learning

A couple of things you´d like to add:

Math and Physics.
Graphics programming theory.
Software architecture and design.

And lots of practice!

Good luck with your learning process! Do not feel discouraged when things do not go in the way you expect them to and if you have any questions be sure to post them here.

thats pretty good. i got really confused when i first started game programming. A lot of people told me to know c/c++ by heardt before i started, others said it wasn''t that imported. Basically I just learned c/c++ until i thought i could get by. Basically you want to know about variables, control statements (if, while etc), functions, structs and pointer, and if you are learnign c++, classes. I may have left a few things out, but they way i see it, you can always go back and learn more.

The WINAPI isn''t that big of a deal, unless you want to go into windowed programs. You can generally get by witht he same window code for everygame.. at least at a beginning level. Its a little confusing at first, but once you realize that you just have to understand teh basic sections of the code, it''s a bit easier.

DirectX or OpenGL is really the biggest part of game programming. To me at least. I find it, not neccisarrly the hardest but definatly the most complex. The great thing about it is that you finally get to see your colored squares and triangles come to life =P. I assume your going for 3D since you talked about openGL. It''s harder than 2d (hehe) but pretty much every line of code pays for itself. It''s so cool to finally be able to rotate a textured quad or model.

Game programming, i find at least, kind of goes hand in hand with graphics programming. MAybe not hand in hand, but by the time you''ve gotten through graphics programming it seems much easier. From this point on i can''t really comment on your plan, because i''ve hardly gotten through 3D graphics programming. I started less than a year ago, so don''t think that your going to have to spend five years before you can move on to graphics .

I read a couple of books about c/c++, and I found it to be dreadfully annoying, mainly because it was in DOS, and mainly because they had to use examples like calculators and morgage rates. Another annoying thing is that some of the books don''t even recommend moving on to windows programming and instead recommend a future in command line accounting programs and such. I find that my c/c++ skills are improving every time i am programming something to do with graphics. It certainly makes it much more intersting.


wow.. very long.. hehe. hope it helped. All in all, I think your list is very good and i hope you become a proficient game programmer!!

Fuzztrek

¬_¬

here is a list that i made a long time ago, and never finished, please note the other sections at the bottom that arent even finished!

1. Research
	A. [ ]Information about Directx 8.1 Technology
		1. [ ]Terms
		2. [ ]Learn Directx 8.1 SDK
			A. [ ]Directx in C++ and VB(differences)
			B. [ ]Hardware
			C. [ ]System Requirements
	B. [ ]Information about Geometry/Maps
		1. [ ]Terms
		2. [ ]General Information
		3. [ ]Geometry in Directx 8.1
		4. [ ]Geometry in Maps
		5. [ ]Directx 8.1 and Maps Comparison
		6. [ ]Formats
			A. [ ]BSP
			B. [ ]MAP
		7. [ ]Editors
	C. [ ]Information about Map Textures
		1. [ ]Terms
		2. [ ]8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, Alpha Channel, Animated
		3. [ ]Formats
		4. [ ]Editors
	D. [ ]Information about Models
		1. [ ]Terms
		2. [ ]General Information
		3. [ ]Animating
			A. [ ]Bones
			B. [ ]Keyframes
		4. [ ]Formats
			A. [ ]Convertors
		5. [ ]Editors
	E. [ ]Information about Model Skins/Textures
		1. [ ]Terms
		2. [ ]General Information
		3. [ ]8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, Alpha Channel, Animated
		4. [ ]Applying
		5. [ ]Formats
		6. [ ]Editors
	F. [ ]Effects
		1. [ ]Terms
		2. [ ]Particles
		3. [ ]Billboards
		4. [ ]QuadBillBoards
		5. [ ]3d Lines
		6. [ ]Moving Shapes
	G. [ ]Physics
		1. [ ]Terms
		2. [ ]Systems
		3. [ ]Movement
			A. [ ]Systems
			B. [ ]Eliptical
		4. [ ]Collision Detection
		5. [ ]Gravtiy
			A. [ ]Dynamic Gravity
			B. [ ]Ricochet/Bounce/Fly/Missile
	H. [ ]Artificial Intelligence
		1. [ ]Terms
		2. [ ]Algorithms
		3. [ ]Systems
2. Development
	n/a
3. Engine
	n/a
4. Publishing
	n/a
5. Release
	n/a

i think its safe to say that the list is pretty extensive

i could go even more detailed, if i had to, but for my specific case i dont need to

--Fireking

Owner/Leader
Genetics 3rd Dimension Development

[edited by - fireking on October 5, 2002 1:24:48 AM]

quote:

---

Original post by dsage
Heres what im doing:
-C++ <- where im at now
(file i/o, OOP)
-Winapi
-DirectX/Opengl
-Game Porgramming
(AI, Scripting)
-Networking
-Porting over to different OSes

What else whould i put on my todo list?

thanks in advance! =P

---

i don t want to discourage you but how much time do you want to spend to learn it

most programmers in gaming industry don t even know half of what you listed above

thats why you have different coders on one and the same project
one for the gameplay
one for the graphic and one for network
on a small project
of course you can learn it all on your own but to make use of your knowledge will take ages

yeah...

I started to code on a CoCo 3(trs-80)... I was 12 years old, and I''m 23...

I started many games and finished somes...I lost them it in the time, But I keeped what i''ve learned

10 years of learning... I began a 3d engine in 1999 and we''re still developping.

the list of todo is:
-Correct Physic engine (very difficult)
-Cylindre,torus and box collision (torus are not ok)
-Static shadow( shadow volume bsp)
-Dynamic shadow (dont know the method yet)
-Exact visibility or pvs( maybe portal or pseudo-portal)

A level editor is very important and take as time as the game itself to devellop, but its reusable.

But... the must difficult part, is to find qualified 3d modeller who want to work with a half-finished 3d engine and for free.
Maybe a friend, or someone who beleive in the project..

If you start a 3d engine to make a 3d game... you start a project for many years...

Fantasio.

I just posted a list of books I'm planing to purchase in Beginners section.

Don't have a task priority list like you do (maybe I should create one...)
I consider myself fair c++ programmer, but I do not have Win programming experience.

Seems to me it all depends on what really you want to do.
If you want to build 3d engine like Fantasio than jump to the graphics.

I guess Basiror made a point...
Game programming is not graphics only and I don't think trying to learn one by one is going to work. You have to learn just about everything (if you want to write your own game) and then specialize for one branch (graphics, design, AI...) if you want to do it for living.

Just guessing..


[edited by - GP on October 6, 2002 12:30:55 PM]

the one thing i found out so far is the importance of time
and not having enough

Yeah! I know. Well I''m trying to learn step by step.
There are so manyt resources on Internet.
Probably the best way is to find the tutorials you need, books you need, and then by using them finish some simple projects (variations on Pacman, space invaders, tic tac toe, Doom... using all you have learned (AI, gameplay, graphics etc.)

I wil take time and I just hope we are going to make it.

Good luck!