How is game programming arranged?

[oliver w]

Hey I've read the thread called "game programming" but it stil hasnt answered my question of how everything fits together.
Um im thinking of like learning C++ and i have already done a bit but i want to know how do these command console things have anything to do with making a fully working 3D game.

What else do i need if i have a 3d renderer, 3d animator and (eventually) a really good knowledge of C++ to make a working 3d game that you can do something in.

I know for one that the walking person is just a working animation moving about a map but i think i am missing something inbetween. Am i wasting my time learning C++ if i am heading in the direction of game development. Or should i just buy one of those crummy "game makers".

Please fill me in on the gap i am missing out on and couldn't find on google search.
Cheers

[oliver w]

bump

[oliver w]

bump

[EXreaction]

What do you mean by how is it arranged?

What normaly goes on(from what little I have looked into it anyways) is they use a 3D program(usually 3DS Max), and create the charecters/maps/models...export it from there, then import it into the game engine...
The game engine is where most of the coding goes...especially if you are building one from scratch!

[MitaDC]

be careful how many times you bump; you need only to bump about once every 24 hours or people get annoyed and won't help you. . . I have no idea btw

[originel]

If you're asking these types of questions, you probably aren't at a level to actually build a game engine (no offense).

If you still really want to learn: read up on either opengl or direct3d. These are the APIs that you use to draw shapes. Once you're done there, you should learn up on Linear Algebra because 3D game engines make HEAVY use of Linear Algebra to go from a fully 3d coordinate system to a 2d (i.e. the screen). Note that you need to be good at Calculus in order to do Linear Algebra well.

Once you can take a file that represents a 3d object (such as a room) and can successfully render it on the screen, then you are ready to actually start making an engine. At that point in time you might want to check out the source code for Quake 3 which has been open sourced.

[Chuckiechan]

And don't be intimidated. It's written by humans just like you! It's basically math in motion over which you put a "skin" to make it visually appealing.

[oliver w]

ok thanks people for that, ill keep it in mind. for 3d i have lightwave [8] and i will eventually learn the stuff you need for programming. Thanks Exreactor for that information about game engines. Now my question is what kind of game engines are out there? are game engines things like directx and opengl + how much do they cost. I was thinking on going in the direction of directx because it is very popular...

[Rootstonian]

Nice description Chuckeichan..."Math in motion over which you put a skin"

Can I quote you on that?

[originel]

Quote:

are game engines things like directx and opengl + how much do they cost.

DirectX and OpenGL are Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). This means that they are kinda like a programming language. The engine is written using those tools. The cost of a pre-written engine ranges from free (like quake 3) to hundreds of thousands of dollars (like Doom 3).