DeM0nFiRe

Umm, actually I did lose money from my Xisto account. I lost $2.14 from my xisto account, I don't care what the email says. How else would I have $25.86 in my account when I didn't buy anything or add funds any other way than through myCENTS. Now, even if you don't want to believe me on the amount lost (Oh no, I don't have a picture... like I was supposed to know I was gonna get money taken for no reason) the logic still proves inarguably that I lost some amount of money, because there's no other way I could possibly have a .86 since myCENTs adds only in $1 increments.

Heheh, guys, I am all for learning to do things yourself. As a matter of fact, before I even made the switch from 2D to 3D I made sure I had learned how to do the art and music for the games as well as the coding and writing I could already do The only problem was that, for this demo, my deadline was very fast approaching-- I just would not have time to model and code the thing. Anyway, the deadline has passed and I did have something completed to show so I'm all good As soon as I have the extra time I will be learning how to model, however, I think I want to learn HLSL and GLSL before I get to modelling

lol, the piece of your body bit wasn't really very serious, it was more a joke. Actually, I am just speaking from the fact that the one person I saw chip a tooth went to the ER. Although, she like cleaved two front teeth each in half, maybe it was a matter of the degree of severity.

umm, actually you probably should have gone to the ER right after you chipped the tooth. If a piece of your body falls off, it isn't a good thing. I dunno about it now that you've waited so long, but I'd reckon you might as well try it if it hurts.

Ok, I said in practice, DirectX is faster than OpenGL. The non-sequitor was on your part. How do you get "DirectX is inherently faster" from "In practice, DirectX is faster" The two statements are nearly as far apart as they can possible be. "Inherently" would mean that DirectX is faster because of some quality it has barring external variables, while "in practice" means that DirectX is faster than OpenGL because of things outside of either API. As I have said many times, at the fundamental level are very similar to one another. DirectX and OpenGL are both damn fine APIs, and I am not saying there is anything wrong with OpenGL. Clearly, the problem (If there is one) would be the fault of the video card manufacturers (As for the idea that MS pays them off, this may or may not be true, but that wouldn't mean that the video card mfgs would have to sell out.)Also, as for my benchmarks, The Irrlicht engine only supports up to OpenGL 1.5 and DirectX 9 (Which, unless I am mistaken is a fair matchup because as far as I am aware OpenGL 2.x would be the counterpart to DX10, which the engine doe snot support) HOWEVER, if it is true that OpenGL's performance is hindered by Windows XP (Which I don't know that it is) You do have a valid point. I'll run the benchmarks under Xubuntu when I can (Oh yes, I am not just a windows-lover, I use Linux as well. Linux is definitely better than Windows for some things-- just not games.) That way I am running DirectX under optimal conditions and OpenGL under optimal conditions (Under Linux where it can be assuredly unhindered)Also, although I do not have any numbers to show you, I can say that on an Nvidia GeForce 2MX I could not run TORCS with OpenGL under Linux(Xubuntu 7.04 at the time), however I could under Windows. (Same exact machine, by the way, it was a dual boot) I will also put out there that my experience with Xubuntu 7.04 was rather flaky, so perhaps I used a bad distro, however it does stand to reason that this shows that either a)Windows does not hinder OpenGL or b)Despite the fact that windows hinders OpenGL, it's still a better place to play games, even OpenGL games.Also, Rayzoredge: I am not trying to stand up for my API XD In actuality, I plan on using both APIs and should the game development market stray from windows I will happily follow it wherever it goes. However as it stands now Windows is just the way to go for Game Development (For whatever reason, maybe it's because MS is evil and is tryng to get some horizontal consolidation going on, but either way Windows is better for gaming right now)

