Hi, i just started programming, im 13 and i need help with C++. I can''t buy any books because my parents think I should wait until i''m in college to start my "job". I couldn''t find any tutorials online that helped me at all because i need help with C++ game(italicized)programming! Not just C++ programming. So if there''s a person with a pretty good understanding of C++ for game(italicized) programming that''s willing to help a total newbie, I would be very thankful. And remeber, at the same time your helping me, you''ll probably be relearning C++ all over again(I read that in an article, yup, im pretty desperate). Thanks, Sincerely, SEZ

This probably isn''t what you want to hear ... but it''s really a good idea to learn the language itself before you start on game programming. And besides, most of what you learn will be directly applicable to and/or required for programming games.

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Martee

Hi, thankls for replying so quickly. What I meant in my first post is could someone teach me C++ in relation to games, but still teaching me C++. For example:
You use this command like this. In a game you would use it like this. Thanks.
SEZ

Martee''s correct about learning the language first. Once you know it well enough you''ll be able to figure out how to do games with it. If you need help with a specific area, like graphics, physics, or sound, then it''s a lot easier to get specific. But there''s no way to teach "game making" .

[Resist Windows XP''s Invasive Production Activation Technology!]

Actually, I do have a question about graphics. I have this program that I got. It''s called 3D Game Studio and I can make a 3D model and world but I can''t get the feel of a game. I can''t make the people talk, or the player to actually interact with the environment. I heard some thing about rendering that might make it work but I have no idea as to what that would be. Please Reply. Thanks

SEZ

Whoa hold on there, if you want to make real games for money when your older as a career you should definately learn pure c++ and windows stuff in general before you even think about trying to learn game programming. Sure you can take 2 or 3 months and learn basic c++ then find some game turorials on the net but if you want to truly make complex state of the art games later on you will need to be a c++ guru and many many other things. There is a free compiler called djgpp or something close to that and many decent basic programming articles all over the net. I would suggest you find a way to get some money to buy a good book and compiler. Books are so much easier to learn from because you are paying for them so it is supposed to be complete, error free, and fairly easy to understand. Here''s a few topics you might want to learn first: c++ (of course), mfc (windows programming), lots of math and algorithm stuff and that will give you a decent foundation before you start learning game programming. Good luck.

Hello

Well, weerd thing .. if and when you learn C++, keep at it !
I used to be quite a good programmer, and ended up getting work and doing "other" things and have lost the touch with coding.

There are multitudes of sites that start you off coding from begin.

But I do understand your problem, that not many point towards beginning game programming, as most of them are done by people who have coded for ages.

A tip to get you going, download the free Borland C++ compiler, do the whole "hello world thing" ! .. once you begin accomplishing little steps like that, you''ll think of new things you''ll want to try out and you WILL want to make them work ..

Building on that, you can move into DirectX and pick up pieces on Assembler.
( A sideline question : is Borland TASM32 Free ? I''m stuck because I got MASM32, but am getting errors, so most of the time im trying to configure things (I''m trying to get into GFX mode in DOS in Windows through Assembler and it''s not working, if there are better paths to go about things ? please help me ?) )

Once you''ve gotten the hang of using the C++ commands and style of coding, you can start mixing them to create known games, be it ASCII gfx or GFX, remake them as you''ll pick up on patterns that are still used in Nowadays games .. eg Slot Machine, Tetris, Pong, Arkanoid.

3d Games take a lot of maths experience, something of which I kind of lack and was quite dissappointed that I did, but there are many sites you can look through that people explain the concepts and code, and use of the code towards a 3D game, starting from co-ordinates in space, how to create a virtual world, and how to put the co-ordinates in them.

Again there are gazillian online tutorials for that, probably for the more experienced still.

Hmm i''ve rambled ..

Point is .. start with accomplishing little steps :
1) hello world
1a) Common ( Loops, file access, small database (CD Collection info))
2) Slot machine, Tetris
3) hello world in Windows
3a) Common ( Loops, file access, small database (CD Collection info))
4) Slot machine for windows

If you''ve gotten that far, you''ve already written 2 GAMES !

Move on to Side Scrollers (eg. Megaman, Gradius)

I think once you''ve figured out Side Scrollers, you''ve built up enough coding experience to move onto bigger projects.

From there .. I''m stuck .. as I''ve deleted my C++ Dos Compiler which handled Assembler for my graphics and am trying to get TASM32 to add to the free compiler.

Er .. have I helped at all ? .. ( sorry had a glass of champagne .. have rambled )

Seze8, you have plenty of time to sit down and learn C++ before you start thinking about games programming. I know I''m repeating what''s already been said but I''m doing it so you know that it''s what anyone else would say. Your 13 years old for chrissakes! I didn''t start programming C++ till I was 16. You kids these days have all the luck to have sites like these at your age. Anyways convince your parents it''s educational (cause it is) and go out and get a C++ book. For your age, I''d say C++ for Dummies. Not cause your a dummy (I used it too) but cause it''s an easy read and teaches you all you need to know to get started, plus it''s only like 30 bucks. Take some time to get to know C++, it''ll make you a better programmer when it comes time to make the games.

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"Need more eeenput..."
- #5, "Short Circuit"
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Consider yourself a building Engineer. Would you consider placing a house in quicksand? Perhaps water, or even Mud? Most likely not, you''d realize that the moment you started building your foundation would be sinking. Although this may not apply to many other things in life, programming is considered "Software Engineering". And we engineers have one thing in common. We know that without a firm foundation your attempts to build anything will fail. Which is why you should learn C++ before moving onto games.

Writing a game uses just about every single peice of functionality C++ has. From file input/output, to Video output, to Artificial intelligence, and tools writing. There is no C++ for games, only C++.

As for books, goto the local library and request them. The library can get any book you want on loan from another library if it''s available in the US you can get it.

Hi,

I''m 13 too, and I''m a complete newbie too. I totally agree with you because I went a bought a book on Teach Yourself C++ in 21 days, and when I got it home, I skimmed through it, and I seen some stuff that I don''t think I will really need to know in order to do game programming. So I went and asked did I need to know this stuff in the General Programming forum, and everybody thinks I do. So I would suggest you go to www.informit.com, click Free Library and look for Sam''s Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days Second Edition. And after you read this book and have a good understanding, then you can go on to game programming.

And here''s what you can do to find a tutorial for Game Programming in C++ for beginners: go to www.google.com and type

1.Game Programming in C++ for beginners
2.Game Programming in C++
3.Game Programming for Beginners

try each one, and if one don''t work, try another. Now type the above in the search box, and you will find more sites than you can handle.


Because one day you might need to write text to screen, but you won''t know how to do this if you don''t start out small, and then expand. That''s what I''m doing and I''m already heading towards Structures, & Arrays.

But, if you don''t like C++ that much, then I would extremely suggest learning Delphi. Because you can make 2D & 3D Games, virtual machines, emulators, and etc... And it''s kinda easy to learn. And the best thing of all you can do with it is use DirectX or Opengl, isn''t that cool. So choose your destination, and start small then work your way up.