C# or C++

wow wth is up with my sig

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c++

I, like many others, would recommend you to learn C++ if you are serious about game programming. Accelerated C++ is an excellent primer on the language.

[edited by - chacha on December 14, 2003 6:53:12 AM]

yeah, but guys you are failing to remember that C# is a lot like java in a lot of respects, for someone who doesn''t know how to do real programming it might be a good lead in. not as many people use C# and it has some performance issues but it would be a good lead in.

just keep that in mine jump

Funny to see how misinformed people can be around here :-).

Take a look at C#, it is much more capable than most close minded C++ developers would leave you to believe.

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C# gaming, the way of the future!
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I personally recommend taking a look at C#. The performance loss is not noticeable and it cuts down development time by a significant amount.

C++, i went from 0 to Dx9 in c++ in about 6 months, and im only 15, go with c++ because of performance and because as far as i can tell, its much much much more widely used (for how long i have no idea), getting help should be easier, and its not very hard to begin with, yup theres my two cents...

-Dan

Yes I realize im a n00b...

A couple of months ago, I woulda said C#, but with the lack of resources on the specifics of GAME DEV on C#, I now recommend C++, because of the resources, and because of the popularity, hence brings more resources...

C# is a VERY GOOD language.. In some aspects better than C++.. I haven''t been able to find anything that C# lacks, that C++ can handle.. Anyone??

BattleGuard

"C# is a VERY GOOD language.. In some aspects better than C++.. I haven''t been able to find anything that C# lacks, that C++ can handle.. Anyone??"

Pointers. However, it does have built in garbage collection... but its a good idea to learn how to do that yourself, first.

1. I don''t really see it as necessary to know how garbage collection works yourself if you''re an application programmer. That''s something for system programmers/language programmers to care about. I mean, yeah, it''s handy, but not necessary.

2. C# and the .NET languages are going to be moving into a much more predominant position when the next generation of Windows operating systems, starting with Longhorn, are released. .NET code run like native code on the new OS and they will be deprecating the PEF.

3. The learning curve for C# is much less than that for C++. There''s no worrying about COM or windows stupidity. Pointers are there if you want to use them, but not necessary.

4. The development cycle for C# is shorter than that for C++. It is literally at least 10 times faster to code in C# than in C++ making it especially useful for hobbiest developers who don''t get paid for their time.

5. Many of the resources on programming in C++ and Java will apply to C#. You can actually almost directly transfer Java to C# and while transferring C++ to C# takes a little bit longer it is still very possible.

"1. I don''t really see it as necessary to know how garbage collection works yourself if you''re an application programmer. That''s something for system programmers/language programmers to care about. I mean, yeah, it''s handy, but not necessary."

It is usually a good idea to at least kind of know how what you are using works. Your other points are valid (because of garbage collection), except that games are now moving away from PC, so it is very important to know how to program in an unmanaged environment if you plan on making games on a console.

If you want to learn DirectX programming then C# is a much better choice. Look at a few managed directx tutorials vs. those based on C++. It''s so much more simple to get something done in C# so you can focus on expanding samples, making new things instead of wrestling with pointers.

But unfortunately many people base their opinion on prejudice and hearsay. Someone above me said ''go with C++ because of performance''. directx is the one area where C# is perfectly acceptable, because most of the work is in the initialisation and in the render loop you''re waiting on the present() anyway. And when you are learning, who needs performance anyway ? if you are trying a heightmap terrain demo, does it matter if it runs at 220 fps or 200, if all you want is to grasp the techniques and the concept ?

quote:

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Original post by Fidelio66
If you want to learn DirectX programming then C# is a much better choice. Look at a few managed directx tutorials vs. those based on C++. It''s so much more simple to get something done in C# so you can focus on expanding samples, making new things instead of wrestling with pointers.

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Some people might say that your mind is closed to C++, if you took the itme to learn C++ you would find it just as easy to program in as C#. I assume by your comment that you are saying there are no Directx tutroials for C++? There is a complete SDK devoted to Directx with C++.

My advice is start with C++ then learn C# after a few months, C# is trivial to learn if you know C++.

