Which software is best?

Hello all,

I've recently been thinking about getting into the games programming industry. I've always had an excellent natural understanding and flair for programming since the old basic days, right thru to pascal, cobal, and finally C. However unfortunately i branched off and ended up in IT support, which has got me no where, (heindsight is a wonderful thing!).

O.K. What i want to know is what software to actually get and use?? Last C programming suite i used was borland turbo c 1990!!!!

What is the latest and greatest that everbody uses?

also will i really need a degree in software engineering? I tried it quite a long time ago but got bored real quick as there was alot of business involved and i just want to learn about games stuff.

If i can make a great demo of my skills, can this be enough to land me that lucky job?

Thanks.

 

Yes.

You have a number of options. Easiest to learn and use (and still get good results) is XNA with C#. All the tools are free (Visual Studio C# Express/ XNA SDK). This would be a great start and a good introduction to DirectX. It would also indicate to an employer that you knew the fundamentals.

I would suggest reading some 3D programming primers on the web too.

Professional games programming is currently dominated by C++, which is quite a bit harder to learn and use than C#, but has a lot more flexibility to run on different platforms and has a memory model better suited to frame-rate critical applications.

There are umpteen resources to learn and use C++. You could do a lot worse than to download Visual C++ 2008 Express, the DirectX SDK and get going. There are sheds of other options, if you're a bit open source you could chose Eclipse/Gnu/OpenGL.

If 2D floats your boat, other options to consider would be Flash or even DS homebrew.

 

What Thickie said.

In addition to that, judging from what you've said you haven't practiced programming for 18 years. Alot has happened to programming in that time that you need to catch up on (introduction of new programming languages like C# already mentioned, the later standards of C++). An example being that if you were to take your code that you worked on all that time ago, I'm willing to bet that it would actually not compile using a modern compiler.

Not quite sure what you mean by a 'excellent natural understanding and flair for programming', but when you do start again keep in mind that you have not coded for a very long time and that you are essentially starting from the beginning. See it like your role in IT work, you must stay abreast of the latest technologies out there to remain up-to-date, and it's no different particularly in games programming. Also the demo that you have to make will be better, in terms of the technology utilised in 1990, which means that it will have to be more visually impressive - particularly if you want to be a graphics programmer.

As is being realised more and more, the term 'game programmer' is becoming more and more vague as specialisms (graphics, AI, physics, UI for example) emerge, so try to get a good feel for them all to see where your talents lie.

Good luck, mate!

 

Hello

Many thanks to you both for your input. I've downloaded visual c++ express 2008 and something called DarkGDK, a small collection of tutorials and sample games with source code and am currently d/l DirectX SDK.

Should get me going. I can't believe microsoft let you download this stuff for free!

First impressions of VC++ is blimy, its slightly different to Turbo C 1990 lol.

Thanks again!!


EDIT: I'm not sure how to give you guys thanks so i just gave you rep points instead.

 

I would also recommend SDL if you want to get up and writing games pretty quick, but while still getting a good understanding of the underlying concepts.

SDL can also be used with OpenGL if you would prefer 3D games (but I would recommend 2D to begin with).

 

Cool, i'll check it out. I also read somewhere than BlitzBasic is good for 2D games as well, is it worth buying do you think?

 

I'm certain that many folks (including a few on here) use a version of Blitz Basic and perhaps make some good money selling their games (I have no idea), but you can't use it on any current generation consoles. They're C++/C/assembly language only (with the as yet unproven exception of C# and XNA on Xbox 360).

So Blitz is definitely a good choice if it fits with what you want to do, and will go a long way to helping you get something out the door and teach you all about writing games.

I don't know enough about it to recommend one version of Blitz over another though.

 

Whatever keeps you at it

I've got two answers for you as to what's the best software to use - one practical, one more holistic.

Firstly, I'd recommend going down the XNA route - the whole thing is going to make your life as easy as humanly possible. C# is really nice, and the content pipeline alone is worth trying it out - all dev. should be that easy. Plus, the price is not bad either. XNA - free. Visual C# Express - free. Assets - free. Tutorials - free. It's a complete no-brainer to simply have a look and see how you get on with C#.

My second recommendation is to use whatever will keep you coding. If you're looking to break into the industry without a degree, then the things you'll need to show are drive, enthusiasm and some kick-ass demos. So pick a platform and code something (anything) on it. If you don't like the platform, move onto another one. If you like it, code some more stuff on it, then move on to another platform. Once you get to the stage of "it's all just coding", then you'll be at a point where you can get through the door without a piece of paper.
Plus by then, you'll have a large demo collection to show once you get through the door to the interview, and you'll have sufficient experience to know where you want to sit once you get through the door to the office

Hope this is of some help.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions,

I've been using C/C++ the last few days, just trying simple programs, database like. Just to oil up my rusty brain before i move on to tackling the DirectX SDK.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

 

Good stuff, mate. Remember to play with integrating various source files through the use of header files (.h) instead of writing your entire code in one source file. Little things like that.

 

I've just ordered Accelerated c++ (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Accelerated...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203353770&sr=8-1). It has lots of good reviews so i will check it out.

When i develop my skills a bit more i will order Code Complete, that seems to be the programmers bible. I'm trying to improve my style, in the old days i just use to use x, y, z, I'm trying to give things meaningful names and improve my consistency.

 

COBOL is where it's at right now.

 

Ignore Xajin. He's copying YodaTheCoda with his dodgy advice.

 

Is cobol still around?? I thought it died off with the dinosaurs?

 

Cobol will never die, it only takes one to speak its name and it liveth on