If you think you can program, do it. Anybody can. I started when I was 11 (BASIC) then when I was 12 went for C++. But you will need to be willing to dedicate a lot to it.

altair
altair734@yahoo.com
crawlegend.iwarp.com

I just don''t get why everyone seems to think that rocket science is difficult

Nice one Alex, rocket science isn''t difficult hehehe...

No, C++ is not difficult to learn - putting it into *good* practise is - and unless your damn smart, this comes mainly with experience. I started with computers when I was around 6, and for a long time I tinkered with them on the hardware side of things before I (finally) got onto programming at 12. I''ve been learning a whole buncha languages over the last 4 years - C, C++, asm, pascal and a little bit of basic - get all the knowledge you can and then apply it, it''s no good sitting there with the ability to do something - you gotta go and DO IT.

phew, that was a long chip in...

Take it easy,

-Mezz

Rocket science? Nope. I made my first game entirely in C++ when I was 14.

It does take a lot of time to master C++ - nine years later, I''m still learning new stuff about it... but there''s no reason why you can''t learn C++ by making simple games.

Just don''t expect to make the next Unreal, and you''ll be OK.



Mason McCuskey
Spin Studios - home of Quaternion, 2000 GDC Indie Games Fest Finalist!
www.spin-studios.com

I started programming in C++ when I was 14 and it was great! It was not difficult at all and I only had some BASIC background. I think C++ is a great language to start with =) All the best! If you need help, don''t hesitate to contact me =)

Best regards,
Sherman

I think that people that have a lot of trouble learning to program may have a problem with dedication, not smarts. Anyone can learn to program, but it takes dedication to become really good at programming. I learned C from a book when I was 16 and wrote programs, and I thought I was a good programmer. Fastfoward to College, my first C++ class tought me that I wasn''t so good. Now im a junior and have taken a battery of computer science classes and now I think im just an ok programmer. I learn more every day. So, stay dedicated, don''t get a big head, and learn all you can because there is so much to learn!! Oh yeah, and have fun...If it stops being fun its not worth it.

Just like lots of things, "Easy to learn/use, hard to master", As I say it

Reiterating what everyone else has been saying. Syntax fairly easy to grasp at from 12 up. Efficient algorithms equals hard.

C++ may be hard to get started but how ever old you are...but as soon as you started to understand the basics your in buisness and thing progress very fast. Knowing a simpler language can be a massive boost...not basic because its not in the c style if you know what I mean although its still a good experience...try PASCAL

I think any language, including basic, teaches you the same basic things. Almost all languages have variables, if/then, loops, goto, and function calls. (Basic uses gosub)

Once you learn the syntax, you''ll find that most languages are the same. How hard is the syntax for C++? Not hard.

BTW: Why does everyone say Assembly is hard to learn? It''s just like any other language, you just need to keep one command per line, and handle any "typecasting" youself.

E:cb woof!