In my humble opinion, I would totally recommend C++ over C# for many reasons:

Quote from Microsoft documentation: "The Microsoft solution to this problem is a language called C# (pronounced "C sharp"). C# is a modern, object-oriented language that enables programmers to quickly build a wide range of applications for the new Microsoft .NET platform" end quote.
-­> C# is a Microsoft language. Therefore, don''t expect any portability. Contrary to what some people might think, the world does not revolve around MS operating systems, and I''m not only talking about Linux here. When it comes to games, think about the consoles too, not just Win32.

ANSI/ISO provide standards to the C++ language, but nothing for the C# language. Therefore, whatever you write in C++ today will remain valid for years and years, while you have no guarantee whatsoever that what you develop in C# will still compile tomorrow. Don''t say it never happened, I have plenty of games at home that I can''t play anymore because they require Windows95 or less. It happened in the past, it will happen in the future.

As stated by many other people already, you are more likely to find support with C++ than with C#, mostly because a lot more people (and gurus) code in C++.

I believe that any good programmer should know how to manage memory himself before letting a garbage collector do it. If you don''t know how it''s done, then how can you be sure that the garbage collector does it well?

That''s about my 2 cents worth on this topic.

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quote:

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Original post by quant

Some people might say that your mind is closed to C++, if you took the itme to learn C++ you would find it just as easy to program in as C#. I assume by your comment that you are saying there are no Directx tutroials for C++? There is a complete SDK devoted to Directx with C++.

My advice is start with C++ then learn C# after a few months, C# is trivial to learn if you know C++.

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No, what I meant was look at the size of similar stuff in C# and C++ directx tutorials. For example creating a device, or rendering a cube. The C# samples are much shorter and cleaner, and if you want to learn directx and 3d graphics then I think c# will get you started and productive a lot faster than with C++.

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As stated by many other people already, you are more likely to find support with C++ than with C#, mostly because a lot more people (and gurus) code in C++.

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Well, this is what they said about C vs. C++ years ago. C is faster, C produces smaller executables, nobody needs crap like classes, a real man doesn''t need inheritance or reuse because it''s always better to write it from scratch. Still C++ won, despite that back then all your gurus coded in C and C++ was only used by students.

quote:

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Original post by Sleeping2620
Quote from Microsoft documentation: "The Microsoft solution to this problem is a language called C# (pronounced "C sharp"). C# is a modern, object-oriented language that enables programmers to quickly build a wide range of applications for the new Microsoft .NET platform" end quote.
-­> C# is a Microsoft language. Therefore, don''t expect any portability. Contrary to what some people might think, the world does not revolve around MS operating systems, and I''m not only talking about Linux here. When it comes to games, think about the consoles too, not just Win32.

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That''s not to say it doesn''t have the potential to become cross platform though. There are already efforts to bring the .NET platform to other operating systems. Take a look at projects such as Mono.

quote:

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ANSI/ISO provide standards to the C++ language, but nothing for the C# language. Therefore, whatever you write in C++ today will remain valid for years and years, while you have no guarantee whatsoever that what you develop in C# will still compile tomorrow.

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There''s both an ISO and an ECMA standard for the C# programming language, as well as standards from both committees for the Common Runtime Infrastructure. ISO/IEC 23270 and ECMA-334 are the ISO and ECMA standards for C#, respectively, and ISO/IEC 23271 and ECMA-335 are the ISO and ECMA standards for the CLI, respectively.

After using both C++ and C#, I can say that C# definately allows for faster, easier coding. More can be done in a shorter amount of time. So if you want a more forgiving language to work with, I''d say go with C#.

For beginning game development though, for the time being I''d say go with C++. Why C++? There''s a whole hell of a lot more tutorials/articles/books using C++ than there are those resources using C#. If you look at the Articles and Resources section of this site, a large majority of those articles use C++. Same thing with a lot of books. I just think you''re going to find it easier getting the information you need/want with regards to game programming if you choose to go with C++.

And for those who want to keep on believing that C# does not offer usage of pointers, I got some shocking news for you: it does.

C++, just for the community.

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