From:	an118 AT ccn DOT cs DOT dal DOT ca (Graham Howard Wile)
Newsgroups:	comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject:	HELP: low-level programming necessary ?
Date:	25 Sep 1996 01:40:11 GMT
Organization:	Chebucto Community Net
Lines:	35
Message-ID:	<52a2hr$d6t@apollo.isisnet.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host:	205.150.72.25
To:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway:	from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp

        I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I am a good
programmer, and good at constructing algorithms and general
problem-solving, but not low-level programming like you do with assembly.
 
        I want to program shareware games to release on the net, but I am
really discouraged and disappointed. I bought the book "Build Your Own
Flight Sim in C++" only to find that constructing a game like that
involves in-depth in-line assembly and low-level programming (ie: video
mode initialization with in-line assembly procedures, etc.) to a much more
massive extent than I thought it would.
 
        Yet I understand the basic concepts of game theory in terms of the
mathematics, vectors, geometry, etc. as I did engineering and a science
degree in university. 3D-space coordinates, translations, and rotations
are like second nature to me in a mathematical sense.

 
        My question is this: 

                Are there tools out there that someone who is creative, a
good programmer (but illiterate in low-level memory address, chip
programming) can use to make good marketable video games ?
 
        Or am I doomed to learn not only C++ (which, by itself, wouldn't
be overly daunting) but also Assembler if I am to achieve my goals ? If
so, how long would it typically take a person to learn C++ and Assembler
well enough to incorporate Assembly routines in C++ code to make a good
video game ?






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