5 replies to this topic

[lingo1357]

Hi all

i'm a director developer. now i plan to learn C++ (for making games ).
now i have 2 question?
1.wich one is the best place for C++ programing:
borland C++ builder or visuall C++.net

2.if a game has been created in visuall C++, can run om Mac OS or other platforms?

sincerely

[Reedbeta]

1. Visual C++ is much newer and you can get the latest Express Editions Here.

2. Whether a program can run on other platforms has nothing to do with which IDE you code it in but with how you write the code. Writing cross-platform code in C++ requires you to be aware of a variety of issues that as a programming beginner you probably don't want to have to deal with. I would recommend just sticking to Windows while you are learning C++.

[alphadog]

Given that Borland does not exist anymore, I'd say go with the Visual Studio Express edition. It's free and has one of the best "fat" IDEs in the industry. (And, by "fat", I mean full of developer-supportive technologies as simple as syntax coloring, to as complicated as assisting refactoring.)

Another reason to go for VS, fortunately or unfortunately, is because so many others use it, lots of times you can find project files that can seamlessly be opened on your box.

PS: BTW, after multiple jumps, C++ Builder can be found with Embarcadero Technologies. They started out making DB tools, and have migrated into other modeling/coding markets. Not sure why they are selling a C++ IDE, so the chance of it being dropped back into the void for "strategic reasons" is non-negligible.

[Baron3D]

I am very happy with "Turbo C++ 2006 Explorer"

[SamuraiCrow]

lingo1357 said:

Hi all
-snip-
2.if a game has been created in visuall C++, can run om Mac OS or other platforms?

In order to make a game run on MacOSX and other platforms from a Windows machine written in C++, you would need a "cross-compiler". What a cross compiler does is generate code for a system other than the one you are doing the compiling on. Setting one up can be tricky but I'll tell you what you need to know so that your code will be portable to the Mac later on if you decide to port it.

• Do not use DirectX as it only works on Windows and the XBox series.
  
• Do use OpenGL or a graphics engine that supports it such as Irrlicht or Ogre3D.
  
• Use a cross-platform library for all of your key bindings and/or mouse handling such as SFML or SDL or an engine that is based on those libraries. (Note that Irrlicht and Ogre3D both have keybinding systems of their own but are still cross-platform.)
  
• If you want to support PowerPC-based Macintosh computers, use libraries or engines that are capable of operating in big-endian byte ordering such as SDL, SFML, or Irrlicht or Ogre3D.

Another engine that uses OpenGL and is accessible using C++ is Panda3D. If you've never written a game before, start simple with SFML and don't use a ready-made engine until you know what its functionality does.

The links to the libraries and engines I mentioned are as follows: Irrlicht, Ogre3D, SDL, SFML, and Panda3D.

[poita]

I will also vouch for Visual C++ Express. Free, but still has more features than anything else out there :)