Advice for making a 2D side scroller.

Do you have any knowledge in programming? And what is your OS?

Forgot to post that. Well right now I am using windows xp SP3, but I'd like it to be more cross platform. But I was wondering how I could make it from the ground up or if it would a lot harder then using some sort of SDK?

I would suggest Game Maker if you're just looking to make a game without learning all the programming stuff.

http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/

If you're interested in learning a scripting language, try out Python with PyGame.

http://www.python.org/
http://www.pygame.org/news.html

If you want to learn C# with XNA try those out.

http://www.csharp-station.com/Tutorial.aspx

http://www.microsoft.com/express/vcsharp/

http://creators.xna.com/en-US/

That is all I would recommend for a starting game developer.

Yep, I'd pretty much say the same thing as MrCpaw.

How hard is python? I thought I could just start on something simple with C without anything related to .net or XNA.

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Original post by Unknownforest How hard is python? I thought I could just start on something simple with C without anything related to .net or XNA.

I would recomend C++ because you get all the features of C in it so it is a bit easier. If you want to create a cross platform game then I would recomend SDL http://www.libsdl.org/ because it includes everything you need to make a 2D game. I learned a lot by creating a 2D game with SDL. You could also try out Allegro http://www.talula.demon.co.uk/allegro/ or SFML http://www.sfml-dev.org/ they are both very nice from what I heard but I have never tested them.

I would suggest C# and XNA since it is easier than C++ and you can run it on both the PC and XBOX.

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Original post by Unknownforest How hard is python?

Somewhat easier than C, and a lot easier than C++. Probably not a lot in it if you are comparing to C#.

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I thought I could just start on something simple with C without anything related to .net or XNA.

For a 2D game, python + pyglet is a lot simpler than C + SDL or C# + XNA.

That said, if you are determined enough, you can start with whatever language - just be aware that it will take longer, and be more frustrating.

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Original post by lephyrius If you want to create a cross platform game then I would recomend SDL http://www.libsdl.org/ because it includes everything you need to make a 2D game.

What's the difficulty for learning it. Sounds interesting.

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Original post by Bunnz I would suggest C# and XNA since it is easier than C++ and you can run it on both the PC and XBOX.

Honestly I don't really have interest in working with the 360, but I have interest in working on windows, os x, and unix.

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Original post by Unknownforest Quote: Original post by lephyrius If you want to create a cross platform game then I would recomend SDL http://www.libsdl.org/ because it includes everything you need to make a 2D game. What's the difficulty for learning it. Sounds interesting. Quote: Original post by Bunnz I would suggest C# and XNA since it is easier than C++ and you can run it on both the PC and XBOX. Honestly I don't really have interest in working with the 360, but I have interest in working on windows, os x, and unix.

Then I would definitely go with SDL as that is available on Windows, OS X, and Unix (Linux) :)

If you look around there are plenty of SDL tutorials.

cheers,
Paul

For SDL tuts from the very beginning, be sure to check out LazyFoo's website. [smile] Helped me a lot to get started with SDL.

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Original post by Unknownforest Quote: Original post by lephyrius If you want to create a cross platform game then I would recomend SDL http://www.libsdl.org/ because it includes everything you need to make a 2D game. What's the difficulty for learning it. Sounds interesting. Quote: Original post by Bunnz I would suggest C# and XNA since it is easier than C++ and you can run it on both the PC and XBOX. Honestly I don't really have interest in working with the 360, but I have interest in working on windows, os x, and unix.

Well other than already having a good grasp of C++ for using SDL there isn't many books covering it.
Having made 2D games using most 2D api's the list MrCpaw provided is pretty much in order of increasing difficulty and I'll add a couple of my own to the list:

Gamemaker easiest.
Then something like Flash is a little harder.
Then Python with PyGame with let you made a lot more 2D games with a little more work but you get noticeable speed increase.
If you don't care about your games not running on Macs and other platforms C# with XNA is next on the list and is still way easier than SDL which would be next on the list.
SDL or Allegro with C++ would be next on list and with the increase in speed comes the increase in the amount of work you have to do!
Lastly, the toughest to learn for a 2D scroller and ultimate in performance would come with the use of either OpenGL or DirectX.

Where you want to start really depends on a lot of different factors. You should step back before starting and answer a few questions for yourself. Knowledge is applicable across multiple languages, therefore you should base your choice on other factors.

Do you want to deal with low-level aspects of programming, such as, but not limited to: memory management, pointers/references, APIs, etc. Would you rather get to the game programming quicker, and not worry about the small details? Do you want to manage all the aspects of your game, and push the speed of your game to its limits? There are a slew of options, but ultimately it all depends on where you want to go with them.

C: I don't recommend it for game programming. It has its uses in other areas.
C++: You love getting down and dirty and controlling everything.
Python: Great high-level scripting language (compilable as well if I remember correctly) that has a very full featured library. Speed can become an issue sometimes.
Java: Another good high-level programming language with an extensive library. All memory is managed for you. Speed can be an issue with Java as well.
C#/XNA: I've heard good things about it, but never used it myself.