The Best Game Programming Languages?

[traff2009 0]

What type of game are you looking to make?Web based, all you need is html, some php maybe. SQL if you wish to store progress (and/or raw data) of the game [unless you're ok with creating a bunch of text files, though thats kinda hacky].If you want to make your web based game interactive, I would strongly recommend using SQL.For stand-alone apps, I guess Java is good. You can also use Java for webbased interactive games. Though the annoyance might not be worth it to set up the port 8080 server. Allthough I guess playing with threads / sockets might be fun (or not).

[mahesh2k 0]

Some pointers to select programming language is choose those language for which you can easily get help and there is support available.

 

C++: there are plenty of ports available for game developement.that includes "ogre3d" and other famous ports like valve's game engine and "irrlicht".

 

Python: python is entering into game developement and there are two famous ports for it. "Pygame" is very interesting and easy to use library. "Panda3d" is also another port and you can learn python by experimenting with panda3d. panda3d installation comes with python installer so need of installing separate installer.

 

Java: there are few ports of java like jmonkey and others. but you can create basic games with help of standard API as well.

 

other than these three, you can quick start with flash/javafx and other simple ports if you want faster results.

[iGuest 3]

delphi XThe Best Game Programming Languages?

Use delphi for game programming.

try it. There are so many free components created to build games using open gl and direct X.

visit my site http://error404.000webhost.com/ to see my games developed using delphi

-reply by roel

 

[iGuest 3]

This is the way it is now...The Best Game Programming Languages?

If your goal is to eventually get a job in the game industry C++ is the standard programming language everywhere.  However, there are many different types of programming jobs at a video game company. Many times programmers don't work with C++ at all, but with some sort of proprietary scripting language that works with their companie's game engine, or one of the other top commercially available game engines (this usually means Unreal Script, for the Unreal Game Engine made by Epic Games).  If you know how to script Unreal and are familiar with C++, you'll be high on the list of candidates for a videogame job.

Making an Unreal mod can be rewarding and fun, but it's a lot of work and you need to buy the Unreal game to get the Editor. Scripting for the Unreal Engine is really badly documented and a pain in the *bottom* to learn.

 If you want to make games for fun do one of these things:

* use the Game Maker  program from YoYo Games (do a google search for it, Game Maker is free). This is a VERY easy to learn tool for making games. You can make almost any 2D game that you can imagine, and you can make it quickly. As far as I know it only works with Windows, though.  It will take you about 30 minutes to learn how to use Game Maker to make games, and you can pick up the rest of it by doing stuff and looking in the help menu. It makes windows executable games, not web games.   YoYo Games has started to let you upload games to their site and then hosts them in some sort of web playable format, so you can play them online and embed them in things, I think. This sort of makes it a web platform.

 * Flash (Action Script).  Action Script is the name of the Flash programming language. Theres a big learning curve to getting started with the Flash editor if you've never used it before. Action Script itself is pretty easy to use and there's a lot of stuff online to help you.  If you've never programmed before, I recommend getting the book 'Beginning Flash Game Programming for Dummies". It starts very simply and by the end of it you'll know everything you need to write a game in Flash. It only uses Action Script 2.0 (Adobe revised everything to a more object oriented 3.0 format a while ago).  A lot of games are written in 2.0 because that was the version that was used for years and most tutorials are in 2.0. Once you can do 2.0, you can learn 3.0 later.  The advantage of a Flash game is that it works with a web browser and can be run on any computer that can use Flash.

* Scripting languages - Python, LUA, Perl, etc.  There are many scripting languages. Python is one of the most popular ones right now. One of my friends swears by it. Games can be written in Python or LUA. (World of Warcraft add-ons are scripted in a version of LUA). Many game companies use Python or LUA or derivatives of those for in game scripting, so it will probably be helpful if you want to get work at a game company. Scripting languages are generally easy to learn. I'd pick up a 'for dummies' book, or just look online until you find a good tutorial site.

 * C# (C Sharp) and XNA. These are Microsoft's programming tools. C# is like a simple version of C++.  It is designed to allow people to create Windows programs very quickly, almost with by dragging in components and linking them together. XNA is Microsofts game programming add-on to C#. It seeks to make game programming for windows very easy. The drawback is that it's for Windows and Xbox only. People need to install the XNA libraries to be able to run your programs and it's not web servable.  C# might be a simpler way to get started in game programming using something similar to C++. The big drawback is that these are not really online games. There is the whole Windows Live thing and their game distribution network, etc. I don't know much about it... 

