Thread: Getting Started Making a Screensaver

I have been researching how to create a very basic GUI application in C++ with the intent of eventually making a basic game, such as pacman or tetris. I have a lot to learn about C++, and I have everything to learn about game libraries and APIs. I have decided that making something even more basic than a simple game is best for me at this point, but I want it to be something graphical, and potentially even animated (if not in the first phase, at some point later). I have decided to attempt to make a screensaver, as a screensaver can have graphical complexity, but can still be more simplified than a game since it requires very little user input (as well as no sound or AI). I would argue that the most basic screensaver imaginable would be about the most basic graphical application one could develop.

I know that many screensavers are created using C/C++ as their general language and DirectX or OpenGL as their library/API. These are all languages and libraries I would like to learn, and of course I would like to learn many others. I am definitely going to stick with C++ for this task, but what libraries should I attempt to use if I have never done anything like this before? How should I even begin this task if I have never made a GUI? Should I do something even simpler than a screensaver for this to be the most affective learning experience?

Note: I am not limited to any particular platform.

Regarding the screensaver concept, I am not necessarily trying to make something that is intended to be used as a screensaver, meaning that it would necessarily preserve the screen, be energy efficient, and so forth. All I really wanted to do was display an image or an animation on the screen.

Having a final product that resembled an actual screensaver in appearance and functionality would be a worthy goal for learning how to use these APIs and other libraries though.

I was just recently thinking a great way to get started doing this would be to find some open source screensavers out there and try and figure out how they work or how to modify them. I would imagine almost every Linux screensaver available would generally be open source.

Thanks for the reply, I'm gonna go try exactly what you recommended and see where I end up.

Also, for anyone out there who is looking to do the screensaver approach, I discovered that the source code for the "Flurry32" screensaver is available on sourceforge, (among that of many other screensavers). Flurry32 is a screensaver for Windows which is based off of the "Flurry" screensaver for OS X. It's written in C++, which meets my personal criteria, and it uses OpenGL.

Honestly, just browsing through the source code, Flurry32 seems a bit overwhelming at first glance. The OpenGL parts of it are definitely foreign to me.

I also learned that, while using Windows, if you have a "Screensaver" file (which is simply a .scr file), and you place it in the C: > Windows > System32 folder, it becomes available as a screensaver for the user to select in their screensaver options. Most of you guys probably already knew that, but I thought I'd still mention it.