Hi all, I need help choosing a games lib. I program in Dos using DJGPP and would like faster graphics blitting, sound caps, joystick and other functions not too important and was wondering if anyone knew of a good games lib. the thing is don''t say allegro because I have tried it and did not like it (don''t ask me why, I just don''t) Anyway are there any other good libs that work with DJGPP and this is not really important but one that does not treat the screen as a bitmap structure but more like a part of unsigned char memory. Sounds kinda weird why I would not want all graphics to be stored in structs like allegro''s BITMAP structure but thats the way I like it. If anyone can help... Thanks alot Dark Star

That''s a toughy. If you''re planning on eventually moving to DirectX or OpenGL, ya might wanna consider Allegro again. In DirectX, the screen is represented by a surface (i guess it''s sorta like a bitmap) and if you use DirectX 8, (don''t quote me on this because i''m not sure) I''ve heard that u can''t access the video buffer directly. There was a big arguement about this when DirectX8 came out. But, in the end it''s your decision i guess.

Thanks man, I guess I do have to get used to using those structs especially if/when I move to DirectX. The thing is I have spent so long using a UCHAR *pointer to address the screen and buffers and when I came across allegro''s BITMAP, I freaked out..............silly huh??

Change is hard!!!!


Dark Star

SDL (www.libsdl.org)

The simplicity of Allegro.
"The power of DirectX".
Portable (Linux, Win32, Mac, IRIX, BeOS, etc.).
Open-source, Free; LGPL''d!

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"This album was written, recorded and edited at Gröndal, Stockholm in the year of 2000. At this point in time money still ruled the world. Capitalistic thoughts were wide spread. From the sky filled with the fumes of a billionarie''s cigar to the deepest abyss drenched in nuclear waste. A rich kid was a happy kid, oh..dirty, filthy times. Let this be a reminder."
- Fireside, taken from back of the Elite album

I have to agree with Staffan. SDL is a mature product which is used in many sucessful commercial projects and products. Its mailing list is very active and friendly, so finding answers to your questions is only a few minutes away. Its got everything I need in a library and more.

Philo