Win 32 Api

JoeImp · Posted: 03 Jul 2003 12:26:24 pm Post subject:

After 2 weeks of looking through refrences and cheap tutorials, Ive finally figured out how to use the win 32 api pretty well. Its pretty hard. Just to make a simple window pop up with nothing in it, it took 70 lines of code! Visual Basic is so easy for graphics, but it doesnt have all the power I need. I cant believe how much work it is just to pull some message boxes and some windows up in C++ Sad

By the way, Twiztid, hows the winsock programming coming? Im still working on our project, lots going on tho.

Joe Impellizzieri

Arcane Wizard · Posted: 03 Jul 2003 01:33:11 pm Post subject:

I'm reading 'Sams teach yourself game programming in 24 hours' which is a book on game programming with the Win32 API and so far I find it quite easy, though I haven't bothered to remember every single line of code nescesarry to create even an empty window, I understand it and know how to use it. So I just copy and paste it and change what I have to. Also using a game engine really makes things more easy, but then again the book really focuses on games so it probably doesn't give much info on the actual Win32 programming like creating buttons and using them in your program. But I haven't finished it yet so it might come.

Can't wait until I know enough to start working on the rpg I've been wanting to make.

JoeImp · Posted: 03 Jul 2003 02:42:36 pm Post subject:

Yeah, well, I didnt have any books, and I couldnt find any good tutorials. I acutally didnt sleep one night cause I was looking through the reference section of VC++. Sad

What version VC++ do you have by the way? If you do have VC++ that is

JoeImp · Posted: 04 Jul 2003 10:45:05 am Post subject:

Would you recommend that book? If so, whered you get it? Ill probly order it online if its not anywhere near me.

Arcane Wizard · Posted: 04 Jul 2003 12:00:02 pm Post subject:

I use VC++6.0, it's the best and most versatile compiler I have ever seen.

I bought the book at a local bookstore but the copy I have is a translation from english to dutch so it's not going to help you much if I tell you where I could order that translated version.

I definatly recommend it, it's very easy to follow, each chapter handles a certain area of game programming (drawing stuff with the brush, ai, sound, sprites, animation, etc.) and starts of with what you need to know and then you get to see the full source with comments and everything at the end of the chapter. Some chapters show you how to implement it right into a game and you will be programming several games throughout the book.

It comes with a cd that contains some borland software (C++ builder v.6.0 I think and something of v.5.0 but I can't remember what exactly) and it also contains all the workspace/projects with source code, icon's,sounds etc of everything you read in the book for VC++ and for that borland compiler.

I googled it and the very first link it came with was this url where you can order the book from amason.com.

JoeImp · Posted: 04 Jul 2003 02:56:25 pm Post subject:

Ummm that link is for "Sams Teach Yourself DirectX 7 in 24 Hours " thats different from "'Sams teach yourself game programming in 24 hours"... ?

Arcane Wizard · Posted: 04 Jul 2003 06:26:45 pm Post subject:

Hmm, I must have copied the link from the wrong window.

Try this one it's the exact book I have bought exept that it hasn't been translated to Dutch.

There appear to be different version of the book or something, for example this one doesn't look the same and doesn't have the cd with it. Though it could just be that a different cover and no cd are the only differences.

AlienCC · Posted: 08 Jul 2003 08:41:36 pm Post subject:

Arcane Wizard · Posted: 09 Jul 2003 02:51:48 am Post subject:

Well, compiling can be done with a single button and if you want to have it integrated into the os for some reason you could just save it (saving is also 1 button) at a specific place.

AlienCC · Posted: 09 Jul 2003 05:27:43 am Post subject:

Did I forget to mention that my GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) can compile more then just C, and C++ code? Does that alone not make it more versatile and therefore better then VS C++?

Oh, I think I missed another important key aspect of why GCC is more versatile then VS C++, you see, Microsoft limited VS to Windows, while GCC can currently compile your code for the platforms listed here: http://gcc.gnu.org/install/specific.html

Yes, windows does happen to be among that list...among many many other things.

