New at programing

[cyprod]

I'm not going to recommend a language but I am going to say this. First, Windows in natoriously difficult to program on, get a Linux box. Second, I'd recommend not starting off with a language that requires includes to do anything. Third, to those who recommend C#, need I remind you that it's Microsofts version of Java, it's slow and memory hungry, and as such, nobody uses it for anything serious, but then again, maybe I just work in telecom and view it simply as not an option. Fourth, look at scripting languages to start, that's what I learned in. Something like BASIC, shell scripting, one of the big Ps (perl, python, PHP), tcl, something like that. After that I'd recommend learning C, though C is extremely powerful, it's very simple if you don't want to do anything complicated. After that I'd learn C++ and by that point you've learned all programming styles and learning anything else is trivial. Well, except for Assembly, but you'll never use that. Might be good to learn for historical perspective, but you won't use it.

[[deXter]]

Every programming language has it's own strengths. You shouldn't learn a language just because it's easy or powerful. You should choose a language based on the task you want to perform, your target platform and the ease of use/comfort.

For a beginner, It's highly recommended to start off with one of the C languages. It's not as difficult as some people would want you to believe. It's a very good language to learn the basics of programming. Once you're mastered the basics C++ and you're able to make simple to useful programs on your own, you could consider moving onto C#.

There are way too many advantages for learning C++ for it to be ignored.

VB isn't a good platform for gaming, and neither for understanding the concepts of programming - but it's good if you want to quickly make a program- especially if it requires a GUI.

Python and other scripting languages are very simple and easy to learn, but aren't as powerful as C- you can't make full-fledged games, for starters. Also, scripting languages don't work the same way as programming languages, so you'll be missing out on a lot of basic concepts like what is compilation etc.

BASIC - well, there's really no point in learning BASIC. It no longer has any utility.

Java is good for multi-platform development. One code will work in all computers. You don't have to worry about many things like garbage collection. But once again, it isn't as powerful as C and isn't meant for making full-fledged games.

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If you have any doubt at all that the C languages should be the language of your choice, take a look at this poll:

http://www.gamedev.net/gdpolls/viewpoll.asp?ID=450

Check out this site for a good guide on where to begin, with a full overview on how to go about things. GameDev.net is an entire site dedicated to game development with very useful tutorials and links. Definately bookmark this site!

I highly recommend that you use the free Visual Studio Express Edition to start programming in C++. If you're looking for something light and fast, you could also try Code::Blocks.

Finally, don't forget to bookmark the MSDN Library!

Edited May 17, 2007 by [deXter]