Re: Simple 2D framework
- From: "ZMan" <zman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 09:32:40 -0800
> My personal suggestion is to do your own framework. Especially for a
> beginner, and here is why.
My *opinion* is the opposite, for beginners use a framework. Look out there
on the web at some of the 'tutorials' pages. How many people get beyond the
basic 3 or 4 and actually produce something?
How many windows forms programmers do you tell "look there is this thing
called windows.forms.dll which has all the handling code you will need but
as a beginner you should start with interop to createwindowex()". It would
help them understand message pumps etc
How many web programmers write their own web server. It would help them
understand how http works and the standards underlying what they are doing.
And yet time after time I see game programmers frustrated over creating and
resetting devices and debating endlessly about which renderloop will give
them 1% more performance when they have not drawn their 1st triangle yet.
The 1st thing I do when I download some managed directx code is alt-tab and
minimize. This crashes about 50% of the code out there because people don't
understand what they are doing as beginners. If you use a framework this
sort of thing gets handled.
Sure you will run into things that need changing, or things you need to do
yourself later but this isn't a good reason to learn absolutely everything
from first principles now. Your time is precious, get some things on the
screen moving around before you worry too much about everything else.
As a beginner you have plenty of things to learn, a new API, lots of math,
3d concepts - give yourself as many helping hands at the beginning as you
can.
However, the framework that comes with the SDK is not documented anywhere
except in the code. Mykre created a help file for the April SDK
http://www.ircomm.net/forums/365/ShowPost.aspx but its just help for the
structure since he generated it from the code. So while I personally use it
for small projects I can understand why a lack of docs may hinder progress.
--
Zman
http://www.thezbuffer.com - News and information for Managed DirectX
"Stephan Rose" <ker-spam-mos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:8pvkr1tabqqvf4ag8corelp2bco65nbmeb@xxxxxxxxxx
> On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 19:34:09 -0500, "Me" <me@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>I am wondering if there is a simple 2D framework available anywhere? I am
>>looking to create very simple tile-based games for now and would like a
>>simple framework that uses MDX. I have looked at the sample framework
>>that
>>comes with the MDX SDK but it seems to have a ton of overhead built into
>>it - or it could be that I am just not used to DX.
>>
>>Any suggestions?
>>
>>I have used GapiDraw or PocketFrog for PPC, and CDX or SDL (Simple
>>DirectMedia Layer) for the PC side in the past but would like to use C#
>>for
>>some new game ideas. Are there any frameworks out there that are simple
>>to
>>use like these?
>>
>>Thanks!
>
>
> My personal suggestion is to do your own framework. Especially for a
> beginner, and here is why.
>
> While using existing frameworks can speed up and help a lot in the
> beginning, I generally find that you eventually start to run into
> walls later on when you start doing more complex things. You start
> needing features that it doesnt have, etc. Then you need to start
> modifying the existant source code (if you even have access to it) to
> try to add your own features.
>
> On top of that, using an existing framework also disconnects you from
> how things work. You know that calling Function A does thing B, but
> you dont know why or how it does so. To me, understanding how things
> work, and spending a little extra time on it in the beginning, is far
> more benefical in the long run.
>
> To set up a basic rendering loop without the sample framework is very
> easy, you can even google for a great example of it. To add your own
> 2D layer on top of that too isn't particularly difficult.
>
> On the most basic level, all you need is a vertex buffer filled with
> TexturedColoredTransformed vertices from the CustomVertex structure.
> To render a 2D image, you just create 4 vertices that define the
> rectangular region of this image, put them in the vertex buffer, set
> your texture, render the buffer. Done.
>
> Need to rotate said image? Easy. Create the 4 vertices as before,
> create a rotation matrix, multiply said vertices by that matrix and
> you have a rotated image. Scaling is even easier as all you need to do
> is space your vertices further apart or closer together (ie enlarge or
> reduce the size of the rectangle) and the image will automatically be
> scaled when textured.
>
> And voila...you have your basic 2D engine here now that can draw,
> rotate, move, scale any 2D image. Now you have your own foundation
> that you created and understand how it works, and can build on top of
> that.
>
> --
> Stephan
> 2001 Yamaha YZF-R6 <--- Stolen
.
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: Simple 2D framework
- From: Stephan Rose
- Re: Simple 2D framework
- References:
- Simple 2D framework
- From: Me
- Re: Simple 2D framework
- From: Stephan Rose
- Simple 2D framework
- Prev by Date: Re: Simple 2D framework
- Next by Date: Re: Simple 2D framework
- Previous by thread: Re: Simple 2D framework
- Next by thread: Re: Simple 2D framework
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
