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Hi! I'm new to the forum and since people found out I program games and stuff people want to learn too! So I shall tell you the basics here and I will teach you more and more as time goes on.
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Lesson 1 - Programming Language For You!
So, you've decided you're really good at computer games, huh? And you think it is about time you tried to make something with a bit more of a challenge, right? Good! Because I am sure that all of you have thought about progamming games at one point or another and here in these lessons I will give you the basics and an insight into what it is all about.
First off you will need to learn a language and get a compiler for that language. A compiler is a program where you can type the code and it basically puts it all together for you to make the code into an EXE file and make it do something. These are very important and you will need one of thse.
There are many different programming languages and compilers on the market right now but there are only a small number of ones people would use for games. Here I will tell you about each of them and their strengths and weaknesses.
C++ - This is the daddy of languages. This is what most professional games are programmed in therefore is the biggest and the best for fast 3D games. Unfortunately it is very hard to learn and most people think learning C (the older version of the language) first is a good idea. It is not. C++ can be learnt at most colleges and universities but expect to stay a long time as this is a huge language! This is the best for games as it is the fastest and most versatille. The best compiler is Microsoft Visual C++, which retails at about £200 for a standard liscence.
Visual Basic - VB is more of an application language. Not really suited for games because it isn't as fast as C++ and therefore will struggle with complex 3D graphics and Direct X. But it can be good for 2D games, and seeing as the itnerface is basically drag and drop components (things that are in the program that you can see on the screen and can be programmed to behave a certain way) onto a stage. This means games can be made prety fast and easily. The language itself is pretty basic (hence the name) and isn't too hard to get to grips with, but as I said it is a program language, so don't expect to make amazing games with this!
Assembly - Most professionals use this language in conjunction with C++ to make games. But I don't use this as it is a horribly unstructured language and the code usually looks a little something like this: 01000101010001110. Terrible. Avoid this like the plague!
Java - Java is a language that has only recently made a real impression. It is made to be used on the web and is very fast and simple. The code can be learnt in about a year and is a good one for online games. This language is a very good one to start to learn with the rise of the amount of people coming online now!
Flash - Flash is a program mainly for making web animations. But in recent versions the actionscript (Their programming language) has gotten very advanced and can be used to make great web games. It is primarily used for 2D web games, as it is a slow language. I use this one, along with many many others as it is such a fun and easy to use language. Macromedia Flash 5 is the current version and is around £400.
Well thats a roun up of languages! Hope you enjoyed the first lesson. The next one will deal with Flash as being the program to use to make nice fun and simple arcadey games. I will tell you where to get it and the basics of using it. In later issues I will go on to create simple games with you for it!
Have fun all!
------------------------------------------------------------
Lesson 1 - Programming Language For You!
So, you've decided you're really good at computer games, huh? And you think it is about time you tried to make something with a bit more of a challenge, right? Good! Because I am sure that all of you have thought about progamming games at one point or another and here in these lessons I will give you the basics and an insight into what it is all about.
First off you will need to learn a language and get a compiler for that language. A compiler is a program where you can type the code and it basically puts it all together for you to make the code into an EXE file and make it do something. These are very important and you will need one of thse.
There are many different programming languages and compilers on the market right now but there are only a small number of ones people would use for games. Here I will tell you about each of them and their strengths and weaknesses.
C++ - This is the daddy of languages. This is what most professional games are programmed in therefore is the biggest and the best for fast 3D games. Unfortunately it is very hard to learn and most people think learning C (the older version of the language) first is a good idea. It is not. C++ can be learnt at most colleges and universities but expect to stay a long time as this is a huge language! This is the best for games as it is the fastest and most versatille. The best compiler is Microsoft Visual C++, which retails at about £200 for a standard liscence.
