3D Game Programming in 2010 - Where to begin again?

Question

I dabbled in some game programming a few years back. I got up to using Windows Xp, C++, Ogre3d, Visual Studio, and Blender. I started to make an RTS but then real life happened.

Anyway, I'm looking to get back into it and I am wondering if there are any worthy alternatives to C++, now that Ruby,Python, and C# have become popular.

Is C++ still the preferred language?

I'm running Ubuntu now so I'd have to use some Ubuntu C++ IDE, C++, and Ogre3d.

Anyone used Ogre3d and moved onto something else?

Edit

Goals: Just hobby based 3d programming on the PC

• I'm running Ubuntu at the moment but will move to Win7 someday
• I imagine a simple game like Startopia
• I know a bit about physics engines and sound and I've plugged Ogre3d components together before

So far I've seen that Ogre3d is still widely used. Might look into python and http://www.panda3d.org/

Cheers.

Reeba

I've used Ogre for some small project and it seemed to be like the best way to go. I believe that it's one of the best free graphical game engine available. – Salmon

It's 2010! You have to specify a platform on which the 3D games should run--PC, XBox, iPhone/Android, web browser? – Dragoman

I'll edit my q now and add some specific details. Its mainly hobby oriented and so just for the PC. – Reeba

The last I read, Managed DirectX is depreciated and has been superseded by XNA. I'd definitely give that a shot if you want a highly object-oriented 3D API. – Floater

This should go to gamedev.stackexchange.com – Juryman

Answer 1

If you like to make games and not just spend all your time working on a feature of your game engine, I recommend you take a look at Unity 3D.

Features:

• Game engine (not just a rendering engine)
• Script in C#, or JavaScript (modified), or Python, or Boo
• Awsome editor
• Game can be deployed on: Linux/Windows/Mac/Android/iPhone/iPad/Xbox (and always extending)
• Web player to play games in browser (after installing a tiny plugin)
• Proven with great commercial games

Juryman

The "Javascript" in Unity kind of looks like Javascript at first, but it's nothing like it. It has C++:ish classes with inheritance and static typing with inference but no lambdas/closures. – Fleury

Answer 2

Having experience with ogre3d is not enough to make a game like startopia as a hobby project. Have you done a finished game before? Here's a post I found interesting: http://greyaliengames.com/blog/the-6-steps-to-massive-game-development-success/ IMHO, you should go making 3D games like this at stage 4. And also depends on whether your hobby is in engineering or making games? If engineering, using ogre3d would make you learn better engineering skills. Otherwise, trying to learn how to use an engine like Unity 3D, Torque or UDK would be better.

Inglenook

Answer 3

Everyone mentioned Ogre3D, which is good, but you could also look into Irrlicht: http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/features.html

it's main advantage (at least to my knowledge) against Ogre3D is that it's more simple, in design and use.

Esthonia

I chose Ogre3d over Irrlicht purely for personal taste reasons. But I still think Irrlicht is worth looking at. Not sure about the simpler part of your comment though, I think Ogre3d is very well designed. – Predicant

Answer 4

Ogre3d is a fantastic graphics API that is great if you don't want to delve into some crap OpenGL or DirectX shader code for shadows and lighting and alpha ordering etc, but also don't want a true game engine with sound, networking, etc; it's only graphics.

I prefer Ogre3D to Irrlicht over the structure of the API, but it's entirely personal preference.

I might take some flak for saying this, but Java isn't a bad language if you are programming a simple game engine, Java and C++ are getting on pretty equal terms as far as speed nowadays. C++ gives you a lot of low level access to make small optimizations that if you are experienced enough with, you can get some good performance gains. But optimization is a huge broad topic, especially with game engines.

Typically the average game programmer isn't going to dive into serious low level optimizations with their engines, but large game companies do.

Ashcan

Answer 5

C++ and Ogre are still a viable combination. On the other hand, MICROSOFT wants you to use C# and their XNA framework, and you always want to obey MICROSOFT... oh, wait, anybody know if XNA works with VS 2010 yet? It didn't, when I looked.

Amoreta

Downvote for the unnecessary amount of negativity, which does not add at all to the answer. If it was meant to be humoristic, I missed it. – Melvinmelvina