Newbie - Honest Questions (I think... Hahaha)
Hello there. I am sure I don't need to introduce myself since many of you check the username anyway.
I have recently become very interested in programming (just in general). Being somewhat of a computer nerd already I had heard of C++ but shrugged it off, going on with whatever I was doing. I have been looking at BlitzPlus, Blitz3d, and BlitxMax as well. GL Basic a bit, but not as much as Blitz and C++.
I have a few questions that maybe some of you could answer for me:
- What is the difference between C# and C++? Is it much of a difference?
- What are some good books to learn C++ from? Preferably game programming, but gust a general programming reference is perfectly fine as well
- What are some of the best sites to learn C++ in?
- Could I possibly have a reference code for a game of some sort to look through and learn from? I would prefer one with some commentary, but like the books, none is good too, I can always find a way to identify what the commands do eventually.
- And my last one is: would anyone know where there would be a good college to look into that has a game programming major I can check out?
Thanks =3. Hope I am not annoying like some newbs tend to be sometimes.
Peace,
Britt.
I have recently become very interested in programming (just in general). Being somewhat of a computer nerd already I had heard of C++ but shrugged it off, going on with whatever I was doing. I have been looking at BlitzPlus, Blitz3d, and BlitxMax as well. GL Basic a bit, but not as much as Blitz and C++.
I have a few questions that maybe some of you could answer for me:
- What is the difference between C# and C++? Is it much of a difference?
- What are some good books to learn C++ from? Preferably game programming, but gust a general programming reference is perfectly fine as well
- What are some of the best sites to learn C++ in?
- Could I possibly have a reference code for a game of some sort to look through and learn from? I would prefer one with some commentary, but like the books, none is good too, I can always find a way to identify what the commands do eventually.
- And my last one is: would anyone know where there would be a good college to look into that has a game programming major I can check out?
Thanks =3. Hope I am not annoying like some newbs tend to be sometimes.
Peace,
Britt.
I can answer some just to get you started (although I'm sure others will go in detail):
Accelerated C++ is one of my favourite. I'm sure you could find a copy to flip through at a local book store to see if it's right for you.
This one has a great tutorial (http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/) and a great community!
Have you done programming already? If not, simply looking at the source code may be a bit of a struggle. Looking at source is still great for learning some new stuff, but if you don't know a bit of C++, it may be daunting. Some Googling should get you to source. Sourceforge.net has open source programs that allow you to look at the source as well.
If you check the internet for colleges/universities you already are interested in/know about, then you should check their computer science program and see if it has a game programming branch.
Sorry I couldn't answer all of your questions but I hope I've made some things clearer.
| - What are some good books to learn C++ from? Preferably game programming, but gust a general programming reference is perfectly fine as well |
Accelerated C++ is one of my favourite. I'm sure you could find a copy to flip through at a local book store to see if it's right for you.
| - What are some of the best sites to learn C++ in? |
This one has a great tutorial (http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/) and a great community!
| - Could I possibly have a reference code for a game of some sort to look through and learn from? I would prefer one with some commentary, but like the books, none is good too, I can always find a way to identify what the commands do eventually. |
Have you done programming already? If not, simply looking at the source code may be a bit of a struggle. Looking at source is still great for learning some new stuff, but if you don't know a bit of C++, it may be daunting. Some Googling should get you to source. Sourceforge.net has open source programs that allow you to look at the source as well.
| - And my last one is: would anyone know where there would be a good college to look into that has a game programming major I can check out? |
If you check the internet for colleges/universities you already are interested in/know about, then you should check their computer science program and see if it has a game programming branch.
Sorry I couldn't answer all of your questions but I hope I've made some things clearer.
| - What is the difference between C# and C++? Is it much of a difference? |
| Could I possibly have a reference code for a game of some sort to look through and learn from? |
| - And my last one is: would anyone know where there would be a good college to look into that has a game programming major I can check out? |
| - What is the difference between C# and C++? Is it much of a difference? |
Well, there are some differences. C# takes a somewhat more modern approach to things and comes with a large library providing a lot of functionality while C++ restricts itself to important core functionality in its standard library. But of course you can extend that at any time by using additional libraries.
The syntax is very similar, at least. If you know C++, you'll find it easy to learn C# and vice versa. I'd suggest you try both.
Both are suitable for game programming, although C++ is still more popular for games at this point in time.
| - What are some good books to learn C++ from? Preferably game programming, but gust a general programming reference is perfectly fine as well |
Books that you should read are: C++ Primer by Lippman/Lajoie/Moo and Effective C++ by Scott Meyers (in that order!). As far as I'm concerned that is quite enough reading, but if you wish you can also read The C++ Programming Language (Stroustrup), Exceptional C++ (Sutter), More Exceptional C++ (Meyers again) and perhaps Modern C++ Design by Andrei Alexandrescu to refine your style.
| - What are some of the best sites to learn C++ in? |
This site (but only as a reference) - leave the actual teaching to the books.
| - Could I possibly have a reference code for a game of some sort to look through and learn from? I would prefer one with some commentary, but like the books, none is good too, I can always find a way to identify what the commands do eventually. |
You could look for some small open source game written in C++, but I don't think that's a good idea right at the beginning. Chances are that you won't understand too much.
Just work through the SFML tutorials to start and create some small games like a Breakout clone, Space invaders, Pacman, Tetris, a Mario-like platformer etc. - or whatever else comes to mind. The next step could be a multiplayer game.
Once you're experienced in C++ and 2D game programming, you can start with 3D programming. By then you probably won't need much guidance anymore.
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