Elysian Shadows

Ya know I'd like to make games, or pretty much anything programming but I don't know of a compiler which suits me.

I've always used VC++ express but its help sections are almost devoid of anything useful. I've searched and searched and I can't find what I need. Maybe I don't know what I need.

I started a project in SDL to make a simple gui/instant messenger but only recently realized SDL is for graphics, and VC++ express has those windows forms. If I wanted to make an instant messenger I should have just used the forms (something I learned how to use in a book and in high school). The thing that bothers me the most is the plethora of things to learn. It bugs me that I don't know whats going on in all those other pages. IE. the assembly/disassembly stuff that pops up when I get some errors. The virtually foreign language which is used in those other header files when I get an error. I don't understand why it says my error is in a file I didn't even write.

I'm not entirely sure what XML is, I have a vague idea of what Ajax is, or any of those other acronyms commonly used.

I feel like the dumbest guy on the planet right now. Trying to do something other people spend years going to school for... I guess the magnitude of my feelings just shows how important this is to me... I can't be arsed to wait to make games. I said before I'm going to school for web design right now. After that I'll go for CS.

I've always given up rather easily... I'm not the type of person who enjoys being confused and frustrated. Gaming alone does that for me enough. I think that's called a challenge.

I don't know where to start. Like most people I don't like starting. It sucks having to do simple exercises and not be implementing that vision you've held for too long.

I've always given up rather easily... I'm not the type of person who enjoys being confused and frustrated. Gaming alone does that for me enough. I think that's called a challenge.

I'm not going to give you the "programming takes time" speech, I hope you already know that. But try getting a book or a tutorial on the web that covers going from nothing to a simple game¹. Other than that, try breaking your "idea" into smaller parts. If you want to make an instant messenger, make a list of all the functionalities you want it to have, and try to implement them separately, one at a time. Example: "I have the basic window structure in place, so I'll implement a functionality where I press a "Send" button and the text on one text area gets appended to the text on another". Then: "now I'll make the first text area get cleared after that". That makes tasks seem a little less overwhelming and you'll feel like you're making progress every day.

1: here is a nice tutorial on how to create a Tic-Tac-Toe game with HTML, CSS and Javascript. It's in Portuguese, but google translated does a (surprisingly and scary) good job at translating it (though it messes with the HTML on the code listings, so you'll have to check the original for that).

Well we're certainly willing to guide you in your adventure, but we're going to need a bit more of a specific goal. Once you have a solid goal, you can then start determining what tools and knowledge will be required to reach that goal. Based on these things and any existing knowledge you have, the logical choices will be significantly reduced.

So my friend I ask you, what is your goal exactly?

"I want to make games." is a good start, but you need to narrow it down much more: what game? what platform? what audience? what technologies?

I have a few games in mind, and I just invented a new one last night. I think they're all brilliant.

What game? One of the three I have ideas for. Platform? PC, and console if possible. Audience is anyone who wants to play fun and innovative games. Tech? C++ preferably, if that's what you mean.

I know VB .net to some extent, and I can program for the most part in C++. I don't think VB is suited for performance, as I've been told. I like to know the innerworkings of what I'm doing. I've always been fascinated with the idea of building something from scratch. Thats why I gravitate towards reinventing the wheel sometimes.

Almost all of my game ideas involve MMO's, and I do know that is a tall order.

I decided on an instant messenger because it would be a simple test of network programming. Again with reinvenitng the wheel I wanted to make a GUI for it because that has also fascinated me.

Lastly my main goal is success. Financial success, success in the popularity of my games, and fame. Some may say that's unrealistic. I don't care, I think of the future as up in the air. If I fail once, I can relate to Ben. Franklin, he tried over 1,000 different combinations before he invented the lightbulb. I can learn from it.

Maybe I don't give up as easily as I thought. I've spent literally hours upon hours on one problem in trying to get SDL to work. Hours upon hours non-stop. I sat there the entire time.

It sounds like you have everything you need. What is it then that you are so confused about? If you are interested in doing GUI development using C++ I would definitely recommend you take a look at Qt.

So like... get the fuck to work?