Anyone want to make a few tutorials ?

[plenderj]

I'd like to have a tutorials page for Games&Graphics stuff in here.

Ideally, someone would be appointed to create the thread, and then deal with all submissions and what not themselves.
Once you feel that you have enough material put together, then the thread would be made sticky.

Would anyone be interested in this ?

[Professor29]

I would like to see this too, but I have no clue how to use DirectX or any other 3D Engine, so I couldn't help.

[Zaei]

I think that I could write a few, depending on what you guys are looking for. Let me know, and Ill tell you what I can do =).

Z.

[Professor29]

Anything with DirectX and game programming, that's what I would like to see.

[Zaei]

Originally posted by Professor29
Anything with DirectX and game programming, that's what I would like to see.

Doesnt tell me much =).

Z.

[Professor29]

I would like to see some tutorials on how to build simple games, how to use DirectX, and how to use the Windows API, along with defenitions of each.

[Zaei]

I refuse to write a book =). I need specifics (ie, how do I create my own file format, creating an ingame GUI, etc).

Z.

[Professor29]

I didn't ask you to write a book, I just wanted an example file of how to use DirectX or Windows API for a simple game that would have comments before the confusing areas. Sorry for making you misunderstand what I meant.

[Zaei]

Those are already availible, if you take a look on google. I dont want to simply repeat the work of others =).

Z.

[Professor29]

What should I search for on Google?

This may seem stupid, but I like to know exactly what to do before I begin something.

[Zaei]

Well, if you are just looking for DX, http://www.directx4vb.com/

Z.

[Professor29]

Thanx, but I think that our "conversation" might have gotten a little off topic.

[MoMad]

This has been done before, search this forum for a post by started by me (i forgot the title, but search for tutorial and started by momad)... and try to use that as a starting point.

[Sastraxi]

I know all sorts of tips and tricks for API Graphics, I don't really want to write anything up but if someone else does, I'll gladly give all the code...

[ice_531]

lazy eh

well i dont kno much about direct x or any graphics and game programming, but i'd sure read a tutorial or two and try to learn a bit

[Zaei]

For DIrectX Tutorials go to http://www.directx4vb.com . I refuse to write a tutorial on triangles =).

Z.

[Sastraxi]

Here's something to start us off, would be a good thing to know for a vector drawing program:

Private Function ScalePoints(ByRef Pts() As PointAPI, ByRef RectSize As RECT, ByVal CentreX As Double, ByVal CentreY As Double, ByVal ScaleX As Double, ByVal ScaleY As Double)
Dim rWidth, rHeight
Dim cX, cY
Dim cTop, cLeft
Dim I As Long
 
    rWidth = RectSize.Right - RectSize.Left
    rHeight = RectSize.Bottom - RectSize.Top
    rWidth = rWidth * ScaleX
    rHeight = rHeight * ScaleY
 
    cX = RectSize.Left + (CentreX * (RectSize.Right - RectSize.Left))
    cY = RectSize.Top + (CentreY * (RectSize.Bottom - RectSize.Top))
 
    cLeft = cX - (rWidth / 2)
    cTop = cY - (rHeight / 2) 
 
    For I = LBound(Pts) To UBound(Pts)
        Pts(I).X = Pts(I).X - RectSize.Left
        Pts(I).Y = Pts(I).Y - RectSize.Top
 
        Pts(I).X = Round(Pts(I).X * ScaleX)
        Pts(I).Y = Round(Pts(I).Y * ScaleY)
 
        Pts(I).X = cLeft + Pts(I).X
        Pts(I).Y = cTop + Pts(I).Y
    Next I
 
    RectSize.Left = cLeft
    RectSize.Top = cTop
    RectSize.Right = cLeft + rWidth
    RectSize.Bottom = cTop + rHeight
 
End Function

[plenderj]

Good morning peeps
Cheers for that code Sastraxi.


We're all able to write small snippets and what not, and perhaps, with permission from directx4vb.com, for tutorials we could link straight into some of their pages ?

