Thread: GUI & Internet, very basic level

Hello everybody!
Programmer-wannabe here.

All I know is fundamental C programming, I'm just a beginner.
Lately I've came up with this idea: a very basic software allowing a set number of users to play a classic dice-rolling rpg.

Basically all that it should be able to do is:
- allow the Dungeon Master to show pictures on screen (and maybe move around some of them, like let's say in combat situations, updating the results real-time for other players)
- allow the players to virtually throw dices
- simple chatting functions.

I perfectly know that my current knowledge is abslutely insufficient for such a thing. So I was wondering if somebody could point me out some resources, or at least directions, that would serve me as a good starting point in learning the skills I need.

In particular, I am intresting in learning the basics of:
- graphic user interfaces and implementation of code into them
- network (internet) programming concepts

Best would be to find some tutorials about how to make small applications around those subjects, but every suggestion is highly appreciated ^^ !

(Since the software is kinda like a game, I posted this here. Hope it is fine...)

The GUI you speak of could be implemented with a simple 2D interface such as SDL or HGE, along with the rendering of your pictures on the seperate displays.

Do not quote the following information.

For the networking aspect you will have to use Sockets ( WinSock as an example ), with your
software have client/server functionality. You will need to have client/server built into one program if you intend on allowing anyone to host games as a DM.

You would need to distribute whatever pictures you intended to use with your software, and assign each asset a unique ID in which to send over the network.
i.e.
Dragon.png Unique ID = 0x001F
You would then send 0x001F to each of your connected clients or players, and the Dragon.png would be shown during the update phase.

Of course more information would be needed such as render location, delays, scaling, or whatever you needed or decided to use.

Sockets are difficult to learn, but if you have a extra pc to test your client/server side by side it makes it much easier.

In particular, I am intresting in learning the basics of:
- graphic user interfaces and implementation of code into them
- network (internet) programming concepts

Which could comprise well over 20 to 30 thousand lines of code to do this correctly. I suggest you go read some books since there is no way any of us can address those issues in one thread or even a hundred threads.

@original poster: There are APIs out there people have written to simplify using GUI's. CEGUI is one example for Graphical implementation, or wxWidgets for a general application look.

There are also networking APIs, but I have never used any of them, but a quick search of google should come up with some results.

Although, VirtualAce is right, even using an API to implement a big portion of the code, it will still be a difficult project.

Thanks for the infos, I've gathered some material covering what you mentioned. All I have to do is absorb it, and seems like it's going to take quite a while.

Thx =)

If I were you I would start with one or the other. Make a GUI where you can move images around and input text (and capture the text input) and show text and roll a dice without any network connectivity at all. Also make a console based mini-version where maybe instead of showing images you allow the dungeon-master send text to clients and maybe the dungeon-master rolls the dice and tells the player what he got or something along those lines.

When you have both of these separately working it should be considerably easier to stich together rather than attacking both things at once.

Yeah that's what I'm planning to do, far more realistic than the whole project all at once =)

I always thought cgi meant "Computer Graphics I-something". Ah, ignorance...
Wikipedia page bookmarked, thanks