Developers Corner

Hello all!

I am doing a Bsc in computing and information tecnalogy. Its my fianal year and as a fianal project

I chose to make a multiplayer game so can you guys tell me about the most suitable language for this purpose.

chose to make a multiplayer game so can you guys tell me about the most suitable language for this purpose.

Most games on the market use C++ for most of the coding... then tweak the timing dependent parts using Assembly Language.

As for a somewhat simple game to program, try something like a card game of Hearts or 7 or the like.

Don't worry about the graphics at first... just get the base code to work properly, then go graphical to your heart's content.

Then work your way up by doing more and more difficult programs.

Don't expect to program like a veteran computer programmer of over 25 years in a very short period of time.

I've been programming computers for 27+ years now... I'm a lot smarter and know a lot of ways NOT to do things.

I do a lot of program fragments to prove a certain idea is viable or not before attempting to roll that code into an existing project only to have to remove that new code that doesn't work properly.

Ask a LOT of questions... be willing to accept advice from others... be willing to do your homework as the saying goes.

Had a very young programmer tell me once that he didn't think that I could learn much from him.

My response went something like this: "I'm not too old to learn from anyone. If you have a better way of doing things let me know."

Learn to spell check without a spell checker because you won't always have one readily available.

Make things easier on yourself by learning excellent coding techniques.

--> ALWAYS document your code. You or someone else that has to figure out what your code does will appreciate those details.

--> Make your variable names meaningful. "X = Y * Z * A" looks fine on paper but "CalculatedInterest = PrincipleAmount * InterestRate * NumberOf Days" is self-documenting and looks impressive to someone that has to debug your code.

Enjoy!

none

Thanks for your advice i'll keep these things in mind.

In my OOP2 module i made  a  card game in c++, but now my project advisor asked me todo the some game that contain proper graphics. I think one reason is that his research area is graphics so he wants me to complete a game using openGL or DirectX and i dont have  a clue about them.

I got tutorial for openGL, can  u tell  me which one should i use for the game. DirectX or openGl. and any other useful tips for me.

nouman.

I have no expertise in that area.

You might want to do your own research.

There are plenty of web sites that can help you in that regard.

Look at message boards and the like.

Many times, If I don't know about a subject... I'll do a web search using "Google".

OpenGL and DirectX are 2 standards in the industry.

However, Most seem to lean towards DirectX these days.

Happy Programming!

none

I've got a friend that uses openGL... he picked up the basics very quickly.. if you download the tutorial, get a book or two on it.. it will work for a game pretty nice.... 4x4 evolution uses openGL.. that's the only game I play that I believe uses it... almost all the other games use directx... in the end, I think directx would be the better choice though.. but if you just want to pick it up quickly.. try openGL

There's actually quite a few games that use opengl. The Quake engine (and I think the Doom3 engine too) uses it exclusively, while the Unreal engine (which Lineage 2 uses IIRC - whether or not L2 allows the use of OpenGL or not I don't know) gives it as an option. The Nevrax Libraries (NeL), and the MMORPG that bore them, Saga of Ryzom allow the use of both OpenGL and DirectX. You'll also find that the ability to use both is the trend for most open source libraries (Crystal Space, etc).

OpenGL offers several advantages over DirectX, the main of which is that it's cross-platform, allowing games to be more easily developed for Windows, Linux and Mac. However, ATI cards can have problems with OpenGL, although ATI seems to be doing some work in this area, though I can't vouch for it as I use Nvidia myself. Nvidia cards tend to do the opposite of the ATI's and work better with OpenGL than DirectX, tho they don't have nearly the same amount of problems from what I've seen with either API.

While it is true that the majority of games are developed using DirectX, I believe that a trend is developing towards both as more and more developers, particularly the larger ones, want atleast the option of more easily porting games to the Mac and Linux platforms in the future.

At the end of the day, I believe it's up to the individual programmer to choose, and that if you truly want to judge which is "better" for you, you need to learn both before you can decide.

Athon Solo

Thanks for ur tips can u tell me what is the most suitable way to allow a game to support multiplayer mode, some body tell me java is the best some said u can use distributed tecniques like

JavaRMI, xmlRPC and corba

what u suggest.

 I'll be thankful to u

Nouman Shams.

Im gonna go out on a limb and say python. Espicialy for a beginer its alot easier to use pygame libraries than the SDL, Open GL, or Direct X. Granted if you already know C or Java stick to a library in a language you know.

Why learn Open GL, etc when you can use 3D and 2D engines for non-commercial use for free and get them on the web.

TrueVision is the best choice in this area. http://www.truevision3d.com/home.php

I remember one TrueVision community member posted once that he had to do a similar school project and that he used TrueVision. His professor thought he was a graphical genius until he learned the secret.