So that then would mean that us lot would just come up with a few code snippets etc.
I made a few for BitBlt, StretchBlt, Set+GetPixel etc.

I'm sure some of you have some common routines that you could write just a few words about ?

[Sastraxi]

How about a flexible game loop?

Public RunCode As Boolean
Public Const gameRate As Long = 20 '50 ticks/second, 20ms per tick
...
...
...
Dim iDelta As Double
Dim iStart As Long: iFinish As Long
 
RunCode = True 
iStart = GetTickCount
 
Do
    iFinish = GetTickCount
    iDelta = (iFinish - iStart) / gameRate
    iStart = GetTickCount
        GameLogic iDelta 'Update the game logic (ex. player movements) with the Delta (ex. if it took 10 ms, this would be 0.5 showing half a frame).
Loop Until RunCode = False

[MoMad]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, HScrolls!!

[Sastraxi]

That's the price you pay

[Zaei]

Sas, use a while loop =). That way, if initialization fails, the game simply quits out with no extra logic on your part =).

Z.

[MoMad]

I got code but its not vb

[Sastraxi]

Yeah, I thought about that... The only reason is there's this site that states that While...Wend loops are slower than conventional loops... if that's the case I don't want to use 'em.

[MoMad]

Slow as in "more ticks" but not as in "human-seeable".. also, this slow you talk of is much faster than the assignment ops in vb

[Zaei]

Its VB =).

Though with the extra logic, it would probably even out...

Z.

[Zaei]

I was right =)

While..Wend - 1mil: 0.2421875
Do..Loop Until - 1mil: 0.1953125
Do..Loop While - 1mil: 0.203125
Do..Loop Until - 1mil - Extra Logic: 0.359375
Do..Loop While - 1mil - Extra Logic: 0.3828125

Extra Logic simply means that there is a single If statement (empty, never actually executes the internal code) within the loop.

Z.

[MoMad]

wow, but how did we end up so OT!!

[Zaei]

This works as tutorial =).

Z.

[Sastraxi]

It really doesn't matter... if the Init fails why do we need to EXIT quickly?

[Dude1]

So, does anyone know how to make your own file format? Is there a way to build on the windows .bmp format, except make your file not able to open with any bitmap viewer except your own code? Like they do to textures in most games so people wouldn't change the textures however they wanted.??!?

[Zaei]

Ah, now THAT is a tutorial request =). Whos up for some writing?

Z.

[MoMad]

I made something similar (in C++ using zlib to compress). I think I posted it on the C++ forums here but im not sure.

[MoMad]

BTW: Check Lucky's VB Site

[Sastraxi]

PNG is open-sourced, correct? If that is the case, I would suggest that format for its power and open-sourcedness If you simply expanded its code and changed it around, it could easily become "your own format".

[Zaei]

Alrighty, Ill offer to write a quickie on the theory behind a scene graph, if anyone is interested.

Z.

[MoMad]

Originally posted by Sastraxi
PNG is open-sourced, correct? If that is the case, I would suggest that format for its power and open-sourcedness If you simply expanded its code and changed it around, it could easily become "your own format".

Yes PNG is open source but have you took a look at it?? There is some crazy stuff going on, and it uses the zlib. That png is not easy to "use" much less "modify"!! There is simply waaaayyyy too much "features" in PNG that no windows PNG viewer that I know supports 100%!!!

I would suggest using the BMP format but simply make your own BITMAP_*_HEADER's and then compress the actual data using zlib.

If you want to see what I did with this, its open source, here it is:

[MoMad]

And here is the exe (for those of you who want to peek at it):

[Sastraxi]

Well I dont mean modify the actual DATA, modify the header. If you mess up the order, you can make it so only you can view it.

And concerning bitmaps... how about this. Use zLib to compress a full bitmap inside another file. Then, make your own header with the zLib info. Easy and small, no?

[edit]HAHA, I didn't even read the 'meat' of your post and I said the same thing, hehe

[Dude1]

Can someone shed some light here for me? What is zLib? Where can I get it and how do I use it? I never heard of a zLib before

Thanks