anyone got any advice?

[matthew9090]

I could do with some advice because i am thinking of game programming. I already know php, html, javascript but they aren't for games. But i'm thinking of either c, c#, c++ or lua and maybe java. Does anyone know which one is best? I know java can be slow and lua is not normally for the actual game code .I'm thinking c++. Also i could do with some books as well which will be good if it covers graphics and how to use graphic libraries. I'm only 13 but i would like to start learning now.

 

[ignace]

Creating a game is much more than just bashing out code. Among other things you'll also need to learn how to model and apply animation. You may be better off starting with Unity3D which has both free and commercial packages and provides you with an IDE to develop your game in. It has a decent rendering engine that supports most of the complex features you find in a game and it has a community from which you can "borrow" models, maps, ..

 

Unity 3D Game Development By Example may be worth a look. A nice extra about Unity 3D is that it runs from within a web-browser (after installing the Unity client) so you can show your class-mates how cool you are from any PC

[cs.punk]

I could do with some advice because i am thinking of game programming. I already know php, html, javascript but they aren't for games. But i'm thinking of either c, c#, c++ or lua and maybe java. Does anyone know which one is best? I know java can be slow and lua is not normally for the actual game code .I'm thinking c++. Also i could do with some books as well which will be good if it covers graphics and how to use graphic libraries. I'm only 13 but i would like to start learning now.

 

I'd suggest XNA with C#.NET i, it's a great starting point imo. I found Unity to be allot more 'IDE' and 'game design' orientated and not allot of hardcore coding going on.

[mikesta707]

I could do with some advice because i am thinking of game programming. I already know php, html, javascript but they aren't for games. But i'm thinking of either c, c#, c++ or lua and maybe java. Does anyone know which one is best? I know java can be slow and lua is not normally for the actual game code .I'm thinking c++. Also i could do with some books as well which will be good if it covers graphics and how to use graphic libraries. I'm only 13 but i would like to start learning now.

 

I'd suggest XNA with C#.NET i, it's a great starting point imo. I found Unity to be allot more 'IDE' and 'game design' orientated and not allot of hardcore coding going on.

 

XNA is a pretty good starting point. If you read a few tutorials (and the documentation microsoft has for it is pretty good) you can make some 2d games in a matter of hours. I would suggest starting with 2D games so you can get your feet wet and have some experience with some of the simpler mechanics involved with game creation (tracking movement of objects, drawing to the screen etc.) Once you have these things understood, you can move on to the more complex game making topics, (like the ones Ignace mentions, or algorithms for finding the best path/optimal solution from a starting point to a goal, etc.).

 

But just so you know, making games isn't as easy as you may thing. There are some concepts and problems you will encounter that just don't come up in languages like PHP/Javascript or web development in general, that you will come across alot in game development (this is one of the reasons I suggest starting with simple 2D games)

 

The Best starting point would probably be to implement a pong or brick attack game, so you have some experience with position tracking/bouncing/collision which are pretty core concepts. Then move on to different simple 2D games, and perhaps make up your own, or add new/different features to an old game you are implementing