[gameprogrammer] Re: how to start ?

On Mon, 2004-11-22 at 05:49, floyd_fr wrote:
> hi,
> i really do want to be a good game programmer, but i don't know how to start
> it.
> i don't know what kind of hardware or software that i must have at home.
> could you tell me please the detail about the hardware and software i need
> to prepare at home ?
> 
> thank you :)

The hard part is learning to program. Do you already program? If so, in
what languages? It is best for a beginner to stick to a language they
already know. If you don't know anything about programming then the
first thing you need is an introductory book and a good knowledge of how
to use google so that you can find more information. For a complete
beginner I would recommend Python or Java, other people will disagree
with me. It takes a long time to really learn to program, and you will
never do it if you stick to a single language. The nice thing about
Python and Java is that you can get them as free down loads for pretty
much any PC operating system. So, the place to start is on google
looking for intros to Python and Java. Read them, decide which language
you like best and then start learning that language. 

You will need hardware to work on. Beginners are pretty much restricted
to working on PCs and Macs. So, you need a PC or a Mac. Get what you can
afford. A beginner does not need to spend $5,000 on a killer game
machine. Memory and the graphics card are the most important things to
look at followed my disk size. Processor speed is about the last thing
you need to worry about unless you are doing a lot of image editing. I
would try to the following minimums on a develop machine, 128 megabytes
of RAM, the more the better get a gigabyte if you can afford it, a 3d
graphics card with at least 32 megabytes with performance like the
NVidia GeForce 2, a 40 gigabyte disk drive, and a PII equivalent running
at over 500MHz. Of course, anything you can get that is better, is
better.

You will need an operating system. A lot of PC users use versions of
Linux, I use Debian/Testing for my development system. Many/most PC
users use Windows. IMHO Windows XP/SP2 is about the only version of
Windows you want to use especially if the machine is used to access the
Internet. OTOH, there are people who still use Windows 98. If you have a
Mac get the latest version of Mac OS/X. Don't waste time on earlier
versions. You will need an Internet connection. The faster the better. 

The key thing to remember is that any computer you get today will be
obsolete by the time you learn enough to make full use of it. So, you
might as well save some money by getting an obsolete computer to start
with. You can always upgrade it later.

If you have more specific questions we can give you more specific
answers.

                Bob Pendleton

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