Wait, what? The version of OpenGL you have depends on your drivers, not on Windows. I have OpenGL 2.0 right now, on my Radeon 7200 I had 1.3 and on my 9250 I had 1.2. And I didn't mean that the gamers care, I meant that developers make their games for windows because Direct X is on windows, therefore gamers have to use windows because the games are on windows.Also, Quake 3 is a horrible benchmark. Quake 3 could run well on a toaster. Besides that, Quake 3 and games based off of the Quake 3 engine (Like Return to Castle Wolfenstein) were programmed to run equally well on DirectX or OpenGL. In any case, take a look at the Irrlicht Engine. I just ran their Shaders demo, and in OpenGL 1.5 I got about 620FPS. On DirectX 9 I got 1200FPS, and on Dirxt X 8 I got 1100 FPS (Although, the number for DirectX 8 is skewed because DirectX8 did not support the high level shaders that DX9 and OGL 1.5 did, however OGL 1.5 without those shaders was still only 650FPS max)Also, miladinoski, texture quality and normal mapping such as in your demo were never in the debate. DirectX 9 is pretty comparable to OpenGL 1.5+ in terms of image quality. DirectX10, however, can also do things that neither DirextX9 or OGL can do at all, at this point, such as volumetric smoke and light.Also, DirectX is not inherently faster, which is what I've said 3 times now. Inherently would mean taking out external factors. If you take out external factors, then DirectX and OpenGL are nearly identical except in the way you code with them and in the few things that DX10 can do that DX9 and OGL cannot do. The fact that DirectX is better implemented by the video card manufacturers (For whatever reason, I don't care what the reason is) makes it so it is not the fault of the software developer that the games are for windows.

No, my point is that it has nothing to do with programming experience or game making experience, it has to do with the ability to do the 3D math. You're saying that if a physicist with a PhD decided to make a game, he'd have to start with 2D?

The leap from 2D to 3D has nothing to do with your experience as a game designer. The leap from 2D to 3D has to do only with your ability to do 3D math as opposed to 2D math. It is in the same fashion that you can go from a tile based 2d to a pixel based 2D game, it just has to do with how comfortable you are with the math involved. If you want to make a 3D game you are going to have to know how to do things like trigonometry in 3D space.

Well, that's why I said a game developer and not a businessman. From a business man's perspective it's great, make millions of dollars for something that you didn't put in effort into making it bug free and such. From a game developer's point of view (I mean one who takes pride in their work) It isn't necessarily about money.

Haha, from a game developers point of view, Runescape is an atrocity. No game developer wants their game to be a runescape.Azeen, I personally do not have the time to work with you on this one, I am just trying to help you attract some team members.

lol, rpgsearcherz, web development is how I make my money, so I would have to pass on that And actually, I am not all that comfortable with showing my WIP code with learners because a) some of my WIP code would teach a learner bad practices and b ) Someone who has been doing it for longer can respect the hard work that I put into it If you can do graphics, maybe we'll talk. (If you need to know, the game is about 3 months in development by myself, plus about 3 weeks with the artist working with me. Current stage is engine development)Anyway, to get back on topic, the only way an idea guy can attract a team is with a really *really* good idea. SO, you are going to have to post all the details for your idea if you hope to get any help.

rpgsearcherz: The problem is that, although there is a Game Development forum here (Game Development Laboratory), there is little incentive for serious developers to post here. I've tried to get things going posting some of the projects I am working on, but the majority of people who post there don't actually have anything to contribute. Fact of the matter is, there are a lot of other forums where developers can get better feedback and more information. It would be nice to see some serious discussion going on in there, but it just isn't happening right now.By the way, rpgsearcherz, if you are looking for a serious project let me know what you can contribute in a PM and we'll talk.

Truefusion, my point was that it is not the fault of the software developer that they are forced to make their games us DirectX. DirectX is just, in practice, faster than OpenGL because, to video card manufacturers, it is not cost effective to put the same kind of effort into OpenGL since most gamers are on Windows. It's actually pretty funny, because most gamers are on windows because DirectX is faster. It's a cycle that has to be broken before windows can be taken down as top dawg in the gaming world. Also, it is not a matter of implementing newer versions of OpenGL, it's a matter of implementing them well. OpenGL 2.0 or greater is fully supported by the cards in that you can use the functions in the library, it's just not as fast as DirectX.And to the Original Poster: Didn't you say you were using Windows 7 and Windows XP? I took that to mean that you were dual booting.

