I started C++ a few months ago, and i took my time through SAM''S Teach Yourself C++ in 24 hours. I''ve read most of it, and, its F****** hard to say the least! I get the majority of it, but its slow going and with a busy life as well (I am a snotty nosed 15 year old!) its hard to get to grips with, dont get me wrong i knew it would be though! But having started from scracth on C++ I was thinking maybe I should go back and spend a year or two on the whole VB/Delphi thing. Although some people have said that I should go and take evening classes (do they let 15 year olds do that? think so). Yet somewhere on gamedev i think i read that a course doesnt go past the first few chapters of a good book. Opinions most welcome! ta.

Java is good if ya get most of c++, the language is basically the same thing without all that crazy messy stuff like pointers and multiple inheritance and whatever. C++ does have a steep learning curve if ya dive right in. Also, Java is free , except for the book, I recommend Java by Example published by Que. http://java.sun.com

Don''t forget C. It''s a good language and somewhat easier than c++.

BTW, evening classes might be good, just check the age limit. Plus investigate the class before ya take it, otherwise ya might end up in an intro class on how to use the start menu or etc

java is the worst language ever! It runs 80-110% SLOWER than C! java is just a fad and will pass in a couple years. I can''t believe caolleges are even bothering to add it to their courses. You can''t even write java programs for a palm pilot...if you have a relatively slow computer you screwed if you use it. My advice, don''t support java.

Stick with C++, or possibly take a look at Java. The C++/C/Java/java-script grammar and keywords are the most useful ones, whereas Pascal and Basic are quite limited. Additionally, you will be able to get more assistance with C++ than you will with Basic or Pascal, and if you''re having trouble so far, maybe that is more important.

All I can say on the issue of complexity, is that sometimes you need more than 1 book. By cross-referencing them, you can sometimes understand them more... for example, where one book has a poor explanation or example, or perhaps a good explanation that is simply too complicated to understand. Also try reading source code from sites like this one and try to follow what they do, consulting your C++ book and compiler help files as you go along. And of course, if you''re not sure about something, just try writing a small program testing the feature or concept and watch the results. You learn best through a cycle of Reading-then-doing, I find.

Wheeew, you rarely see such an amount of dumbshit in a single thread ;-)

"You dont need any classes! I learned c++ and c when I was 12, Im almost 14 now"

"Einstein is an Idiot, I''m almost 14 now and I found errors in his theorie when I was 12" ;-)))

java a language for game-dev, wtf ? Grow up, ask yourself why every damn game out there is written in C++, and not a single one in Java...

"crazy messy stuff like pointers" Another complete stupid statement. Writing efficient code without pointers ? Hu ? That''s impossible I would say... Grow up and learn how to use them.

Tommy, don''t accept advice from a bunch of lamers that don''t understand classes or pointers, go for C++. It''s the No 1 language of game dev (and almost all other professional dev). If you don''t feel ready for C++, you might want to play around with Delphi or so. But I don''t think it helps much. Just don''t get frustrated. C++ is not an easy language, and programming is not an easy task. I personally found reading these Sams book a breeze, very easy and accesible. You shouldn''t expect to become a decent Win32 / OGL / Network / D3D coder without reading ar least 5000 pages. But at the end I think it''s well worth it

Tim

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glvelocity.gamedev.net
www.gamedev.net/hosted/glvelocity

As much as you try to make yourself sound like the smartest person alive, you seem quite ignorant to me. Just another little kid coming on, bragging about how young you are and how you were building compilers straight out of the womb and how you know *GASP* everything INCLUDING *PHYSICS* wow if you know everything about physics why aren''t you doing something to change the world? Instead of trying to make the original poster feel dumb why dont you offer him some useful advice?? Anyway I would say stick with it, if you really WANT to learn it you can. The only way you''ll ever learn is if you stay interested in the subject. Dont listen to this kid just keep at it and you''ll get it eventually. One of the best ways to learn how to program is reading and writing code... Just like learning how to write english Maybe try learning C first it''s a little bit easier. If you get start on some smaller projects that interest you like text based games etc it might help a lot. Just my two cents.

Um, yes you should stick with C++, I mean if you've come this far. It may be slow going and hard... but it's definitely worth it.

And Java's a GOOD language, it certainly made learning c++ a lot easier for me. AND it has it's uses...

quote:

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It runs 80-110% SLOWER than C

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indeed. lol.

thi sis my si gitzt hebezt

Edited by - petalbloom on June 14, 2001 4:32:51 PM aww sheet

Edited by - petalbloom on June 14, 2001 4:34:14 PM

Java is not a bad language and it has its ueses, no question. But using it for game dev is a joke. No acces to native system API, no pointers, no user controled memory management, no DirectX, no room for optimizations, nothing. Also, using other languages like VB6 (lol) is also a waste of time. Idiots will never die, so there is always a big bunhc of people that do not realize that C is dead and outdated, and C++ is a far superior OOP AND procedural language. C# might be an alternative to game dev in C++, but I don''t see an advantage in using it for game dev. Dephi is not bad, but C++ is certainly better suited for this task. So Tommy, do it like any professional and write your games in C++ ;-)

Tim

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glvelocity.gamedev.net
www.gamedev.net/hosted/glvelocity