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API/SDK

Started by Smarty_T2 Jun 21, 2010 at 11:24 PM 3 replies 850+ views
Original Post
Smarty_T2
Smarty_T2
Hi all.
I just wanted to know if there is something like the best "API" or "SDK" for game programming. If yes, then which one is it.
Also, when i began programming for windows, i was recommended to use SDL. I have been doing a lot with SDL these days but i don't find to be as popular and if i have a doubt, i find difficult to get an answer.
Also, is it like SDL isn't valuable and is meant just for fun ??
And, should i get into Direct X or something else or should I continue with SDL ??
Thanks
oler1s
oler1s
Quote:
I just wanted to know if there is something like the best "API" or "SDK" for game programming. If yes, then which one is it.
No. No such thing. Want to get better as a game developer? Stop looking for "bests". Start looking for solutions to problems.

Quote:
Also, when i began programming for windows, i was recommended to use SDL. I have been doing a lot with SDL these days but i don't find to be as popular and if i have a doubt, i find difficult to get an answer.
SDL remains ever popular. There's not much in the way of a stable, mature, cross platform multimedia layer that is approachable by beginners.

What you may see is recent fracturing, as recent options, especially like Unity, and UDK, are appealing alternatives. Also recognize that development trends towards higher level languages. So C# + XNA, Python + Pygame or Panda are appealing.

It's als possible that your are dealing with problems complex enough that your questions aren't reasonable to answer. As a beginner, you'll get more help because your questions are easily answered. Even if you ask a poorly worded question, or something that's vague, we can still often give an appropriate answer. If you have been using SDL for a while, which I assume translates to now working on significantly more complex programs, your questions are no longer easy to answer.

Quote:
Also, is it like SDL isn't valuable and is meant just for fun ??
What does it mean that something is "meant for fun". Think about it. You have an engineering issue in front of you. So all you care about is technical solutions. You need to evaluate them on a technical basis. Tell me, when you use programs, do you care if the programmer used a language that wasn't "meant for production", used libraries only "meant for fun", sat in a chair "meant for kids"? You do not care.

There is a problem. What is the solution? SDL solves a number of problems. That is what you look at.

Quote:
And, should i get into Direct X or something else or should I continue with SDL ??
Up to you.
Smarty_T2
Smarty_T2
Quote:
Tell me, when you use programs, do you care if the programmer used a language that wasn't "meant for production", used libraries only "meant for fun", sat in a chair "meant for kids"? You do not care.


I didn't meant that. For eg, i had learned DarkGDK first and when i designed some heavy game using that then it got too slow. What i meant was regarding performance. I meant that is it worth creating something huge or it's meant for small programs only.
Sik_the_hedgehog
Sik_the_hedgehog
SDL can be used together with OpenGL, so technically you should be able to use the GPU if there's some heavy graphics demand. By the way, SDL is really low-level, being mostly a portable wrapper around OS-specific stuff than anything else, so SDL is unlikely to be a cause of slow down unless you use it in really wrong ways.
Don't pay much attention to "the hedgehog" in my nick, it's just because "Sik" was already taken =/ By the way, Sik is pronounced like seek, not like sick.
Smarty_T2
Smarty_T2
Alright..Thanks

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