On that note: allow me to introduce the Progspot Program-O-Meter – look, it just seemed easier thinking about progress as moving from Point A to Point B 3 inches away, rather than bulldozing through 885 pages excluding the index. The green bit is how much I’ve covered.

I can’t help but think that I should’ve worked my way towards a Computer Science major, or even Game Design – and how badass would that have been? MA Philosophy was cool then, but just doesn’t cut it in todays economy…

So the book is split into twenty-one hefty chunks per day, the idea being that by the end of three weeks I’d have gone from a total newbie, to an intermediate newbie with an idea of what programming is.

Today’s reading: a brief overview of the C++ language, how C++ evolved from what’s known as structured programming to object-oriented programming. This I thought was fascinating enough to warrant a chapter of its own – but hey we’ve only got 21 days to get through all of this.

The object-oriented part of the language can be boiled down to 3 key concepts:

• Encapsulation: You don’t need to know how a car works to use it.
  
• Inheritance: There’s no need to reinvent the wheel (excuse the pun) – just add bigger tires if that’s what you need.
  
• Polymorphism: Your car can also function as a large piece of metal, again, if that’s what you’re in the market for.

I also did my first bit of programming:

#include <iostream>

int main ();

{

std::cout << “Hello World!\n”;

return 0;

}

So there you have it – my very first compiled, built and executable C++ programme!

If you’re learning or are interested in learning C++ as well – drop me a note to let me know you’re out there!

On the advice of “Teach Yourself: Games Programming” by Alan Thorn (the only thing keeping me sane in this upstart hobby of mine, see How to make a computer game (with no programming experience!) for more info) I’ve installed Code::Blocks, an IDE for C++.  IDE stands for Integrated Development Environment – or in human terms, correct me if I’m wrong, programmes that allow you to programme. In a sense, it’s what MS Word is to written language.

According to the book there are two main IDEs for C++ (the language!): Microsoft Visual C++ and Code::Blocks.

I’ve chosen Code::Blocks because it’s free and I’m cheap.

Here’s a screen shot of what Code::Blocks looks like:

Let the games begin! Read: How the &^%$ do I work this thing?

Some useful links:
Code::Blocks download page
Code::Blocks online English version manual
A range of helpfully categorized C++ tutorials (which I’ll be looking at next)

Stay tuned for more on my first encounter with C++.

If you have any tips for a newbie starting out in C++ please feel free to leave a note!

For n00bs like me, I’ve narrowed it down to half a dozen leads to follow, each with its own pros and cons. The following comment courtesy of IdolNinja sums it up the best – I thought it was just so helpful I had to repost it here (now with links to useful resources):

“C++: Advanced - The most powerful, but also the most complex, and difficult of the languages to learn. If you’re having problems, you may want to consider moving to a more scripted intermediate language/environment.

Python: Intermediate - Powerful scripted language…seems to be a good starting point for novices like us.

Flash and Actionscript: Intermediate - Built in Vector animation tools help streamline the graphic and animation process, but it also seems to be pretty slow from what I understand, and is a different animal for handling graphics than all the other languages (everything else seems to be sprite based, rather than vector like Flash.) It does seem to be the best opportunity to monetize your games though, which is one of the reasons I chose it.

Game Maker: Easy - GUI based, with scripting. Lets you get immediate results. Cheap too. I spent some time learning it, and it helped me with core concepts of game design before moving to Flash and Actionscript, but nothing else really applicable to a “real language.”

RPG Maker: Easy - Geared towards RPGs, so if that’s your thing…

Torque Game Builder: Easy - Similar to Game Maker, but also lets you modify the source code of the engine itself. A lot of complaints about it seem to revolve around its incorrect documentation and bizarro workarounds. Reading their forums was a real eye-opener.

XNA - This is the the Microsoft environment for creating games that you can play on your Xbox 360 and share with other gamers on Xbox live.”

I have some experience with Flash and Actionscript so I guess the *logical* thing would be…yes, to dive right in with C++! Nothing like figuring out a new language with a giant manual and a whole lot of trial and error.

Stay tuned for more adventures in the world of C++.

If you have experience with C++, or even if you’re just starting out with the language – please drop me a note with any advice you might have! I’ll be working on this on my own so any recommended (and free!) resources would be of great help.

1. You like games;
2. You want to make your own games; and
3. Like me, you have no idea where to start.

Well, I figured this is no way to live, not knowing how to make your own computer games – so I went out and bought a book. It was called:

"Teach Yourself: Games Programming" - by Alan Thorn (ⓒ 2007 Alan Thorn)

I’m finally going to start creating my own computer game. So while EA and the likes are building multi-million dollar state-of-the-art gaming experiences I’m determined to create my own gaming experience from scratch.

Here’s what it says on the cover:

“Goal: GREAT GAMING … Content: Learn to design and create your own games. Understand the history of computer games. Make money from games programming.“

Hell yes – not only am I going to make my own computer game, I’m also going to milk every buck out of it.

Over the weekend I dove into the book while I was getting my hair cut. Not exactly the most convenient of places to start I admit, but there wasn’t a moment to lose. What has always been bugging me is that I can never seem to find a place *anywhere* on or offline that tells me what the 40-thousand foot view is: what do I need to know to get started? Let’s hope this book does what it promises to do in just under 180 pages…

The first chapter was on Game Design. Straight to the point, which suits me fine. The book suggests building a classic game called Sokoban where you’re a warehouse manager and your job is to push all the crates over to their designated positions:

Your job description only specifies *pushing* crates, so if you hit a corner - good luck.

I am then slapped square in the face with a list of development tools (what I’ve been looking for all this time!):

• Programming language = C++
• IDE (Integrated Development Environments) = Code::Blocks [NIWTI = No Idea What This Is]
• Graphics library = SDL (Simple Directmedia Layer) [Also NIWTI]
• Sound library = BASS [NIWTI]

So even though I don’t have the slightest clue what I’m dealing with here, at least I now have a vague idea of what I’ll need to learn to create my own personal game.

If you know something about software programming and can suggest a couple good leads, or if you’re just a non-programmer like me who just wants to learn how to make your own games – leave me a message: let me know you’re out there!