect.

 

Thanks.