Game Development Discussion

[vishnukumar]

Good morning to all. I am Vishnu Kumar, MS (Software Engineering) graduate, fresher, 2012 passed out. And i am another one in your way with a dream to develop a game. I had gone through plenty of articles and topics (pinned in this forum too) but i find that, basic information i am looking for is missing. Also what i want is, someone or all putting their hand in my shoulder, sitting down and just discussing with me about the way i should go forward to fulfill my dream. I will keep it in short so you don't get headache :)

My Programming Knowledge:
I consider myself more than beginner in programming language and software development. I am pretty comfortably at C, C++, Java and .NET (C#). i was taught in hierarchy, so fortunately i know the basics very well. I know PHP too but i hadn't worked with real time servers and don't know CSS. So, working with website became difficult for me.

In simple, i am straight from doing academic projects, learning programming through books and doing some applications into game development (no prior experience).

My Game:
At short, i don't know how to categorize my game like RGP or Simulator. What i am going to develop is inspired from www.newstarsoccer.com. I should say it is role playing simulation game. Mine will be cricket not soccer. I had read plenty of people trying to develop the single player based cricket game but none is yet official came out. But irrespective of that, i am still interested in developing mine.

I won't be straightaway starting to do a 3D game. At first, i want to develop a text based game and release it. Through this process, i would have learnt lot. Then i will go for developing in 3D.

My questions:

I went along reading topics under "how to start game development" hours, but i am back to beginning point in the end. People said about helping tools, game engines, style of working and what constrains a long process of programming throws up.

1)But my basic problem is which language to choose? C++ or Java or .NET? which is better and good? (assume my knowledge in all is same)

2)Is using a Game Engine irrespective of the programming language i choose helps me out lot being independent developer? If i use one, then i must be doing all my coding stuff's in that Game Engine software/framework itself and finally a deployment .exe file will be generated (software package), right?

Platform: At moment, i target only Windows. If i use Java, then i think automatically the game will become platform independent but read that people in articles suggesting to use C++ though.

Game Style :Text-Based simulator.. No 3D but audio will be used.

Database: Knew MySQL, SQL and SQLite. So no worries in these area i think. But again which one is better?(SQL is not free right?)

Thats all for now, will raise more questions if needed as follow-up to the answers.

I am still waiting for Date of Joining, so in a way my hands at money is tied. I can't spend lots of money to purchase softwares too. Tried to send me game ideas to companies in an effort to get a job as game developer but none replied back. I named my game as "Dream Cricket" and i hope it won't die as dream itself.

If you need more details, i am ready to provide. Don't know why but i feel, i learn better through discussing with others than reading all by myself. Thanks, waiting for replies.

[Bumpehh]

You should use c++. as for engines theres a whole wiki page
And other than that, go for it. but i would recommend using a 2d library to make your game such as SDL or SFML.(Im too lazy to add links. google them)
SFML is alot better and simplier. if you have any problems, just ask on this forum. we'll all try to help :)

[dx9_programmer]

I'm still in college and I've made some simple games like tetris and pacman and currently working on a super mario 2D sidescroller variant, but not very large games, so I'm still a bit above a beginner when it comes to game development.

I recommend you use C/C++ for game development because there are many game engines written to be used with C/C++. In fact, most game developing job positions require you know C or C++. This is just an example http://www.bungie.net/inside/content_viewer.aspx?link=about_careers#32202 the company that develops the Halo series for Xbox. You can also find a lot more books on game programming with C/C++.

I use the Allegro gaming library which is written in C and you can use it with C++. It provides basic functionality for games like basic 2D graphics, keyboard/mouse input, sound, bitmaps, and other things. (However, no physics or AI functionality).

You can quickly get started by downloading the library here http://alleg.sourceforge.net/download.html I recommend the stable version either Allegro 4 or 5 . You can also download the source and build it yourself if you want, or just download the compiled libraries (aka binaries) for the windows platform near the bottom of the page.

This is a tutorial that will get you through the basics http://www.loomsoft.net/resources/alltut/alltut_index.htm Very helpful and comes with source code with each lesson. You can find the documentation for Allegro http://alleg.sourceforge.net/api.html for looking up functions and datatypes.

That's how I started developing games and I'm still a long way from developing commercial games, but hopefully this will guide you in the right direction. This will just get you started and then you can move on using more feature rich game engines that have AI and physics functionality.

I should also add, you can go here http://www.allegro.cc/ which is a forums dedicated to game programming with Allegro. You can find many examples of games written with Allegro and comes with source code too.

[MiniApocalypse]

I started off by getting a really good book and just working through it. A good tip is to go on Amazon type in game programming and see which books have the best user reviews and choose one(s) from there.

In terms of languages C++ the standard in the industry but once your familliar with one its not that difficult to pick up others.

Also i sencond Allegro as a 2D library, its got fantastic documentation and help is everywhere for it.

[NehaPande]

Most algorithmic programming, and more specifically competitive programming, use C++. In addition, it is utilized for sophisticated features like creating new operating systems, languages, and other so-called BIG DADDY'S activities.

Java, on the other hand, is heavily utilized for competitive programming as well, but its usage overshadows Java's many applications in a wide range of industries. Java has numerous applications, including

So go ahead and learn C++ if you are truly interested in algorithms and their design and implementation.

However, if you don't have any interest in it, play it safe, study java, make sure your theoretical understanding is solid, and you'll have no trouble finding chances.