Visual C++ Express and Distribution

[Maevik]

So I finished my first game, a pong clone, and was going to post it here and hopefully get some feedback. However, I built it with Visuall C++ Express and am not having much luck figuring how exactly I need to go about compiling into something that I can distribute. I've found limited info on how to do this and nothing yet has been much help. Does anyone have any advice on this?

[ChrissyJ91]

this should help http://www.graphicscode.com/Articles/VC ... tchas.html

from what I have gathered from this you can't create an .exe using the express edition (probably ms way for forcing people to buy the full version, makes little sense to me I thought the idea was to help enthusiasts and students?) I've been trying to figure out how to do it myself. I guess the only solution if you want to distribute your program is to change your compiler to codeblocks or devc++ etc. hope that helps.

[MarauderIIC]

Read this thread and let me know if any of it works for you. http://elysianshadows.com/phpBB3/viewto ... stribution

[Maevik]

>< sorry about the repeat post. I did a search on this before posting, but I guess I was looking in the wrong forum. That topic never resolved but I'm trying some of the suggestions. More info when I make some headway.

[herby490]

Please tell me if you get anywhere.

[BlueMonkey5]

i don't get it; what exactly is Microsoft Visual C++? if i'm running windows and just want to learn regular C++, what's best to use?

[Ewan]

i don't get it; what exactly is Microsoft Visual C++? if i'm running windows and just want to learn regular C++, what's best to use?

This is Microsoft Visual C++:

http://www.microsoft.com/express/vc/

Well, the Express Edition - which is free. I don't know if it's the best, but I like it and lots of other people do too

[MarauderIIC]

MSVC++ is MS's C++ development stuff. It's very lenient on #includes (for instance, I didn't have to #include <cstdio> to use printf(), although I should have). Has a nice interface. Apparently hard to distribute for.

[herby490]

No its easy to distribute if you buy Visual Studio( Not Express). Then you can just create a setup project and your done. For the rest of the people who don't buy visual studio we have to find some other way to distibute.

[kostiak2]

No its easy to distribute if you buy Visual Studio( Not Express). Then you can just create a setup project and your done. For the rest of the people who don't buy visual studio we have to find some other way to distibute.

It's actually very easy to distribute from VS (Express). All you need to do is to compile your program in "release" mode. Once you have done that, you will get an .exe file in *projectDirectory*/Release.

Now you can send that .exe file with all needed dlls (that depends on what libraries you are using in your code for example if you use SDL, you will need to include sdl.dll) to someone else. If they have VS installed they will be able to run it, if not, just let them download the Redist.

If you get errors compiling in "release" mode, post the errors, and I may be able to help you.

[herby490]

Yeah but I don't want to make people download the redist because if I make a game that I feel is good enough to distribute and I create a website to post it on I do not want to tell everyone who download it to install the redist because some people might not know how or be afraid to do it.

[kostiak2]

Yeah but I don't want to make people download the redist because if I make a game that I feel is good enough to distribute and I create a website to post it on I do not want to tell everyone who download it to install the redist because some people might not know how or be afraid to do it.

Well It's a simple windows installer (standard next,next,done) and it's just 1.7 MB so you can include it with you game.

Another way is to just include msvcp90.dll and msvcr90.dll files to your distribution (The installer includes those same files, but it puts them in the system, so you don't have to include them with every project).

[herby490]

I have tried that and I even ran Depends.exe to find out exactly what dlls my program was using and I transferred all of them onto my other computer.

[kostiak2]

I have tried that and I even ran Depends.exe to find out exactly what dlls my program was using and I transferred all of them onto my other computer.

And? What happened? What went wrong? Did you put the dlls in the same directory as the exe? Can you provide the files so I can look at them?

[BlueMonkey5]

I have to agree with Herby on this one, and also take Marauder's word for it that it's apparently harder to distribute for, since he is a game developer. I mean, of course it is possible to distribute with it I am sure, logically thinking; BUT is it the most convenient?? So that brings me to the question, for people using windows what are the other options opposed to using Microsoft Visual C++? What are the other best C++ compilers available for windows that we can consider? Anyone?