Thread: Recommendation for game programming IDE

Or you could just use a compiler and IDE that fully support DirectX and nearly everything else that is Windows-based.

Why people constantly fight with their compilers to do A or B is beyond me.

I don't need the PDF because I'm not using MinGW or anything else like Code::Blocks or many of the other IDEs that are the endless source of 'I can't get this or that to work in my compiler' posts.

To the new people interested in doing Windows game projects, please do yourself a favor and use a well-supported well-documented compiler.

Why people constantly fight with their compilers to do A or B is beyond me.

Usually because they want something Free (as in Stallmans GNU definition of Free)...but asking for a Free development environment that supports DirectX is a little weird, hence the guy is probably just after a non-cost IDE, thus should go with some Visual Studio version or other...Microsoft development suites are indeed good for Windows only stuff.

But consider using OpenGL/OpenAL/SDL/etc instead. Port your games to more platforms, indie games can have it rough on the saturated Windows PC gaming market.
Release games for Mac and/or Linux and you can actually get people to play the game.
If you also want to get a little money, aim for the Mac since Mac users are more willing to pay for shareware software (but you'll need a pretty GUI =P ).

/f

Originally Posted by fractality

Usually because they want something Free (as in Stallmans GNU definition of Free)

No. They want something free (as in, not costing them anything), which is misinterpreted by the OSS zealots as wanting something that confirms to their world view.

he he, that's usually no problem with programming IDEs since all major players in the non-Free market still release their stuff for free.

I find it more likely that the non "OSS zealots" want Free stuff for free (actually OSS is not necessarily Free in the GNU way...)

At least students and amateurs can get complete IDEs from Microsoft and Apple for free last time I looked...might have changed with later MS releases?

and from Borland/Codegear as well.

I don't know about "complete", that probably depends on the definition of "complete".
Most student editions lack things like deployment tools and don't allow commercial use (the two being linked of course) but are otherwise equivalent to midrange offerings of the same product.

They're also not usually fully free of cost, but offered at significant discounts (the actual price being dependent on the locale as always, but usually little more than a token fee to cover reproduction and transport cost).

The free amateur versions are often more limited but still functional enough for hobby users.
Think VC Express Edition and the free versions of Codegear's Turbo line.

And that's far more than we had a decade ago. There were no free versions of MSC and Turbo C++ 3.

...and to think how much money all of us sank into the old Borland products and we thought we were getting a great IDE and compiler.

Times certainly have changed.


I wholeheartedly applaud Microsoft's recent efforts to reach out to the hobby community. I think the VC Express idea is rather revolutionary for a company like Microsoft and is a step in the right direction.

Borland did have great products. Sadly their management got caught in the entire "Enterprise" craze and forgot that their core business is selling development tools to small shops and independents.