Visual Basic - VB is more of an application language. Not really suited for games because it isn't as fast as C++ and therefore will struggle with complex 3D graphics and Direct X. But it can be good for 2D games, and seeing as the itnerface is basically drag and drop components (things that are in the program that you can see on the screen and can be programmed to behave a certain way) onto a stage. This means games can be made prety fast and easily. The language itself is pretty basic (hence the name) and isn't too hard to get to grips with, but as I said it is a program language, so don't expect to make amazing games with this!
Assembly - Most professionals use this language in conjunction with C++ to make games. But I don't use this as it is a horribly unstructured language and the code usually looks a little something like this: 01000101010001110. Terrible. Avoid this like the plague!
Java - Java is a language that has only recently made a real impression. It is made to be used on the web and is very fast and simple. The code can be learnt in about a year and is a good one for online games. This language is a very good one to start to learn with the rise of the amount of people coming online now!
Flash - Flash is a program mainly for making web animations. But in recent versions the actionscript (Their programming language) has gotten very advanced and can be used to make great web games. It is primarily used for 2D web games, as it is a slow language. I use this one, along with many many others as it is such a fun and easy to use language. Macromedia Flash 5 is the current version and is around £400.
Well thats a roun up of languages! Hope you enjoyed the first lesson. The next one will deal with Flash as being the program to use to make nice fun and simple arcadey games. I will tell you where to get it and the basics of using it. In later issues I will go on to create simple games with you for it!
Have fun all!
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By the way if all you want to do with Flash is make web animations you can use Swish. Is os great! My site is going to look dead professional! Get it from www.swishzone.com, and get a crack for the demo at www.wtcracks.com :)
i already used my free trial before , so now after an hour of downloading flash , the damn thing wont work !;-( anyone know how to get my 30 days back ? ive tried deleting everything but it still wont work ;-(
Shaneo?
If ya wanna program games you should do the uni course I'm going.
Doing 4 programming modules at the moment. Games Programming using DirectX, Programming for Visual Simulation using OpenGL, Graphical Programmming using OpenGL n C, and C++ for Graphics.
After finishing these modules I should know a thing or to. And hopefully I should get a placement in the games industry in a few months!
:)
Doing 4 programming modules at the moment. Games Programming using DirectX, Programming for Visual Simulation using OpenGL, Graphical Programmming using OpenGL n C, and C++ for Graphics.
After finishing these modules I should know a thing or to. And hopefully I should get a placement in the games industry in a few months!
:)
Did you just say that you could use Visual Basic to make games... hmmmmm
Considering VB is an object orientated language, the best games would be text input or something like nought and crosses. Great.
And THEN you go onto discount assembler... which is actually used to code Game Boy games.
Sonic
Considering VB is an object orientated language, the best games would be text input or something like nought and crosses. Great.
And THEN you go onto discount assembler... which is actually used to code Game Boy games.
Sonic
Cracking flash... er... may as well be warez :p Same sort of thing in a way.
MJswerve wrote:
> Ach, I have Flash 5 Full version... "nice" version too if you see what
> i mean. Not a good idea to talk warez on a forum mate :) Anyways, its a decent
> proggy and I have seen some amazing results with the thing, games wise and anims
> wise. Be nice for you too teach some of the people here about it. I however will
> be enquiring to my irc friends :p They know all about this stuff, including mods
> for UT and things like that, sounds nice to me :)
No-one metioned warez...
> Ach, I have Flash 5 Full version... "nice" version too if you see what
> i mean. Not a good idea to talk warez on a forum mate :) Anyways, its a decent
> proggy and I have seen some amazing results with the thing, games wise and anims
> wise. Be nice for you too teach some of the people here about it. I however will
> be enquiring to my irc friends :p They know all about this stuff, including mods
> for UT and things like that, sounds nice to me :)
No-one metioned warez...
Ach, I have Flash 5 Full version... "nice" version too if you see what i mean. Not a good idea to talk warez on a forum mate :) Anyways, its a decent proggy and I have seen some amazing results with the thing, games wise and anims wise. Be nice for you too teach some of the people here about it. I however will be enquiring to my irc friends :p They know all about this stuff, including mods for UT and things like that, sounds nice to me :)
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