Yeah Thomas, you practically attacked Jim over here. <Grin> Best Regards, Hayden
-----Original Message----- From: gamers-boun...@audyssey.org [mailto:gamers-boun...@audyssey.org] On Behalf Of Jim Kitchen Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 7:10 PM To: Thomas Ward Subject: Re: [Audyssey] programming Hi Thomas, Yes, I am sorry, I didn't realize that you were talking programming only in C++. I thought that you were talking game programming and DirectX in general. Yes, you have explained the win32 api to me before. It didn't make much sense to me though and my point was that one does not need to know what it is or how it works to write games. however I guess like you said, we are comparing apples to oranges. I do not believe though that you should call me a beginner as I have been programming since before you were born and I have had many many many finished titles out there for years and years and you have what one finished title STFC. Again it is probably apples and oranges or maybe the Titanic and the ark. As you are a properly educated expert and I am a self taught hobbyist. BFN ----- Original Message ----- Hi Jim, Sigh...Yes, but you are comparing apples to oranges here. I was talking about programming a game using the C++ libraries for DirectX, and you are talking about using DirectX 8 using Visual Basic 6. There is a huge difference here in what you need to know to program using DirectX. The reason you find it so easy to program games using DirectX is because Microsoft created a handy little wrapper library called dx8vb.dll which handles all of the low level programming and DirectX programming for you. All you have to do is setup the proper DirectX 8 objects and functions, and your in business. Microsoft did something quite similar for Visual Basic .Net and C# .Net by adding Microsoft.DirectX.dll, Microsoft.DirectX.DirectInput.dll, and Microsoft.DirectX.DirectSound.dll for .Net programmers. Again the actual coding required for DirectX has been simplified for a new programmer using a less complicated language. If you were a C++ programmer you would find a huge world of difference and understand what I'm talking about in my earlier message. For C++ developers there is no handy dx8vb.dll library to handle all of the low level stuff. That's up to you, the programmer, to write some of the low level stuff like creating a class to get the format and size of a wav file so you can then load it into a DirectSound buffer. You may want to create a sound manager class to wrap the DirectSound secondary buffer pointers for easier management etc. It is a totally different ball game than the one you've been playing with Visual Basic 6. As for the Win32 API I believe I've explained this before. It is quite simply all of the major headers and libraries required for programming Windows applications. For example, if you have ever used kernel32.dll for the GetTickCount function then you have used the Win32 API without ever knowing it. Visual Basic 6 does use the Win32 API in most of your day to day programming, but it is often hidden by or wrapped by something else in Visual Basic 6. The bottom line of what I'm saying to you is that the reason you and others find Visual Basic 6 so easy is because Microsoft intentionally simplified everything to a level an average computer user or new programmer can easily understand without too much effort. As Philip said before there are levels of programming ranging from total beginner, where you are, to very advanced where Philip and I am. One can not simply know only Visual Basic, a beginner level language, and speak with any authority of how hard or simple say C++ is or is not with any skill. HTH Jim Professionals built the Titanic, amateurs built the ark. j...@kitchensinc.net http://www.kitchensinc.net (440) 286-6920 Chardon Ohio USA --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gam...@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
