   Help Setting Up Computer
  I just finished reading a beginner's guide to C++. I have bought the 3rd edition of  'Game Coding Complete' from amazon but it hasn't arrived yet.So I thought I would set up my computer so it would be ready to start when the book arrives. 1 problem: I don't really know what I'm doing. I downloaded the folder called '3rdParty' (from this link http://code.google.com/p/gamecode3/ ) which contains all the code for it, but I don't know what do with it.What programs and what setting up do I need to do so I can get started when my book arrives? I currently have visual c++ 2008 installed, but that is it.Any help is greatly appreciated. thank you!ALSO ---not related to the book---, to start creating games on my own (with graphics etc) what programs must I download?I want to program the games with C++.Thank you very much.   
  Most books today will be compatible with VS2008, so in that aspect you should be fine.;  First thing's first, in order to get those 3rd party libraries to work, you need to configure Visual Studio to use them.  I must admit, I've not used bullet, lua or ogg vorbis, but I have used a bit of boost and there's a really nice guide on how to set it up with Windows, directly on the boost site, here.ogg vorbis looks to be the easiest to setup.  So here's how you'd go about doing that:1.  Extract the ogg vorbis files to something like C:\ogg.2.  Start Visual Studio.3.  Go to Tools->Options.4.  Expand Projects and Solutions.5.  Select VC++ Directories.6.  You'll see a dropdown menu in the top-right that says, "Show directories for:".  Change this to Include files.7.  Add a new entry and add C:\ogg\include.8.  Now change the same dropdown to Library files.9.  Add a new entry and add C:\ogg\lib.10. Click OK! :)This is essentially what you need to do to add the support for any libraries in your projects.  The difference being that you need to build some of them before you can add them in.As for the others, I've never set them up so all I can really do is give you some links to the online documentation.  Here's the links:luabulletOnce you think you've installed them correctly, you should build a simple test program just to see if they are installed properly.  You'd need to look at the documentation for that though.As for what you need to create games on your own, are you talking about programs to create graphics (paint programs or modelling programs)?  Or are you talking about the programming libraries you'd need to start?  If it's the latter, I'd concentrate on what you have right now, get those libraries installed and go through the book before you get too far ahead of yourself.  For the former, the Visual Arts forum has some wonderful information.  Here's a program list for 3D and 2D asset creation.Hope that gets you started and I'm sorry I can't be any more help than that.   ;  you may also want to set up symbols for your machine. It helps in the debuginng   ;  Thank you very much Seymour for your help.I don't really know what I meant when I said programs. But I meant things like DirectX. Do you not need to use these programs to generate the graphics? I think they use directx in my book. I started downloading the DirectX 10 SDK.I just don't really know what everything does. =`/   ;  Yeah, DirectX, OpenGL and other graphics libraries are used to create graphics.  It's easy to get too carried away and want to jump straight into the graphics side-of-things as early as possible, but believe me, make sure you've got your head around the fundamentals of C++ first.About 18 months ago, I made the mistake of trying to jump into using DirectX way too soon and it led to confusion, frustration and ultimately, a lack of self-motivation.  Once I adjusted my thinking and re-visited C++ to solidify the foundations, it's been much easier since.  Incidentally, I created a small text-based RPG to sharpen my C++ skills and that's covered me enough to jump in on other projects.The one thing that can be tough on the gamedev forums is seeing other people making so many different, wonderful things and it can make you feel like you're part of an "arms race" in terms of self-development.  If there's one thing I wish I would've told myself, and listened to before making the RPG, it would've been, "take your time".  If things feel a little confusing now, adding DirectX or OpenGL into the mix, is going to open a can of worms.Get comfortable first, then start broadening you horizons. :)   ;  OK, I'll take it easy. Besides I'll have my book to guide me if I get stuck and these forums and the internet.I see your point, but I can't bear console programs any longer so I need to do something with images in or anything other than the console.   ;  That's fair enough, they can be a bit hard to stomach.  I'll just plug this thread (ASCII "graphics" within console development) before suggesting SDL if you really want to start graphics development.  SDL is a graphics library but hides some of the complexity that DirectX and OpenGL would expose.  It's very popular and there's a lot of folk here that use it.  Having said that, you could look into using SFML. I don't know how many people are using it but taken directly from their site:Quote:SFML is a portable and easy to use multimedia API written in C++. You can see it as a modern, object-oriented alternative to SDL.The main thing is that you can stay motivated and feel as if you're progressing.  Lack of progression tends to play a part in how motivated you are to accomplish something.   ;  The problem with Game Coding Complete, is that it doesn't teach DirectX IIRC.   