C++ Anyone?

[mayhem]

Just wondering if anyone here is using, or have used C++ or another lower level language for their RPG?
It's the perfect platform if you can learn it, it's just the learning that's the problem.
If anyone else here is learning C++ I'd love to know!

[IsmAvatar]

I've fortunately forgotten C++. I've been learning better languages, such as Pascal and Clarion (A databasing language)

If you're interested in learning how to make RPG's or games in a language other than C/C++ (language must be free), then I'd be glad to learn with you, or skip ahead and teach you what I've learned.

(Dunno if you've noticed, but I have strong feelings against C++)

[Flashback]

nope, although I might make a palm pilot version using Plua (a free lua port)

[Alvaron]

I can do simple C++ ....
Learning more advanced stuff ^^

[phatsk8boarder]

i'm currenlty learning c++. got to so i can use the IrrLicht engine for my game Stealth Assault.

[darkzerox]

I've been using C++ for about 3 years now. I don't have any complaints with it...

I've never tried Pascal or Clarion, I'd like to know why you think they are superior, IsmAvatar. Not meaning to challenge you, but what advantages do they have over C++?

I think C++ is a good language to learn... once you know it, you can pick up other languages with ease. The concepts are mostly the same, only slight differences in syntax.

Other languages have more pre-made stuff (functions, and variable stuffs), so I would believe that it would be harder to go from a more basic language, then learn C.

I like the control I get with C++. No extra baggage, just straight code, include whatever I need, or write it myself.

I hate dealing with someone else's code, but you can never be sure what exactly it does, unless you dig through it and pick it apart.

[IsmAvatar]

I consider it mostly illogical. A little bit of a coding strategy here, a whole different method there, and then plug in these magical include files for anything else (although other languages do have that too).

Pascal is very straightforward, with only a few simple rules on coding etiquitte.

Clarion was just a little side note, an example of a databasing language, similar to SQL.

I mean, sure C++ is powerful, but it's so complex, and it doesn't need to be. where C++ has a "cout <<" command, which seems to defeat all coding etiquitte, while pascal simply has the write() and writeln() commands, using standard function format.
If there was something of a more logical approach to C++, i'd be learning it in a heartbeat.


The main reason i've developed such a hatred towards C++ is because it's too popular, like the Windows of Operating systems.

I'd like to know why you think they are superior,

Not superior, just a more appropriate choice IMO versus C++. And I respect your opinion if you feel C++ is the better choice.

[darkzerox]

IsmAvatar said:

I consider it mostly illogical. A little bit of a coding strategy here, a whole different method there, and then plug in these magical include files for anything else (although other languages do have that too).

Pascal is very straightforward, with only a few simple rules on coding etiquitte.

Clarion was just a little side note, an example of a databasing language, similar to SQL.

I mean, sure C++ is powerful, but it's so complex, and it doesn't need to be. where C++ has a "cout <<" command, which seems to defeat all coding etiquitte, while pascal simply has the write() and writeln() commands, using standard function format.
If there was something of a more logical approach to C++, i'd be learning it in a heartbeat.


The main reason i've developed such a hatred towards C++ is because it's too popular, like the Windows of Operating systems.

Not superior, just a more appropriate choice IMO versus C++. And I respect your opinion if you feel C++ is the better choice.

Well, C++ also has printf(). I must admit the >> and << operators are a little odd, but they don't need to be used.

Other than that, I'd say its fairly consistant and makes sense to me.

Now a language I find brutally terrible is Modulas 2. I haven't used it, but I was helping my brother write some stuff in it (as I said, after having to learned one language, it's easy learning more -- in no time I picked up the basic syntax, not that it's difficult)... but it's so... English based, and so... picky.

I don't like things that are needlessly simplified. It just gives me this feeling like there is too much baggage, as though the program is trying to write itself for me *shivers*.

I like everything sleek and minimal, no extra crap.

Which brings us to the "magic includes". Other languages, have these includes built right in, so that you don't need to include them, right? They are always there...

That means that countless functions aren't being used, but they are still in your program (if it's compiled, anyway).

Interpreted languages are a whole different story...

I don't know.

Sometimes I like simplified languages to do something quick, but.. for anything serious I like the power I get with C

Now about Clarion vs MySQL... I've only barely used MySQL... but it seems good.

PHP is also nice I love programming stuff. It's great. I like the feeling of perfection, the fact that I can do reptitive tasks with ease... the satisfaction of sovling a difficult problem.

Oh well.. I'm open to other languages, I just think its best to learn the most difficult one first. If nothing else, it gives you some nice background knowledge, so you know how stuff works. Someone had to write the functions you use in all those languages, they didn't just appear. If you get a sense of how they work, and all that, I think it really helps.

Now about C being popular, well, sure it's widely known, but I haven't heard a lot of people that actually like it. Most people actually do say they prefer Pascal or something. Perhaps I'll have to look into it.

My teacher is trying to get us to use Java... which is what, C without main()? Only classes. So instead of having main() you just have a class Main, or.. "Director" or whatever they call it... it's all the same to me

Jumping back to libraries and includes... I'm thinking about writing a game-maker like library for C.

