I have programed with Visual Basic but now i am switching to C. I want to know how i Should start out. Should i begin to make games or should i make similer windows apps???

Try to get a good grip on the syntax first, its quite different from VB. The concepts are the same, but you will still be much better off learning the language before jumping into any windows programming, or games. If you search for C++ tutorials on Google, you should find plenty, then when you have done that, check out windows programming, and finally DirectX or OpenGL!

Welcome to GameDev.net, Ang88. I am glad you have decided to learn C. If you do not know this already, C is the most popular language in the world, the language in which the most programs are written in, and most operating systems (Windows, UNIX) were written [for the majority] in C.

If you want to learn how to program games, I suggest you learn the core C language first. Next you should move on to learning C++, an extension of C. With this knowledge alone, you can make many simple text games; I suggest that you make one, because the skills you learn will be invaluable later.

Luckly, there are a whole lot of five-star C and C++ tutorial books. Here are a few that I found:


Learn to Program with C++
by John Smiley
$29.99


C Programming for the Absolute Beginner
by Michael Vine
$29.99


C++ How to Program
by Harvey M. Deitel, Paul J. Deitel
$78.67

Now that you have C and C++ programming down, I would recommend to start programming the Windows API. There is a really good one that a lot of people recommend, and I think that this is it. I am not sure if that is the site, as I did not learn from there. You do not need to know a whole lot of Windows programming for game development, but it is helpful.

Next you are ready to move onto 3D programming. There is a fork in the road here. You can either go the Microsoft way and learn Direct3D, or you can learn OpenGL. These are two different 3D programming APIs. OpenGL will work on other operating systems, while Direct3D will not. The two APIs are very much alike now, so it is really just a matter of personal preference.

If you choose to learn OpenGL, there are a few extremely high-quality resources out there. There is NeHe, which a lot of people on this forum have learned OpenGL from. If you want to buy a book, there are a few really good ones out there:


OpenGL Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning OpenGL
by Mason Woo, Jackie Neider, Tom Davis, Dave Shreiner, OpenGL Architecture Review Board
$59.99


OpenGL SuperBible
by Richard S. Wright Jr., Michael R. Sweet
$49.99


OpenGL Game Programming
by Dave Astle, Kevin Hawkins
$59.99

Direct3D, on the contrary, has many books, most of which are not that good. It is very possible to learn Direct3D from the documentation, as it is very well documented. But if you want to get a book, there is one really good book out there:


Programming Roleplaying Games with DirectX
by Jim Adams
$59.99

An advantage to learning Direct3D from OpenGL Game Programming and Programming Roleplaying Games in DirectX is that they also tell you how to program input and sound in DirectAudio and DirectInput, components of the DirectX API. Yes, it can get confusing with all this terminology.

With a lot of work you can make something great. Always remember to try code samples in those books, and modify them to see how they work. When you gain enough knowledge, make as many games as you can. When you start, your games will be simple, like Pong or Tetris, so do not be discouraged because you cannot make Quake IV on your first attempt. With some practice you can become very good at game programming.

Good luck!