Truefusion, it's not as simple as that. I mean, most games are available for OpenGL and DirectX, but think about the most efficient engines, like Source. Source games are only for DirectX. So, why is that? Well, fact of the matter is DirectX is faster than OpenGL. Now, theoretically DirectX and OpenGL should achieve the same result, only with different ways to get there. However, the video card manufacturers know that most gamers are on Windows, so they don't take as much time to implement OpenGL as they do with DirectX.As for the OP, I have to be honest with you. 90% of problems people have with PCs are operator errors, and not the fault of the OS or PC. I recommend that you do not try to dual boot, and just go for Windows XP. Also, do not let Windows find your drivers for you, go to the website of hardware manufacturers.

Alright guys, lesson 2 can be found here: http://forums.xisto.com/topic/63560-the-basics-of-object-oriented-programming-lesson-2-introduction-to-variables/ Good luck, this one's more complex

I may in the future, but this tutorial set is for learning Object Oriented Programming and Ruby is the easiest one to understand so I will be using this. If you want a C++ tutorial, I recommend looking at http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/ It's very good tutorial, although you may have to look up answers to some specific questions elsewhere.

Hmm, can you do Concept art for games in Photoshop? That might be useful. Also, we could provide a good way for you to learn some more modelling You have to learn fast though!

Yeah, if there was a demo I would have just downloaded that to play it :PIt looks like I will have to pass on this game for now, though. Even though my video card is overkill now (Radeon X1650 512MB) I don't have enough RAM or a fast enough processor. If it was just the proc, I'd buy it since procs are way overrated for gaming, however you can't skimp on the RAM. I only have 768 MB right now, and it wants 1GB. I thought I was going to be able to pick up some RAM but I didn't get the chance.

I wouldn't be able to recommend to you a good e-book because I've never found e-books very helpful. The way I learned was to just look at a working game engine that used Ruby as a scripting language XD I have written lesson 2, and I am just waiting for a moderator to approve it.

Well, I think that this is a very good tutorial if you want to make your Wii unique, rather than just slapping a mass produced decal on it. Also, the OP already said that this will void your warranty

Heh, nice. I wasn't even expecting to be nominated for any awards let alone win any.Hey, just a thought, but wouldn't it be nice to have the year on these banners as well?

It could, but then again you can accept donations now until you are ready to add a bank account.

Well, I do not have a bank account tied to mine and I received a payment December 19th. My limits say that I have sending limit of $0.00 until I tie it to a bank account, but my accepting limit is, well, limitless. Maybe it's a matter of country but I know that in the US you do not need a bank account to receive payments.

Hey there all, so I have a question about the minimum system requirements for Far Cry 2. Now, I know the requirements ask for a Pentium 4 3.0 Ghz at the minimum, but I've seen reports of it working just fine on a 2.4 Ghz. I was wondering if any of you here have tried it on a 2.4Ghz processor. I am thinking of buying the game but all I have is a P4 2.4Ghz processor.

