Thread: start game programming

  1. #1
    the Corvetter
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    start game programming

    I am a C programmer learning Win32 API. I'd like to know how I could start learning to program games. Maybe not in DirectX, but how would I do it in DOS?

    Any links to DOS game programming would be great. Thanks.

    --Garfield the Great
    1978 Silver Anniversary Corvette

  2. #2
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    Gamedev.net has some excellent articles on game programming theory.

  3. #3
    Fingerstyle Guitarist taylorguitarman's Avatar
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    DOS is dead. Sorry.
    You may as well just start right in with the win32 api. I've been learning DirectX recently and it's really not that hard. And the win32 stuff you need to get started is very minimal.
    Start with simple things first though. Display a .bmp then make it move, bounce off of things etc.
    I could post some boiler plate code if you'd like. I've been doing this for a school project so the code is pretty clean and readable.
    If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to see it, do the other trees make fun of it?

  4. #4
    Confused Magos's Avatar
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    Actually

    Actually, I think starting with DOS-games is a good idea, since it is easier to understand and get an idea of the concept, and later move on to Direct X.
    MagosX.com

    Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
    Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

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    One question: why the hell would DOS be considered dead? just because M$ is deciding to phase it out of its operating systems by slow degrees does NOT mean that it isn't still useful - not only for beginners, but for people who might not be content with working with overblown APIs! i'm not attempting to put down DirectX and MFC, but i think that people who have an urge to find out how systems actually work should be applauded, instead of saying that they are 'fighting for a lost cause' in essence.

    i suppose that means you haven't tried ASM programming (or you have 'moved on' from DOS). well, even though no-one's expected to, it's a good idea to understand just how these APIs work before you get complacent using them.

    Peter Kimberley
    [email protected]

  6. #6
    the Corvetter
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    You see, I'm learning Win32 API right now. Not for games, just for software development. It is not like I want to make games my main programming practice, I just want to full around and use my imagination for some DOS based games. I personally think those are the best.

    So, does anybody (besides gamedev.net) have any links to learn DOS game programming? Thanks.

    --Garfield the Programmer
    1978 Silver Anniversary Corvette

  7. #7
    & the hat of GPL slaying Thantos's Avatar
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    To get the feel of programming a game take a look at some of the popular BBS games. There are some simple types (Legend of the Red Dragon) and some complex ones (TradeWars 2002). That should give you a good base.

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    Garfield my friend get the book "Tricks of the window's game programming guru's." by Andre Lamothe. Its the best. It deals a bit with the win32 API and covers directX 7. I found it went great with sunlights tut's. Just goto the book store and read a couple paragraphs from the first chapter. It goes from a C or C++ developer perspective to a window's programming perspective. It eases you into the window's environment and I think it will cover alittle about MFC later in the book. It's GOOD!!!
    What's a matter you no like peppi?

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    Well, if you would like something crossplatform that allows for video, input, and sound, might I recommend Allegro? It is giftware (don't even have to give credit for using it in commercial products) and is quite powerful. Compile in DOS, Windows, Linux, BeOS, and soon Mac without changing a single line of code. Works great with several compilers - though I recommend Dev-C++ because it too is free. See my sig.
    Allegro precompiled Installer for Dev-C++, MSVC, and Borland: http://galileo.spaceports.com/~springs/

  10. #10
    the Corvetter
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    To get the feel of programming a game take a look at some of the popular BBS games. There are some simple types (Legend of the Red Dragon) and some complex ones (TradeWars 2002). That should give you a good base.
    Where?

    --Garfield the Programmer
    1978 Silver Anniversary Corvette

  11. #11
    the Corvetter
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    might I recommend Allegro?
    Sounds good. Where can I get it? Is it just a library? Any sites so I can learn it too? Thanks, Justin.

    --Garfield the Programmer
    1978 Silver Anniversary Corvette

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    Allegro is a wrapper library. It uses the most efficient lib on the given platform (on Windows it can use either DirectX or OpenGL) with a very easy to use API. It'll take you five minutes to figure out how to do nice, double buffered animation after you read the docs. www.allegro.cc has a good Allegro game programming forum if you have questions. Allegro's home page is at: http://www.talula.demon.co.uk/allegro/wip.on.html

    Dev-C++ is at www.bloodshed.com (bad name but great IDE). You can use my graphical installer for Allegro with Dev-C++ from www.envy.nu/springsoft/main.html

    The WIP (work in progress) for Allegro is complete for Windows. They are porting the whole thing to other OS's and compilers however, so until an estimate of December this year, they aren't going to call it the final version. The WIP is what you want though.

    (If you prefer MSVC to Dev-C++, Allegro works perfectly well with that too.) People use to pay $2000 + for cross platform libs like this.... It is very clean as well, which I can't usually say about these sort of things.

    Hope that helps.

    -Justin
    Last edited by Justin W; 11-08-2001 at 09:13 PM.
    Allegro precompiled Installer for Dev-C++, MSVC, and Borland: http://galileo.spaceports.com/~springs/

  13. #13
    & the hat of GPL slaying Thantos's Avatar
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    I can get you a copy of tradewars..but I haven't been able to find a copy of LORD. Just do a search for bbs and tradewars or LORD and you'll find a few telnet BBS. Just search through their files (in the legal manner) and you should find it.

    They aren't anything fancy but it can give you ideas. These two games were (and are) very popular.

  14. #14
    Fingerstyle Guitarist taylorguitarman's Avatar
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    I'm very sorry if I insulted you Peter (or anyone else).

    Microsoft's own Inside DirectX, "DOS Is Dead" (pg 3).

    I was speaking in practical terms. I don't think anyone in their right might mind would suggest programming a game for Windows 3.1. So I don't understand why so many people want to program for DOS.
    I'm not against console programming. Console programming is still very much alive. I think that's the best place to start programming. (But console programming doesn't mean DOS)
    I did DOS programming when I was younger only because I thought win32 was too difficult.
    I don't think programming in DOS first helps you understand the win32 API any better.

    I am fluent in ASM and I happen to love low-level programming and computer architecture. I am also interested in operating systems. But I still think learning win32 is better than learning DOS.

    Perhaps it would be wise to look into SDL.
    www.libsdl.org

    Drunken Hyena has some NeHe like tutorials for DirectX.
    www.drunkenhyena.com

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    i didn't mean to act as if i were insulted - i suppose i assumued you to have been speaking out of speculation, not experience. forgive me...i can see why you are drawn to Win32 dev. and in many ways i agree with you in the sense that at this time, it's the only viable (although some may differ in opinion) platform on which to developer apps / games.

    it's good to note that you too see the importance of understanding computing architecture - i can't help but laugh when i read that 'DOS is dead' in Microsoft's article...some corporate agenda fuelling that perhaps

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