Once I get down non-API C++, I want to get into game programming, but I don't know which graphics API I should learn. I heard DirectX is too hard, and haven't heard much at all about OpenGL. Which would you recommend (or a different one)?
And also, are there any good books on the one you recommend?
It's not that hard if you have a good knowledge of c++, I think.I heard DirectX is too hard
If you don't mind portability to non-windows OS's then I would recommend DirectX.
Having played with several, I can say that all of them have their own advantages and disadvantages that balance them out. In the end, I don't think any of them is significantly better than the rest.
However if I were to rate them in order of increasing difficulty to learn...I would say SDL is the easiest, followed by OpenGL and DirectX is the most complicated to get started with. The nice thing about SDL is that it wraps DirectDraw AND you can use OpenGL with it. Plus it's cross-platform and comes with an easy C-based API. Click here to see how to set up your SDL build environment.
None of them are too hard. Most of the problems you will encounter in graphics programming has next to nothing to do with your knowledge of C++. Much of it is just pure math.
You heard that huh?Originally Posted by homeyg
This was more true for older versions of DirectX. Version 9, for example, is very streamlined.
Use whichever API you prefer, unless you plan to port to OSes other than Windows. OGL and DX9 are pretty evenly matched as far as "ease of use" goes.
I definately want to stick to writing games/programs for Windows because I despise other game systems. I think more can be done with a computer.You heard that huh?
Use whichever API you prefer, unless you plan to port to OSes other than Windows. OGL and DX9 are pretty evenly matched as far as "ease of use" goes.
EDIT: Post number 123, lol.
EDIT2: Another question. Is it also nessecary to learn the Windows API if I decide to go into DirectX? Like, what exactly would the difference be between programming games with the Windows API and DirectX or some other graphics API?
Last edited by homeyg; 03-27-2005 at 04:53 PM.
>>I definately want to stick to writing games/programs for Windows because I despise other game systems. I think more can be done with a computer.
You do realize that not every computer runs windows right? OK, so lets look at the issue again. If you only want to target windows then DX will do just fine. If you want to target other platforms (including other PC's running different OSs like linux, max, etc..) then you might want to choose a more portable API like SDL, Allegro, or OpenGL.
Both OpenGL and DirectX can be used for professional quality graphics in games. SDL and Allegro are great for small projects but won't scale to industry standards for real-time graphics.
