   some beginner questions
  So I'm learning sdl using C++ now but i have some questions regarding game development.1.)Even though i will continue to use SDL just to learn is this what professionals use? what do professionals use?2.)Does SDL have "layers" for example can i put x picture over lapping y picture? or do i need openGL for that?3.)Best place or book to learn sdl and openGL?  right now im using lazyfoo.net and Cone3D4.)After SDL what other things do i need to learn? physics? AI? etc.. and again what would the beginner choose to learn and what would the professional use?If you can answer all answer what you can.  thanks in advance. :)   
Quote:1.)Even though i will continue to use SDL just to learn is this what professionals use? what do professionals use?Some professionals have used SDL, see here. If you're talking about AAA PC games, most development houses will use DirectX or OpenGL, or they will license an engine for their particular needs.For web and phone games, Java and Flash are popular choices.Quote:2.)Does SDL have "layers" for example can i put x picture over lapping y picture? or do i need openGL for that?You can do this. Just draw an image, and then draw another image at coordinates where it overlaps.Quote:3.)Best place or book to learn sdl and openGL?  right now im using lazyfoo.net and Cone3DBest if I leave this to someone more familiar with SDL and OpenGL to answer. The SDL documentation is probably a good start. I think Cone3D is a little dated?Quote:4.)After SDL what other things do i need to learn? physics? AI? etc.. and again what would the beginner choose to learn and what would the professional use?Up to you. There are a multitude of SDKs and libraries for tasks like physics, sound, and everything else you might need. I'd say just pick one which does what you need and learn it.Hope that helps.   ;  First off, don't base your decisions on "what the professionals use". Professionals live under constraints too, they may use library X over library Y due to licensing issues, because of oddities in the platform/toolchain they are working on, or because their legacy code uses it and it doesn't make financial sense to re-write working code.Remember: you are not stuck with what you learn now. Just because you start with a particular technology doesn't tie you to it, a competent developer will become comfortable working with a wide variety of libraries and APIs.With that in mind:1) Professionals have used SDL, but usually only when porting to Linux. I believe both Unreal 2004 and Doom 3 used SDL in their Linux ports.2) SDL has no internal concept of layers, but its fairly easy to implement yourself.3) Lazy Foo's tutorials are far more up to date that Cone3D. I would also recommend looking up the functions you use in the SDL documentation wiki, and also look for potentially useful functions that some tutorials won't cover.4) Whatever you need for your game!   ;  i dont plan on making a decision based what professionals use I just wanna know what libraries/APIs are the most powerful.  Also thanks for your answers guys   ;Quote:Original post by chrisx16x2008i dont plan on making a decision based what professionals use I just wanna know what libraries/APIs are the most powerful.  Also thanks for your answers guysWell, the term "powerful" isn't well defined here. Usually, there isn't a clear cut choice, there are trade-offs in choosing between two good technologies. There is almost never a "best" choice.   ;  now i have a problem i have some SDL code and it worked fine for bmp images but now im trying png images and it just flashes the window and closes?   ;  Are you using the SDL_Image library?   ;  For learning OpenGL I really recommend geting hold of the red book and just reading it through. There's a lot of tutorials out there, but they often seem to encourage a quick and dirty approach which can help you get things working but doesn't develop understanding as much as it could.;  yea im using SDL_image   ;  Hmm. Can you post the code?   