Where did you begin?
I know this has probably been asked millions of times, but I need a direct answer. I have been programming in C++ for a while and I have used console windows functions, but I want to make windows apps, perferably games. I will get a book, but in the meantime, I want a website. Everything I've seen has been for C. I know there isn't much difference for Windows API, but I NEED HELP!
Stan The Man. Beatles fan
When I was a child,
I spoke as a child,
I thought as a child,
I reasoned as a child.
When I became a man,
I put childish ways behind me"
(the holy bible, Paul, in his first letter to the Cor. 13:11)
dont get bored with the console. Stop thinking about games for now. Start thinking about getting good at c++. You can get a long way with just a console including learning a fair whack of the api. Personally I think that you shouldnt think of writing games ( well any sort of graphic intensive game) until you can write exception-safe multithreaded c++ code. The best place to learn how to do that is in the console. Try setting yourself some realistic goals and dont try to run before you can walk.
Free the weed!! Class B to class C is not good enough!!
And the FAQ is here :- http://faq.cprogramming.com/cgi-bin/smartfaq.cgi
Nicely put SC, so true. So many believe they are ready and start writing their first great game only to find they simply do not have the language skills to get even a fraction of their ideas into reality.
Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity unto the dream.
If you have been programming in C++ for a while and know the basics (What is a pointer? What is a function? What does the operator 'new' do? What is a class?) it is a good idea to start windows programming by realising a card game like blackjack or so. There should be a menubar, and the user interface should look professional.
This is no joke. You can do this as soon as you know what messages are. As there are thousands of API functions, structures and so on, nobody can know them all. It doesn't cost you anything if you look up every single command at the beginning, and maybe you will need a week or so to program blackjack this way. The more programs you write, the less you will need to look up in your help. (I bet after a week you will use SendMessage, CreateWindowEx, DialogBox etc. as if they were the easiest functions on the world - provided you were diligent.)
Many 'books for API-beginners' let you think you are a good API programmer when you write this famous HelloWorld-nonsense, but as you can see yourself this is not true. Some other books deal with the MFC, authors most often braging with Winsock and ActiveX, though many of these books' titles include something like 'VC++ for beginners' of 'MFC in 20 days', their only purpose seems to be to confuse 'beginners'.
Oh - it is essential for your very first 'complex program' to dispose the entire task into many small modules - but sure you knew that.
Good luck
Thx Mecnels. Stoned_Coder, I do know a lot, and I didn't start with games. I took all the nessacary and somewhat boring percedures. I know and constantly use classes, pointers, and the operators new &delete. I am currently finishing up a complex console game, and I would like to "dip my finger into the water of windows programming."
Stan The Man. Beatles fan
When I was a child,
I spoke as a child,
I thought as a child,
I reasoned as a child.
When I became a man,
I put childish ways behind me"
(the holy bible, Paul, in his first letter to the Cor. 13:11)
ok then if you think your ready try a few of these exercises out. Try not to read the solutions until you have had a go. See what you know and what you will need to know.
C++ lessons from Herb Sutter.
Do well there and your ready. Dont do well then stick with the console for a while longer.
Free the weed!! Class B to class C is not good enough!!
And the FAQ is here :- http://faq.cprogramming.com/cgi-bin/smartfaq.cgi
At first, I was disappointed that Petzold doesn't use C++ in his book. But, he really focuses on the API. His examples are simple (but more than a few lines)... no complex algorithms or complex program organization / flow, and there is no need for classes / objects or advanced C++ features to demonstrate the API.Everything I've seen has been for C. I know there isn't much difference for Windows API, but I NEED HELP!
You can use all the power of C++ in the "meat" of your program, and the API functions can be used in your classes, etc.
