----------------------------------- Flikerator Fri Feb 11, 2005 7:14 pm Best language for making games ----------------------------------- I know I saw the thread for which language I should learn, but I want to know what YOU think is the BEST language for writing games. So post em. ----------------------------------- Cervantes Fri Feb 11, 2005 8:17 pm ----------------------------------- Well, given that most modern games are written in C++ (I believe), I'd have to say C++ is the best for making games. ----------------------------------- wtd Fri Feb 11, 2005 9:09 pm ----------------------------------- Most programming languages are perfectly suitable for writing the logic of a game. As for drawing the display... that's more an issue of libraries rather than languages. ----------------------------------- md Sat Feb 12, 2005 4:30 am ----------------------------------- your choice of language is entirly dependent upon what you are most comfortable with. Obviously there are some languages which should not be used (ie. turning) but in general if you're familiar with the language, then it's probably the language to use. ----------------------------------- Mazer Sat Feb 12, 2005 9:51 am ----------------------------------- You don't need to learn a language, go search for "MMORPG Maker 2005." There's a trial version, but it's really crappy. Just search kazaa for the full. ----------------------------------- StarGateSG-1 Tue Mar 01, 2005 4:23 pm ----------------------------------- The Best langauge depends on the type of game you wnat to make. Most action games are doen in C++ but thier are a few rpg as well Dungeon Seige for one and Diablo and Diablo 2 if you can call them an RPG :!: Turn based games it is better to use something like PythonAN Example would be the series Civilization or any other game made my Sid Meier. And For Online game Java or Flash(sucks just drop and place language) RuneScape and all of the online mine games you play. THis is not to say that all game types are made under these catergories you just have to go look for them. This list i have made is based on my personal experience by what langauges work best for the types of actions you will be writing. On the topic on turing for making games it can do them all but at only half the quality. So if your a newbie don'tworry about quality and just get out there and start working. ----------------------------------- Mazer Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:28 pm ----------------------------------- Most action games are doen in C++ but thier are a few rpg as well Dungeon Seige for one and Diablo and Diablo 2 if you can call them an RPG :!: Turn based games it is better to use something like PythonAN Example would be the series Civilization or any other game made my Sid Meier. And For Online game Java or Flash(sucks just drop and place language) RuneScape and all of the online mine games you play. THis is not to say that all game types are made under these catergories you just have to go look for them. This list i have made is based on my personal experience by what langauges work best for the types of actions you will be writing. So, just curious, what are you basing these statements on? ----------------------------------- Hikaru79 Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:57 pm ----------------------------------- So, just curious, what are you basing these statements on? This list i have made is based on my personal experience by what langauges work best for the types of actions you will be writing. Or are you saying you doubt that? :P ----------------------------------- Mazer Tue Mar 01, 2005 10:09 pm ----------------------------------- I'm just saying that any kind of game can be written in almost any language you want. I'm playing DDR right now... except this version was written in Python. It looks quite similar to another version which was written in C or C++ (don'tknowforsure). You can make an RPG in C++, you can make an RPG in Turing, you can make an RPG in Java, (and just for wtd's sake) you can make an RPG in Ruby. I don't see how you can match up a genre to a language. PS: Don't read my post and make an RPG. I'd have to kill you. ----------------------------------- wtd Tue Mar 01, 2005 10:29 pm ----------------------------------- Yes, and most languages interface to C, so if something absolutely must be as fast as possible you can write the low-level stuff in C and provide, oh... a Ruby interface to it. Let's say you have a first person shooter. You write the code that draws the character in C, but you glue all of it together and do the logic (if you make a sound, the AI should turn left) stuff in a higher level language. ----------------------------------- rizzix Tue Mar 01, 2005 10:46 pm ----------------------------------- So, just curious, what are you basing these statements on? This list i have made is based on my personal experience by what