Mail Archives: djgpp/1998/08/03/23:38:49
Hello. I personally think that this discussion is a bit off topic but I
think that lot of people are learning here so they are interested... sorry
to answer to this thread if you think it is off topic... but is an
interesant discussion for some people and it is DJGPP-Allegro related
anyway...
My personal opinions:
Everyone has to start learning from something easy. Many people that
learns, want to do visual thinks and not only text based programs... so
what: they are learning, but they cant do complex things like hardware
access and manipulation, so they have to use a library and Allegro is very
powerfull and easy at the same time!
I have started to learn C with M$ C/C++ 7.0 (not visual)... that compiler
is ugly.
In that time I didn't have a modem and a good graphics library (the M$ one
was very slow). So, started to do my own... started with VGA 320x200...
then VESA 1.2 in 8bpp... but it was very SLOW and coded in C only... but no
matter of that I have learned...
Then I have got a modem and downloaded DJGPP... then Allegro... and
subscribed to this newsgroup...
After that time, I have learned much more faster than before and I have
learned what I think are more usefull things (for what I want to be or try
to be) than understanding how VESA 1.2 works...
If someone wants to be a game programmer, it has to start learning the
basics of game programming, it has to learn how to structure very good a
game, it has to learn good C, etc. But I think that hardware programming
isn't a very good start... it will not teach you very much of C, it will
not teach you very much of structured programming or AI. If you are very
good at hardware programming and not good at game programming, if you do a
game, you will end with a game that has a good technology and good frame
rate but is not fun and not good in what it has to do. If you are very good
at game programming but not in hardware, you can do a good game no matter
of that.
If someone wants to be a hardware programmer or engines/libraries
programmer, it has to learn good C and assembly and if it wants to do 3d it
has to learn very good mathematics, and it has to do its own grafix library
and such... But because you have to learn good C and if you want to do
visual programming and not only text based... Allegro comes again as a good
choice to start learning.
So, I think that there are 2 choices to take... or if you want to be or
learn the 2 things, I think it is better to start from the 1st one (using
other's libs) and then follow with the 2nd one, after you learn how to
program very good.
So, I think Merlin, that if you are a good programmer and you like
hardware programming, you have to do your own libraries, because that will
teach you more. But if you want to be a game programmer only... maybe it is
not necessary to go that far... anyway if you go that far you will learn
more, but doing your libraries as the first step is not good, learn how to
program good and then do the libraries. Anyway, at the university they
teach how to code hardware (Ok, I also think that it is better to learn by
hobby than in the university, since if you learn by your own, you learn
faster and better...) and I think that if someone codes and is learning for
hobby, it has to do what it wants to do, if you don't want to do a graphic
library or want to do other things first, then do that things and not do
the library and leave that part for more in advance.
Also, if someone does a game with Allegro and lot of others libs, that no
matters, it has done the GAME, thats not easy (depends on the game) and if
the game is good, it is showing a good skill of the programmer of that game.
Shawn has done Allegro, and OK, that shows that Shawn has a good skill.
But that doesn't mean that Shawn can do good games (I am taking that as an
example, Shawn actually DOES good games).
So, both examples shows different skills on different things but that
doesn't mean that Shawn is better programmer than that game programmer or
that that game programmer is a better programmer than Shawn; they are good
in what they do.
So, if you do a game using lots of libs, you don't have to feel like a bad
programmer.
If you do a good game and a good library... you are a very good programmer
indeed. But remember: time is short... would you have time to do both
things? Do something like Allegro takes a lot of work and time and do a
good game also needs time and work...
Ok, that are my opinions to share with anyone. You may think different.
This is to discuss only and arrive to some conclusion or never arrive to
some conclusion but maybe this will serve to see that actually many people
thinks different but no one has all the reason.
Finally: sorry to post a so big semi-offtopic or totally-offtopic letter...
Goodbye!
Ivan Baldo:
lubaldo AT adinet DOT com DOT uy - http://members.xoom.com/baldo - ICQ 10215364
Phone: (598) (2) 613 3223.
Caldas 1781, Malvin, Montevideo, Uruguay, South America.
(If you have problems with the previous addresses, try this ones:
ibaldo AT usa DOT net, http://baldo.home.ml.org).
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