A Simple 2D Game- Where do I Start?

Guys,

Basically I've been teaching myself to program C++ for about the last 9 months, making a simple chat bot thing. I've learnt a bit about classes, functions within them etc.

Something I've always been interested in is making games. However it seems like there are so many different ways of programming graphics these days (OpenGL etc.) that I'm not sure where to start. I don't want to learn something then find out that it's useless for anything else.

I don't know if you guys remember the game Speedball 2, but I'd like to be able to recreate that, ultimately. It's a top down 2D sports game basically.

BTW I've been learning to program using Visual Studio Express.

So how do you guys think I should go about learning how to program a 2D game?

Thanks.

Pong has to be the easiest game to start with.

By doing several of the tutorials on this page you should know enough to get started
http://nehe.gamedev.net/

Good luck:)

A book.

I've got a website that could get you started. At the moment I'm only as advanced as Curses (text-based stuff) but will be getting into Allegro and SDL shortly.

IMHO, the allegro library is a great place to start with 2d games. The syntax is simple enough and it's powerful enough to make some decent games. If you're interested, hop on over to http://allegro.cc

If you're using OpenGL, I recommend http://www.opengl.org/documentation/red_book/
the OpenGL programming guide.

I like the SDL, for 2D programs. It lets you use OpenGL, too, if you want to later on.
libsdl.org

Like dwks I prefer SDL, there are a lot of good tutorials a google search will provide you with plenty and its easy to learn and understand, while still being low level.

I would suggest www.gamedev.net for some tutorials along with the game developer wiki.

It really isn't about the library IMO, it's really all the same thing. You'll need maths, and a will to learn :)

Although I haven't really used it much, this site looks interesting for getting into OpenGL and GLUT.

http://www.videotutorialsrock.com/

GLUT is old. Go with something with a bit more future like GLFW :)

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It really isn't about the library IMO, it's really all the same thing. You'll need maths, and a will to learn

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100% agreed. The OP would do well to heed this advice. Don't worry about the choice of library until you understand the underlying concepts and have a well thought out design prior to starting. You can't design everything on paper but you can have at least a very good framework to guide you.

Libraries are a dime a dozen. Games take a lot of work, talent, and dedication and this is true for even simple 2D games. I recommend buying books on vector math, matrix math, graphics concepts (either raw D3D or raw OGL), etc. Once you understand how D3D or OGL work then you can choose which engine or library you want to use. But starting with a library or engine with no knowledge of D3D or OGL, graphics concepts, programming fundamentals, etc., will just be an exercise in futility.

To make a game you must know C++ very well and be extremely comfortable with it. This is the first requirement and superceded any other requirement. After that you must understand the concepts of game programming which are a bit different than your normal application. And before you start coding you will want a basic design laid out so you don't code yourself into a huge corner.

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Originally Posted by Bubba

100% agreed. The OP would do well to heed this advice. Don't worry about the choice of library until you understand the underlying concepts and have a well thought out design prior to starting. You can't design everything on paper but you can have at least a very good framework to guide you.

Libraries are a dime a dozen. Games take a lot of work, talent, and dedication and this is true for even simple 2D games. I recommend buying books on vector math, matrix math, graphics concepts (either raw D3D or raw OGL), etc. Once you understand how D3D or OGL work then you can choose which engine or library you want to use. But starting with a library or engine with no knowledge of D3D or OGL, graphics concepts, programming fundamentals, etc., will just be an exercise in futility.

To make a game you must know C++ very well and be extremely comfortable with it. This is the first requirement and superceded any other requirement. After that you must understand the concepts of game programming which are a bit different than your normal application. And before you start coding you will want a basic design laid out so you don't code yourself into a huge corner.

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can you name a few book titles to get started?
thanks.

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Originally Posted by zacs7

GLUT is old. Go with something with a bit more future like GLFW :)

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So is that why code::blocks throws up over 50 errors in "glut.h" (i.e. the GLUT header file you download) when trying to compile something using it? I thought this was strange since it's a file which comes straight from the download.