Please visit the http://gcc.gnu.org/ (GCC Homepage) for more information on that compiler.

Don't take this post the wrong way, I'm only trying to diversify your knowledge of computing, Microsoft is not the only way, nor is it the best way to do everything, yet most end users have yet to hear or see other ways that are truly more satisfying.

--AlienCC

Arcane Wizard · Posted: 09 Jul 2003 08:39:26 am Post subject:

Well, VC++ is still the most versatile and best compiler I have seen :lol:

I know microsoft isn't everything and I like the way Linux is open source and all that but so far I'm able to do everything I want with windows. I do have redhat (dual boot with win98) installed on my own computer though, I was interested to say the least but I've only booted into linux a couple of times and I like it but haven't found anything worth writing home about. I hope that's just me being lost.

The only thing of linux I'm really disappointed in is performance, for example when I try to run Tux Racer it looks more like a slideshow than a racing game and when I try to start a level it crashes. The best looking game that came with Linux and actually worked good was a snake game which (or something extremely similar) looks like it could run on a 486.
I'm going to try if I can get Neverwinter Nights to run properly under Linux though, since the minimum system requirements when using Linux I read on the internet are a lot lower than those for when using windows and it runs increadibly slow under windows even though my system meets the requirements Sad

.

I'd like to use Linux more but since Windows is so easy to use, has everything I need (on my own computer, this one could use better security since my dad and sister also use it and they appear to like to download virusses, spyware, trojans and what not) and all the games I have run fine on it I prefer to use windows. I hope I'm just lost and Linux is more than I have seen so far.

AlienCC · Posted: 10 Jul 2003 01:34:09 am Post subject:

If your games are turning into a slideshow then you probably don't have the correct accelerated graphics drivers installed. If you use an nvidia card I'll be more then happy to walk you through the install, those are the only hardware accellerated drivers I have personal experience with installing in linux.

As for windows vs linux that is a completely different argument. The point I was trying to make is as a developer you should want to make your program more portable. You should want to make it so that more users will be able to use it, the best way to do this is to not get locked into a single platform.

As for linux being more then you've seen, while my job deals directly with working on linux and unix servers, I still learn new stuff about linux all the time, so I'm guessing you have not seen all yet.

--AlienCC

Arcane Wizard · Posted: 10 Jul 2003 08:23:19 am Post subject:

1 Jup, it's an Nvidia card, TNT2 16mb. I selected that card during installation so I take it the correct driver is then installed and not a random one or something.

2 Absolutely true.

I'm having some trouble finding the windows emulator that is installed with redhat 7.2 (or so it said during isntallation) and I also can't find a trace of any other partitions anywhere, I did find the cd-rom though but it won't run the autorun.exe Sad

.

AlienCC · Posted: 10 Jul 2003 11:09:56 pm Post subject:

Ok, what it sounds like is you are running on the default Mesa drivers which work fine for your 2d desktop, you do have to specify which videocard you have for them to work as well, as different cards require different drivers.

Those are not hardware accelerated drivers, and I recommend you visit http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?IO=linux To get the Nvidia hardware accelerated drivers for linux, if you're not sure which version to download then snag the Linux IA32 (for Intel Pentium or Amd processors). The package you download is really easy to install, and comes with instructions. If you get lost or something goes wrong with those let me know & I'll see what I can do to help.

If you do happen to get those installed, rumor is they offer a slight increase of performance over Nvidia's windows drivers, so Quake3 and Tuxracer will no longer be a slide show for you in linux.

--AlienCC

Arcane Wizard · Posted: 11 Jul 2003 04:28:31 am Post subject:

Well, I got Neverwinter Nights to run properly in windows now (downloaded older nvidia detonator drivers, version 30.2 Cool

, I'll see if I can find the windows emulator and the partition that Neverwinter Nights is installed on later. If I have found it I'll download the IA32 drivers and see if they get Linux to run Neverwinter Nights faster than windows does. I'll need to be able to acces the windows partition though because I don't have internet on my own comp and I'll have to put that pc's harddrive in this one to copy the drivers to it.

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