Game Programming discussion thread

I got this idea from FluxWaveZ's  thread about programming. I was looking around the forums and couldn't find a thread that deals with questions related to Game programming. In Dr. Gertsmann's own words, this being a site about videogames, I am sure there are people like me who like messing around with code and maybe want to build something cool. 
 
Now I know there are a dozen different communities online that offer code advice, but from personal experience, Giantbomb has one of the most active communities on the interwebs. So why not have a place where people could maybe put up queries on places where they might be stuck at in their game projects .. or anything related to programming in general. Plus, if people have something cool going on, this would certainly be an awesome place to get some good feedback.
  
I am personally experienced in C++, some java and am currently learning the ropes in C#. So if anyone wants to hit the community with some code questions, go right ahead !
 
So first question, I am planning to learn more about the Unreal engine. Specifically, create a small 3D tech demo where you can move about and maybe fire a few rockets. Any heads up on a good place to start ? 
 

Artists: 

 For people looking to find artists, maybe you can try out this thread: 

Programming tutorials:

C++:

Python:

Choosing a programming language: (Delski)

Unreal Engine (advanced coding): (Joru)

XNA Development (Xbox / Games for Windows Live / Windows 7 mobile):

iPhone Development:(Delski again)

DirectX: (Delski .. the guy's like an encyclopedia)

Look Ma', No hands (a.k.a My project = Awesome) (Thanks to X19 for the excellent idea)

I like the idea of this thread and I wish I could be able to contribute to it meaningfully.

Don't worry. I'm a CS major myself .. and trust me, if you do end up liking programming, it's really cool to be able to make your ideas come to life.  
 
I'd encourage you to give it a try. As with everything else .. the initial part is tough, but get through it and it gets really interesting. Good luck with Python :) And ofcourse, if you have any questions, I'm sure some of us might be able to help !

I am making a xna game. 
http://pufferfiz.net/game/battleshipddx/blog/
currently just trying to get a proof of concept thing done. Hope to have it out by xmas but tat depends if I can get an art guy or not.

I made this site when I was looking for a job:  http://cs.smu.ca/~b_martin/portfolio/ 
I put all of my source code along with some screenshots. The code might be messy because I wrote most it while I had no idea what I was doing (3-5 years ago).

I actually just ordered a very basic book for learning C++ a few moments ago. I'm going to be working through a couple books and then try coding a few applications to try to implement what I'm learning. 
  
About how long did you study before you felt you had a pretty good idea of the language? Also, do college classes for programming actually provide useful information?

I've made lots of tests, tech demos etc, and only now trying to finish projects. I've made a game called Connect Five for Android, it's on the market, but it's very simple (with flawed AI that I made in an hour and don't have time right now to improve). I made that just to learn how to develop Android apps. 
I'm currently making a TBS/RPG type of game for it, I don't have access to artists though, so as soon as I get an alpha version I'm thinking of posting here, and maybe people will help out to make it kind of GB themed.

" @groin: First of all .. wooo to the Canadian flag ! :) Man .. I took up Computer graphics this sem but I think I'll have to drop it. Way too many things going on at once.  Btw .. any idea whether that "Fundamentals of Computer Graphics" book by Shirley and Marschener is worth keeping ? Also, do you mind me asking if you are currently working for a game dev company ? I'd be applying to a few at the end of this sem .. any pro tips are always welcome !! "

Don't get started with c++ its a very powerful language but it will make you hate programming, try c# or python. Then go back when you get the hang of it.

Learn theory of programming, and download as many programming ebooks and tutorials and theory papers as possible. Knowledge is power!
 
If you're starting programming, do SICP. It may feel old and outdated, but it teaches you a lot of the really important core conceptual ideas. Also, Scheme is a fun language.
 
Start with a high level language, work your way down. If you're crazy dedicated, you could consider starting with C++ but be prepared for a lot of confusing business along the way.

I don't know why, but this thread is great. I'm learning programming in C++ (and quite frankly its hellish), but I never really thought I'd use it for game development purposes. Right now I'm more primarily focused on 3D modelling.

@zafmg Brings up a great point about programming in general in that you have to be dedicated to learn low level languages because you can go alot of time not getting anywhere in particular but the rewards at the other end are far more rewarding. 
 