When I first started using game maker I thought it was all simplified and limiting (which I still stick by), but when I think about it, I mean, it wasn't made by a bunch of idiots. There is a lot of complex programming that went into making the program itself. The way they set it up is actually pretty good, but it's unfortunate they directed it towards less experienced users.

So what I want to do is create a basic outline for object oriented programming. No one has really taught me the proper method to object oriented programming in C, so I've basically been experimenting for three years, and I think I've come up with a fairly decent solution....

Basically my little project would allow you to write an object class, and easily implement it into the game, without having to go back and modify a hundred things just to be able to use it.

The end result would be a more text/programming-based gamemaker

Anyways, I got a little sidetracked, sorry

[IsmAvatar]

Well said.

I appreciate what Mark has done, making a system powerful enough to make a game, yet simple enough for newbies to programming. And totally free, for that matter (just pretend like the registered only features aren't there, like GM never had that ability -- you can still make games just fine).
And I can see why you would think that you wished it would be for programmers with more experience so there was even more power, but then you would just exclude the newbies again. At that point, it just becomes another programming language like Pascal/C++/Java.

You might think you're pulling out the best parts, with object oriented, and possibly even event oriented, but when you say text-based, that's where you lose me. The main reason I like GM so much is because of the sprite/other resource ability, and the graphic results. I've used QBasic (great language. Lacks a bit of logic as well, and left behind in the dos ages, but it's still great), and after i've mastered text-based stuff (question responce, Text-Based rpg's, what have you), i moved on to graphics. The only graphics it offered were ascii graphics (shiver) and programmed in drawing (so you have to visualize the image in your mind as your programming it!?)

GM was great because the images were right there, the events were right there, the resources were right there, the objects were right there. It just saves you so much time and programming by just having it ready rather than having to put it in yourself.


I've recently decided to re-learn C++. I still have strong feelings against it (as I keep rolling my eyes whenever I learn something new that just shows a lack of logic), but I'm getting to the age where I'll have trouble learning it, and i'll probably run into it a few times in real life as well.
The other reason is because I found documentation for the C++ windows unit, whereas I've searched for 2 years and never came up with a single thing for pascal's windows unit.

[darkzerox]

Maybe I made myself unclear. By "text based" I meant the interface... not the program

Working in C++, isn't much different than working in notepad, that's what I mean.

It would be fully capable of making graphical output, that's the whole point behind it

One of the main things that bothered me in GM is that I was trying to use a fairly large background for a little game I was making (maybe I shouldn't have used such a large image, but it should still be able to handle it) and it simply wouldn't run.

The image was well compressed and small in filesize, (I think I tried using 4 colors only) but it was treated as any other 16- or 32- bit image would be treated (so I'm assuming). When I first started learning how to use graphics in C++ (I use SDL by the way -- and I'm ever so tempted to write my own graphics library -- just because -- but I lack the knowledge of how image files are stored and read)

Actually, I just started on it this morning... it's going to be another fun learning project.

Just planning how I'll set this up. It actually won't do a heck of a lot, you'll still have to write and do everything yourself, but it will do simple stuff like handle key input properly, and.. well, yah. It will CALL the draw event automatically, but what's in the draw event, you have to program.

Actually I could incorporate a default draw event like GM does, and just overload it where necessary...

The possibilities are endless

[darkzerox]

Looks like I forgot to finish my sentence... oops.

When I first started learning how to use graphics in C++ ... I wrote a little game with a character that could walk around ... it had a background layer, and a large collision layer. The collision layer was just a large two-color image. One was transparent, the other you couldn't walk through. And it ran nice and fast and smoothly Aside from the glitches when you walked off the screen and it crashed because I didn't program it properly

[veeper]

I think I didn't read the last two or three posts... but I can only say one thing anyway: There are lots of languages around and probably you don't need them all. Nevertheless they all fit in different areas perfectly each. So don't complain about C++ being too weird or Basic being too simple or Java being too much about classes. Whatever. For me they are pretty much all the same. In fact you can make quite all the things you could image in every language, just they appear different. You can even use Java without classes and you can use C++ without functions but only goto-statements like good ol' Basic. Vice versa you can even have a modern basic interpreter which gives you something similar to classes.
And do you eventually wanna know what made me use GM now even though I know a bunch of alternatives*? It's only the engine. And maybe the fact, that there's a quite large community with other coders who like to share their work with others.

Cris

*called C++, Basic, Java, Pascal, Delphi, Visual Basic, D, Flash, Java Script, PHP...

[rgray1231]

Personally I like using C++ and I didn't find it too complicated to learn. I have made a few little games with C++ and DirectX and some larger ones with Allegro. I don't find that C++ is that difficult to learn, but I found DirectX fairly complicated. I've never used SDL, but I think I'm going to try soon. Anyways, I think that it is worth the time to learn C++, after all, it is the most popular language in the industry. The reason I still use GM as well as code with C++ is that with GM it is so easy to get a game up and running and it is fun to use.