langauges work best for the types of actions you will be writing. Or are you saying you doubt that? :P i dont believe u have enough experience, try the following java games: http://www.chromethegame.com/en/show.php http://www.tribaltrouble.com/ and there are many more. ----------------------------------- Martin Wed Mar 02, 2005 8:28 am ----------------------------------- If you want to use 3d graphics, use a language that has really good DirectX or OpenGL support, such as C/C++/C#/Java/Pascal/Visual Basic (there are more). Otherwise, the choice is entirely yours. Don't use brainf*ck. In the gaming industry, chances are you'd be using a mixture of C, C++ and assembly language, but that's only because there every frame per second counts. C and C++ let you do wonderful things for optimization, but, if you ever look at a modern game's source code (check out Quake II's code), you'll see that this gets incredibly complicated very quickly. For the individual, any language is fine. More popular languages will mean that it will be easier for you to find support. ----------------------------------- rizzix Wed Mar 02, 2005 9:21 am ----------------------------------- In the gaming industry, chances are you'd be using a mixture of C, C++ and assembly language, but that's only because there every frame per second counts. Thats BS martin, thats not the reason companies use C/C+ (although it could be the reason why individual programmers use it though). Most companies are afraid of change. JIT compiler can optimize code to native performance, and even better in some occasions due to their dynamic nature, they can optimize the code based on the current state of the environment. C/C++ optimizations are always static. Then why not switch to other programming languages? Considering that most interpreted come with some sort of JIT compiler to improve execution performance. It really is because they are afraid of change. "The system worked well so far, if we change it, it is a risk. Not worth the effort." ----------------------------------- Martin Wed Mar 02, 2005 10:38 am ----------------------------------- Find me some benchmarking data to back that up guy. If there was a way that they could make their code faster, 95% of them would jump to it almost right away. ----------------------------------- wtd Wed Mar 02, 2005 12:54 pm ----------------------------------- Most gaming companies use C and C++ heavily because that's what Microsoft has focused on with DirectX. As MS shifts focus to C#, that will become the language of choice for many. Those who choose to use OpenGL are in a similar boat. They've grown up with C and C++ being the only viable alternatives. Now, as languages like Python, Ruby, Lua, etc. gain popularity, programmers will take advantage of the fact that they can be extended with C to make their lives easier. ----------------------------------- bugzpodder Wed Mar 02, 2005 2:02 pm ----------------------------------- you can write a full-fledge 3D racing game in C# with manged directX in half an hour. at least, microsoft says so. ----------------------------------- Martin Wed Mar 02, 2005 2:13 pm ----------------------------------- Full fledged is a relative term. They think that Windows is a full fledged operating system :p In any case, C# is a great language to write games in. ----------------------------------- rizzix Wed Mar 02, 2005 3:36 pm ----------------------------------- Find me some benchmarking data to back that up guy. If there was a way that they could make their code faster, 95% of them would jump to it almost right away. No they wouldn't, as i said they are afraid of change. here are some sites: http://cs.stmarys.medford.or.us/pstonge/resources/NCW1998javacpp.htm http://michael.alecti.com/archive/2005/02/15/624.aspx (bad source, but whatever) http://www.sys-con.com/story/?storyid=45250 and here's performance benchmarks form a more trusted source: http://www.shudo.net/jit/perf/ Note how java has caught up with native code performance in most cases and faster in some cases. (Also note how java is much faster than C#) Although not mentioned anywhere in any of those benchmarks, the reality is java programs will have a slower startup, becuse of the Just In Time Compilation that takes place, specially when the programs are huge. But execution is relatively fast. ----------------------------------- Martin Wed Mar 02, 2005 8:56 pm ----------------------------------- Well, I have been proven wrong. :) Although I'm still not sure about the whole afraid of change bit... ----------------------------------- Tony Wed Mar 02, 2005 9:32 pm ----------------------------------- Although I'm still not sure about the whole afraid of change bit... You might find this /. [url=http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/23/2012230&from=rss]article quite interesting. In a nutshell, this programmer has quit his job because the company was moving to C#.