If anyone is a start up programmer i'd definitely recommend C# as a start language because it encompasses all you need to know for games and game theory at the start. The trouble is when you go more 'Extreme' lets says on your programming that because of the way C# manages memory your just not going to be able to put through the 3D graphics you want at the pace you want. That is why developing in C# is suited to 2D style games.
 
Of course also when you may want to go into the industry if your doing studies while the knowledge in C# is helpful most games have to be written in C++ and all engines have to be written at that low level because you obviously need to manage the graphics throughput to gain the best performance. 
 
If your not willing to manage C# and Visual Studio for example try going even higher and going at python scripting you can create things stupidly fast using python but the programming knowledge gained is imo minimal.

I'm really interested in game design, and would like to get my feet wet. So far, I've done a year of C++ and Java, and if you guys can point me in the right direction in terms of programs to download, books to read, or websites to help me get started, I would be very appreciative.

Question: as a hobbyist, what would one do with programming?  I believe I'm being close-minded, but all I can really think of is web development and making video games.  I'm asking because I'm not sure what I would do with programming if/when I get to learn it as I don't maintain my own website or anything and the process of developing a video game sounds hellish, especially if one's doing it on his own.

@TearHead Definitely check out some websites related to different APIs that the different languages use. C++ usually uses DirectX and C# is mainly used with the XNA API. I find websites a bit easier laid out than books, Heres a good couple of examples: 
 
[DirectX]  
http://www.directxtutorial.com/Tutorial9/tutorials.aspx 
http://www.danielloran.com/study/directx/Default.aspx    
 
[XNA] 
 
 http://www.riemers.net/ 
 
In the case of DirectX you need to start at DirectX 9.0c imo it will give you the best base and you can create very functional 3D projects. XNA you can pretty much start with any version but be careful and be sure to follow tutorials like riemers. 
 
For programming decisions in general just found this great article on gamedev that goes through deciding languages and APIs to actual start points it's really good.  

http://www.gamedev.net/reference/programming/features/davegpg/    

I do Java in my course at college but I kinda wanted to C++ like the games guys but not really for games just so I know it. I never looked into building games with Java but maybe I should just for fun.

@ShaveDev Java is a great language for building basically anything besides 3D games, it's even great for 2D games because obviously most of the games used for the web are java applets.  
But I'll stress that C++ provides a vast programming knowledge even relating to hardware instructions and memory management. C++ is almost I feel a must for people interested seriously in ANY type of software development.

Are there any books you can buy on amazon or online that would be good to get me started?

A very good idea for a thread. Personally I have experience programming with Visual Basic, C#, C++, XNA and some simple HTML and have been programming for about three years.

If people are in need of IDEs to practice programming.  MS has a site that allows students to use full products of their development software i.e. Visual Studio 2010 Professional, XNA Game Studio, etc for free.  You just need a Live account (I believe a 360 account works) and be a verified student at a university/college (don't think it covers highschools, not 100% sure).  This is not the same as MSDNAA.  I had to use this site because my university could not afford to get Server 2008 licenses even though they approved the networking book for Server 2008.
 
https://www.dreamspark.com/  
 
 Again, full fledge working software for non-commerical, personal use only.  It'll allow you to practice with professional toolsets.  There are, of course, free software like Code::Blocks for C++ and Python can be downloaded for free off the official Python website. 
 
http://python.org/

" @Venom2112: Hey man (or anyone else), I've been working with Game Maker (I'm supposed to be embarrassed about admitting this, right? 'Cuz I am), and have made a character run, jump, shoot, kill enemies, etc., and have recently just been editing the hell out of sprites, but I've come under the impression that Game Maker is a waste of time and detrimental to success. That being the case, I'd like to start with another program as soon as possible. Thanks to FluxWavez's past thread, I learned of Python. I don't want to know if that's "a good place to start." I want to know what the best place to start is. I'm a hard worker, but I just need to be put into the right direction. "

For all you that are interested in 3D game programming, most participants in this thread seem to be unaware that game programming is math heavy. You will need a strong foundation in linear algebra to do anything beyond copy and pasting from tutorials. It is simply not enough to learn a programming language.