Where to start?

This is my first post in the OpenGL forums, so lemme know if I’m breaking any rules… Anyways, I was wondering if any of you know where a newbie like me w/ little experience in programming (read a couple of books, took ICS 111, touched on a few DirectX calls) starts to learn how to program a 2D game using the OpenGL api? I know DirectX is much more documented as far as creating a 2D game is of concern, but I’d like to dwelve into OpenGL just so that I can gain some experience (possibly program 3D games in the near future perhaps?) If you could point me into the right direction, I’d love to hear from you via e-mail, or reply to this message. Thanks!

Check out this thread:
http://www.opengl.org/discussion_boards/ubb/Forum2/HTML/005306.html

As far as I am concerned, OpenGL is the 3D API but if you are making 2D maybe you are better of with your own routines or maybe try to find a lib for manipulating 2D stuff more efficiently. What kind of game are you working with?

  • Niko

Thanks for that timely reply niko! Umm, about your question, I’m actually tryin to make a 2D Side Scroller w/ a little bit of shootin, brawlin, and of course, neat effects! The thing is that I don’t know where to start at makin one usin the OpenGL api, but hopefully your thread will help I also noticed that OpenGL is mainly used in 3D games, but has anyone tried it w/ 2D? It’s always advertised as “the 2D/3D api”, so I assume that it has a few cool features up its sleeve. Though if you’d recommend another way at learnin OpenGL, I’d be glad to accept your suggestions!

OpenGL has a lot of cool features up its sleeve!

But still, if I were to code a 2D and only 2D game I would not use OpenGL. Actually we were making a shoot’em’up game like 10 years ago with C++ and assembler to MS-DOS platform and made every single routine by ourselves. According to my recollection OpenGL 1.0 was not even released back then. Still it was fun and it was not too complicated (required lots of pizza and coke though). If I find the source somewhere I can email it to you. Do not get alarmed by that assembler thingy because nowadays compilers are sophisticated enough to do the optimization for you.

Other than that, I can not remember by heart any 2D libs but I’ll try to look…

  • Niko

Ok, found one but alas, could not find anything but tutorial to download
http://www.housemarque.fi/tech.html

and then checkout ‘SPS’.

  • Niko

Ack, that SPS 2D lib looks mighty good, but like you said there’s nothin except the tutorial… Ah well, I guess I’ll be goin back to Andre Lamothe’s T3DLib for now I already started a project w/ that, so I think I’ll finish it up for now Anyways, thanks for the help! Maybe I can ask for your assistance when I get into the harder stuff heh

Just to mention, T3DLib was written by Glenn M Lewis.

Maybe I can ask for your assistance when I get into the harder stuff heh

No problem

  • Niko