I''m a Beginner - Intermidiate C programmer and a Beginner C++ programmer. I''ve been looking for decent (cheap) sprite animators and tile creating software and have NOT been impressed by the selection. I''m wondering if it is worth it to just create my own, if so what would the best method be?

It would probably be most beneficial to create one yourself if you have the skills. You will learn a lot about basic file formats that way. There are a few articles on Gamedev.net about how to go about making your own file format, and will point you in the right direction if you choose to go that route. Just look under the tile/iso section of the site.

One word of caution though. If you are a new programmer and have never made a game before, you might want to make one with simple animation and levels first. Making a tile engine isn''t that hard, but it is hard to grasp if you are still trying to understand C/C++. It''s especially hard if you throw no experiance with games in to the mix, there is a lot of logic going on. maybe consider making a space invaders clone where there isn''t a whole lot of scrolling or an Arkanoid clone. Anyway, whatever you choose, good luck.



Mike Barela
mbarela@earthlink.net

I meant the tile graphics for the engine not the engine itself :-)

But thanx anyway!!!

Edited by - King_Over_All on 2/29/00 7:18:03 PM

So your talking about a program like paint shop? Paint Shop pro is a great, fairly inexpensive paimt program that comes with an animation studio. It basically has everything you''ll need to make tiles and sprites. If you make your own, good luck. =P

Where can I get Paint Shop Pro, and how much does it cost?

You can get a demo copy of Paint Shop Pro from download.com i''m pretty sure. I have used PSP before and was satisfied with the tools and variety of file formats etc..

Personally, I would go to Yahoo.com or the equivalent and search for a paint program there just to see what''s available, and you should learn something that way about the current market.

The demo of paint shop pro expires after 30 days or so so keep your zip so you can re-install instead of paying way too much money for the software.

Hmm. I really would suggest that if you like PSPro you actually buy it instead of ripping them off by reinstalling constantly.
Personally I love PSPro. I tried it out, liked it, and bought 5, then when 6 came out I bought the upgrade. I really respect JASC for making a very good graphics program for a reasonable price (look at how much things like adobe cost compared!!) and I''m willing to support what they''re doing by buying copies of it. I also respect the trust they have in their customers in that they don''t hold anything back on the demo. Nothing is disabled (at least it wasn''t in the 5 demo), they want you to honestly consider it and decide whether or not to buy the software.
Remember, that when you buy a piece of software like this or like a shareware program, you are telling the authors you appreciate their work, and encouraging them to continue. I would hate to see PSPro put out of business because too many people are ripping off the demo... then we would all have to buy the massively overpriced alternatives.

-fel

The Gimp is free and has mostly the same feature set as paint shop pro and then a few nice extras. It''s really slick in my opinion. It''s at www.gimp.org. Use it guilt free.

Yeah, the gimp is my favorite. Unfortunately, it''s a unix paint program. But, it is probably one of the best programs in the way it''s set up. Good luck.