Need help.... must.... learn....

Atura · 03-12-2003, 09:49 PM

Ok now before i get started i want to say this..
The only programming language i properly know is basic (which i learnt when i was 5 on c64

)

What i want to know is, what programming language would it be best for me to learn if i wanted to program games like on PS2 etc.
In other words, what do all the big companies use?

And where would i go about getting textbooks etc for these languages?
(i live in australia)

Thanks a heap

abc123 · 03-12-2003, 10:03 PM

Books:
Your local bookshop will have all the books you'll need ( "borders" has a good selection )

PS2 Programming
I can't quite recall but I believe its called YBASIC, anyway, its not quite what you'd learn first, and it'll be different from most languages in that it needs to be run on the ps2 system, not a computer..

programming for the xbox, however, would be like programming openGL or something.. I imagine anyway ( as xbox is just a pc in a box ).

Languages
The best language to learn depends on what you want to achieve, if games is your aim, go for c / c++..

if crappy-coded yet fastly-developed applications is your aim, go with a .net language ( c#.net, vb.net, asp.net )

and if portability is what your after java is for you! java.sun.com to download the sdk.

joe_bruin · 03-12-2003, 11:40 PM

most games, especially ones that have high performance requirements are written nowadays in C or C++. these, however, are not trivial to learn. luckily, most of what you learn in programming most other languages transfers to C/C++. that is, while the syntax is different, programming concepts are essentially the same.

now here's the main problem: knowing a language does not mean that you know how to program. there is alot of theory that goes into programming that you are not going to get from a "c++ in 21 days" book. data structures, searching and sorting, algorithms and complexity (O(x)), interface and object oriented design, concepts in operating systems and threading, memory management and data management (beyond simple file io), interprocess communication, asynchronous operation, queuing theory, code optimization (and understanding your hardware), et cetera. these are things that people go to school for years to learn. not that you can't learn them without school, it's just that you may not know many of them exist.

for you, i would recommend java, as it greatly simplifies many of the above-mentioned items, is relatively easy to debug (no troublesome memory issues), and is very close in syntax to c++.

ic38 · 03-13-2003, 12:34 AM

I'm interested in learning either C/C++

Wondering what the big difference is and what people would recommend?

JeC · 03-13-2003, 12:49 AM

Hey Atura, Ice and I are in Australia too.

Not that I knowanything, but I'd say go C, but also the more fabricatedlanguages like Java are also good.

and Joe, good post. I plan to spend 5 years at uni learning that stuff :rock:

Kernel_Killer · 03-13-2003, 05:10 AM

They mainly use C++ on most PS2 games. You could always grab a PS2 Linux kit if you are really interested in PS2 development.

Travis Dane · 03-13-2003, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by abc123

programming for the xbox, however, would be like programming openGL or something.. I imagine anyway ( as xbox is just a pc in a box ).

XBox uses DirectX (A special version though) and so Direct3D.
As for the PS2 Programming language, It can be anything you
want, C C++ whatever, But you need a special compiler that
converts it into assembly that the PS2 understands, Also, You
need to have the PS2 SDK wich is very expensive and will only
be given to proffesional company's.

schotty · 03-13-2003, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Travis Dane
Also, You
need to have the PS2 SDK wich is very expensive and will only
be given to proffesional company's.

Well not necessarily true, being the ass I am, I will point out teh PS2 Linux kit which includes SDL and gcc. So you can actually port any app using SDL or any other OSS library based app and compile it. Of course theyre may be the added "fun" or "challenge" or what I call "sick joke" of having to first port the libraries or optimize them for appropriate speeds and performance.

But that one was missed. And I havent been nicknamed "the asshole" for just any reason ;D

Travis Dane · 03-13-2003, 12:34 PM

Yes Linux, But i din't mentioned it because using Linux to run SDL
programs is about as inefficient as it gets:p . To truly make
fast program (Wich is where Consoles must get it all from) you'll
have to use the PS2 SDK.

Kernel_Killer · 03-13-2003, 07:27 PM

According to the PS2Linux IRC channel, all the development tools are the actual one they use themselves, and have been optimized to work very very well with their Linux kit. Yes SDL on Linux is not exactly the best, but to them it's a whole different story. If you are serious about the whole thing, talk to the develops themselves at #ps2-linux (or #ps2linux can't remember) on freenode.