* PHP and Javascript - these are web scripting languages. I thinkThey can be used to make games of some form. I really don't know.Knowlege of them can't hurt you and will help you integrate your gamesInto the web more effectively.

 * Java - it's an objectOriented programming language that's very similar to C++ (all theseLanguages are sort of similar). It was originally designed with the webIn mind. You can write applet games using Java that run on a web page.It might actually be the preferable platform for online games. I don'tKnow since I haven't used it much. It's not simple to learn, especiallyFor a beginner but don't let that discourage you. It's a 'professional'Language, so knowing how to program Java could get you a job in theReal world too.

There are lots of other tools out there right now that make it easy to make a simple 2D web style game.  My personal choice would be Game Maker. It's the one I learned first and it takes about 30 minutes to an hour to learn everything you need to know to make a simple shooter game. The amount of 'programming' is minimal. You'll have a game done in an hour or two. The hard part is thinking of ideas and making the graphics for it.

I also like Flash. It's not the best language to program in, but the end product can be put into a web page. That's instant distribution to anyone with a Flash enabled web browser (that's like 90% of the entire world or something).  Its a bit harder to learn than Game Maker (I still haven't figured it all out), and you don't have a game engine to support you. But, I'm going to give it a shot.

 Python (which seems to be the current popular scripting language - it used to be PERL or BASIC) is supposed to be good. It's interpretive so you need something to run it. I'm not sure browsers can decode and run it? It's supposedly simple to learn and I have a friend that swears by it.

[iGuest 3]

Java is #1 regardlessThe Best Game Programming Languages?

I have examined the question through hours of thinking and have comeTo the conclusion that Java is your best bet in both the short term& long term

Languages like visual basic, game maker, darkbasic, BlitzMax,Flash etc all fall short one way or another.  The biggest downfall forAll of these except flash is that there are few books about them, andSo there is little for the amateur/newbie to work with - and believeYou me - when you are game programming you need as much as you can getTo work with & the information needs to be organised like in aBook, unlike disorganised forums that I feel that most of the owners ofThose language have. I can almost garantee that all theTools(knowledge) that you will need to make the games you want, willNot be found in 1 book, so a language that has few books isCounterproductive to our endeavors.  Java does much better; there areMany more game programming books in Java; dozens.  C & C++ haveHundreds.  

C & C++ also falls short in that programming in general is more difficult then Java, but more importantly the functions to make games in those language is many folds more complicated than those in JavaThink about all those 1000+ books that you see on Amazon about Direct XGame programming for instance; that's C++ associated.  Java is muchSimpler in comparison, but not in general. Game programmingItself is a lot more difficult then making programs, so to want to makeGames easily is like trying to escape from a charging Moose by runningAt it.  As for flash, no offence, but flash really is poor inPerformance so much so that you should consider JAVA & C++ atEquivalent speed when next to flash. 

 By learning a"complete" programming language you'll be ableTo make not just games, but programs as well, and since the language isComplete; it means you can fully make the games to your liking &You won't be physically limited by the language.

 JavaWill run on any platform, I don't just mean Oses like linux & mac,I mean phones, dvd players etc.  So your games can be played on theMost platforms possible.  The compilers are FREE.  Java nowdays is veryClose in speed to C++; it isnt far behind especially when it comes toGames. Employment for Java is very high. 

-reply by eric

[iGuest 3]

Hello!

Lua is not indonesian, but portuguese! It comes from Brazil, by a group of professor's of PUC-RIO University.

http://www.lua.org/

Cheers,

Flavio Rasseli

-reply by Flavio Rasseli

[Томму 0]

the best game programming languages... um... um...

aha... not C++ not C, defenitely not assembler but Lua, yes Lua indonesian for moon (i think) it uses low system resouces, easy to learn, and pretty easy to debug. games that I know have been programmed in Lua is Supreme Commander. I'm slowly trying to learn Lua in my spare time, but for some reason aren't interested.

PHP=Web

Lua=Games

Assembler=AV products (i.e. NOD32)

C++=normal programs

JAVA=UI interfaces

etc

NOT. Lua is a scripting language. You're suggesting something, while you haven't even used it before? Read this: http://www.lua.org/about.html

C++ is still the best language for game programming. It is the fastest, the smoothest, it has very much readable code, if the programmer had it organized well, and its compatible with every system .

[iGuest 3]

Java is NOT #1 regardlessThe Best Game Programming Languages?