Hello everyone, and welcome to The Basics of Object Oriented Programming [Lesson 2] By DeM0nFiRe Lesson 1 can be found Here. I really recommend you read that first before you look here. Lesson 2 starts to get more complicated, so you may want to take notes I'm not going to be babying you guys anymore, and we're going to use actual terms to describe what is going on (Don't worry, I'll define a term the first time I use it ) If you don't already have some understanding of program, this will require your full attention. If you are listening to music right now, I recommend you turn it off before you start this one There's a reason that variables are getting their own tutorial. What are "variables"? *Note: Even if you think you know what variables are, I would recommend that you take a look at this anyway* If you have ever taken Algebra or a similar mathematics course, then variables to you would probably mean some letter that stands for some number that will change (get it: vary <--> variable), which is actually pretty close to what a variable is. If you have ever taken a basic Programming class or read a basic tutorial, then variables to you would probably mean something that holds a number or some other type of data, which is not what a variable is at all. *It is important to understand this concept right now: your computer's memory holds the information and the variables just point to the information* In actuality, a variable is just an Abstract Concept that programmers use to talk about something that doesn't really exist. Now, this is a recurring theme in programming, that programmers will use words to talk about something that doesn't actually exist. This is because it is a lot easier to think about programming this way. Now, in the future I will be talking about Variables in the same way, however first I want you guys to understand what a variable really is. A variable in general consists of two things: and Identifier and a Reference. The identifier part of a variable is what you call the variable, the name of the variable. Sounds simple, right? Good, because it really is simple. Identifier can be a pretty big word, but it just means name. Now, there are rules to identifiers. For instance, you can't name your variable "3blindmice" because it starts with a number, and you can't name a variable "hello world" because there is a space. We'll go a little more in depth as to what the rules are a little further down, as the rules for identifiers vary slightly from language to language. The Reference part of the variable is a bit more complicated. The Reference part of the variable is the part that points to (or references) the spot in your memory that holds your information. Sounds simple, right? Well, unfortunately this part is not that simple. The way these references work is very different from language to language. Unfortunately, beyond this I can only tell you what references do specifically for Ruby. A variable in Ruby works as follows: Identifiers in Ruby have several rules that you must follow: -Identifiers can contain only alphanumeric (a-z, A-Z, and 0-9) and the underscore ( _ ) -Identifiers can never start with a number -Identifiers can start only with a letter or underscore -Identifiers cannot contain spaces -Identifiers cannot contain any Keywords. A keyword is a word reserved by the language for doing certain things. The keywords in Ruby are as follows: alias and BEGIN begin break case class def defined do else elsif END end ensure false for if in module next nil not or redo rescue retry return self super then true undef unless until when while yield *Note:This part gets very complicated, so pay very close attention**Note:Ruby references work very different from most languages, so if you want to learn a new language later make sure you research references for that language* So, we talked about objects a small amount in the last tutorial. As I said, objects in programming are very similar to objects in the real world. Now, you wouldn't consider a number an object, would you? Well, most programming languages don't either HOWEVER in Ruby every single piece of data you will work with, including numbers, are objects. This means that everything will be Passed by Reference. What, exactly, does this mean? Well, let's take a look at some code! our_object = Object.newour_other_object = our_object So, what will this do? Well, let's take a look at a picture of our memory before we start: --------------| || || |--------------| || || |--------------| || || |-------------- ahh, nice and empty, right? so, after we run our first line we have: --------------| | <--- our_object| Object || |--------------| || || |--------------| || || |-------------- As you can see, our_object is referencing the spot in the memory where we put the Object. So, now Passed By Reference means that when you set one variable equal to another, rather than the value being given to the variable's reference, the identifier of the variable gets a reference pointing to the same spot as the other variable. So, the second line of code will give us this: --------------| | <--- our_object| Object || | <--- our_other_object--------------| || || |--------------| || || |-------------- So, as you can see, using = on a variable does not change the contents of the variable! Instead, it "assigns" the reference to point to an object in the memory. Assigning our_other_object to our_object didn't change any objects, all it did was make it so that our two variable pointed to the same location. So, let's look at some more examples: a = 5b = 4a = b So, after this code is run, how many spots in the memory are used? Just one. The first line will create an object that is the 5 and assign a to point to it. The next line creates an object that is a 4 and assigns b to point to it. The last line assigns a to point to the *same exact* 4 that b is pointing to. On this line, something else will happen as well. Don't you wonder what will happen to our 5 that we made with the first line? Well, in Ruby (and in some other languages, but not all!) there is a handy little thing called the Garbage Collector. The Garbage Collector will see that there are no longer any references pointing to that 5 and will remove it from the memory, freeing up that slot for future use. So, this is a lot of information, so I will end this tutorial here. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! I know some of this can be confusing, so I'll try to answer any questions you have.