2D Game Programming Tutorials?

Just wondering if there are any good 2D programming tutorials for the most basic beginners. I am aiming to do something along the lines of Final Fantasy 1 type graphics. 2D, very flat, very simple.

None the less i am just learning C++ now and wanna go kinda double course lol. Id be willing to invest in a book but my resources are limited, so basically next week i'll be checkin out potential game programming books so any pointers of those would be awesome too. And yes this is from a store not amazon.com so i have limited resources lol.

but ya:
http://www.thejefffiles.com/portfoli...?name=jverkoey
is a link for a FF1 Game, if you dont know what they look like.

But all those first nintendo zelda, FF1, type games look the same.

Overall (and you'll prob laugh) id like to incorperate an MMO aspect to it, but first i have to make it.

So in closing.
1.) Do you know of any good beginner 2d game tutorials (the fuller the better).

2.) Can you list some good beginner books that will guide me through beginners 2d gaming experience? front to back pref (specially front lol). I have read through search that "Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus" and "Sams Teach Yourself Game Programming with DirectX in 21 Days", ofcourse some ppl seem to hate Sams, but hey im a beginner, so blech. lol. Not to mention tricks of the windows(..) sounds more advanced, but w/e hehe.

3.) How exactly do the birds and the bee's explain anything? Erm sorry, ignore #3, tired, and all my posts are so nub it makes me sick.

Thanks for putting up with massive ignorance :)

I'll suggest that you firstly learn C++, because there is so much too it I don't think a double course would be enough.

2D programming eh? I heard a lot about Allegro, you better check that out when you feel comfortable with C++.

It may actually be harder to program and/or learn 2D nowadays than simply moving to 3D. Most books are about 3D game programming and most APIs only make it easier to code 3D. Since it is impossible to both make it simple to program for 2D and 3D in the same API and have both of them optimized to the hilt, obviously 3D is the route that the APIs take.

I would suggest dumping the 2D learning and move straight to 3D. It only adds one more dimension and it's really not much more difficult and the results far outweigh anything you could produce in 2D.

well thats the thing, atm i want to make a 2d game. I am under the impression (just makes sense to me) that 2d games take a lot less processor power to run and host. What i was planning is to try and achieve a multi user game. Server based, clients to connect, ect. Now ofcourse im not planning on going mainstream, but none the less i or some of my friends would be hosting such a game, and thus my problem. Id much preferr to run a simple server for 2d games than a more intensive server for 3d games. Not to mention my artistic abilities are extremely limited and making simple 2 step animation (one moving, one not, one set for each facing direction) is by far easier to artisticly create lol.

Overall i would love to move onto 3d when i can handle it, but for a simple 2d game i do not see how 3d can be similar is comparison in skill lol, coding or artistic. And that there has to bea good balace of artistic and coding skill to make a 3d game look playable, whereas 2d just looks "classic"(code word for shyt, but still, 2d only gets so good with the type im talking lol).

Anyway, sorry if i sound ingreatful im just trying to show my point, i am by far a novice to all this, still learning basic c++ concepts. And was hoping to ease into this world hehe. But overall im takin Tynnhammar's advice, imma get the basics down well then try to see what i can do.

None the less i thank you for your insight on the API's being geared twords 3D, i never thought about that. Unless 3D is easier than i thought to code, and host, then id give it a shot. But seriously, i could learn to code it, i'll give myself credit for that. But creating a simple skin for something? bah, newp lol.

Quote:

---

I am under the impression (just makes sense to me) that 2d games take a lot less processor power to run and host.

---

Not entirely accurate. With the advent of modern 3D hardware I can transform vertices to 3D clip space faster than you can blit your 2D image to the screen.

wow lol. Well maybe i'll give 3d a shot. But it also looks crappy in 3d lol. Oh well lol, guess i try and get my hands on someone willing to do artwork.

Just to give you an indication of how fast 3D really is - on my engine (which is not optimized at all yet) it takes .011 to .013 seconds to render 1 frame. That's with texturing, filtering, lighting, alpha blending, mouse input, keyboard input, object movement's updating, etc.

Get some books on 3D. It's not that tough.

Zeusbwr: Learn to walk before you can run.

I recommend that you go with 2d first. Personally I've found 2d allows me to learn more about the structuring and interaction of separate game engine aspects much faster and easier, because it's smaller and simpler. I have been slowly learning 3d too when I have time, and I think the thinking and programming I've done for 2d makes the 3d easier. Another advantage of 2d is you can do something entirely on your own and expect to finish within a reasonable amount of time. While everything Bubba said is true, keep in mind that he is the master of 3d, and when he talks about simple or easy, it can't always be applied to the rest of us. try reaing several online 2 and 3d tutorials before you decide. My opinion is that 2d will benefit you somehow no matter what, and if you do 2d I think allegro is great I've used it for a while and it has great documentation.

3D is about 3 key concepts IMO. Get these and you will understand it much better.

1. Matrix concatenation
2. Transformations from one coordinate space to another.
3. Vector geometry and geometric primitives.

Rasterization, texturing, etc. is all taken care of by the hardware. Since lighting algorithms are simpy the application of vector geometry and is also taken care of in hardware I did not mention it. Lighting can be done elsewhere but using the hardware to start out gives fairly good renders.

Quote:

---

While everything Bubba said is true, keep in mind that he is the master of 3d, and when he talks about simple or easy, it can't always be applied to the rest of us.

---

I appreciate your compliment, however I am not the master of 3D nor am I the master of anything. It all comes from personal research on the internet, lots of code, lots of trial and error, and lots and lots and lots of reading.