"JavaWill run on any platform, I don't just mean Oses like linux & mac,I mean phones, dvd players etc.  So your games can be played on theMost platforms possible.  The compilers are FREE.  Java nowdays is veryClose in speed to C++; it isnt far behind especially when it comes toGames. Employment for Java is very high. "

Not so! If you write a Java application in SE (Standard Edition) you can't run that same application on mobiles (cellphones, handhelds, etc) as the Java SDK in that environment is different - Java ME (Mobile Edition), which is a different SDK. The VM's (Virtual Machines) are also not the same, some not implementing certain features (such as UDP networking as I've experienced). They also do not behave the same way, so you will have to adapt your code based on the VM you are targeting.

 Bottom line - Java is not portable!

And don't get me started on the performance and memory consumption! If you want to write quality software go native and compiled (C, C++), and that is the simple truth!

[jamjamnorman 0]

C++ is the ONLY professional game programming language. The main reason is the speed and flexibility. C++ is derived from C, which isquite a low level language compared to the others being mentioned here. However, C++ is (IMO) quite a steep learning curve. I started with VB (im not proud of that) but it was easy to pick up and once you have learnt your first language it becomes exponentually(sp?) easier to learn each language after that. I usually use C#, but that is because with C# I can use XNA Game Studio to make games for my Xbox 360. There is also the fact I am not entirely confident in my programming expertise in C++ although I'm getting there

And if you are going to complain "I'm 15", I'm 13 and everything I've learnt has come from trial and error. Because who reads help files?

[iGuest 3]

C++!!!!The Best Game Programming Languages?

To answer your question its all about preference you could honestly make a game in any language but finding the one you like is the key I also started in vb.Net then moved to c# I hated c# so I tried C++ and now I'm sold. Though for some reason I keep hearing people say that c# is supposed to be a step up from C++ because of its use of the .Net framework I disagree. Also there are many SDK's out there that are totally free that will aid you in your game creation process OGRE, and PANDA3D to name a couple but remember using an SDK means learning more. Its longer in the short term but faster in the long term if that makes any sense. Ive been programming for 3 years now and I choose C++ for now.

-reply by GessGuitar

[iGuest 3]

Ok, I agree with the person above me, you CANNOT use JUST Lua to make a game, because it is a scripting language. You would first need to make an engine in a language like C/C++ and then add Lua scripting into your game. Though, you can make a game with just C++, but it is easier to add a scripting language into your engine. 

 

[iGuest 3]

Java is very slow when it comes to games.

If you are serious about your games that you are going to be making, choose c or c++.

They are powerful, fast, popular, and there are many books and tutorials on them.

C++ and c are also very easy to use with other languages, so if you have a team then you can all use your languages together. 

 

[contactskn 2]

Dear friends I think C++ is the best and now days if I am not mistaken Flash is also used a lot for programming games, and are widely used. Even you can find many sites providing free games also developed in flash. Some years ago when I was using VB I tried it for programming games and I was unbelieably successfull in it.

[iGuest 3]

The Best Game Programming Languages?The Best Game Programming Languages?

Most game programming is done with C++, so going with C++ is a safe bet. If you want a C++ graphics framework to build on, I suggest Irrlicht.

 However, C++ is one of the most difficult languages out there to learn, it is rather difficult to debug, and it makes writing and maintaining your code slower and more time-consuming. Java and Python both come to mind as better alternatives because they are less bug-prone, easier to learn and faster to code in. Both have good graphics support via the aforementioned Irrlicht, OpenGL, the SDL or various other frameworks; and since that graphics support is implemented in C or C++ you're not really sacrificing that much speed, at least on the graphics end. For Python, check out PyGame.

 The main advantages that C++ has over Java and Python are that it uses memory much more conservatively and it is much faster for intensive computations. Neither one of these will be an issue until you are writing fairly large, complex games. AI is probably the place where your game could use the most processing power and memory; if your AI is simple then this won't matter much. Garbage collection can also cause you some problems in a processing-intensive game, since it requires all processing to halt for a moment while it collects the garbage; this could potentially cause your game to stutter.

 If you have to ask what language to use then you are obviously not ready to write large, complex games anyway so you might as well go with Java or Python.

Another good choice would be ANSI Common Lisp, if it had good graphics support. Unfortunately, this support is out there but portability is a problem and it seems that the libraries that exist tend to be abandoned by their maintainers over time.

-reply by Nate

[iGuest 3]

I prefer to use flash player to make games, as it is quick and easy. It is straight forward, and easy to understand,using flash player I can make games under a week.