Hi,

I'd like to know if anybody here knows of a really good book for cross-platform(as in i'd like it to run in OS X, Linux, MS Windows) game making? 2D not 3D. Very easy book for a game making newbie like For Dummies book...but not just for Windows. I bought two game programming books but they both are for MSWindows only.

Also in this sticky http://www.idevgames.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11896

Quote:a) Xcode

This is the IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for developing apps in Mac OS X. You can write things in C, C++, Objective C, Objective C++, Java and even AppleScript.
The IDE is quite good and has integration with SCM (Source Control Management) systems, like CVS, SVN, ...
Xcode is currently the only tool that allows you to create Universal Binaries (ie apps that work on both PowerPC and Intel CPU's).

I know it's old but that is incorrect now, because the IDE I use also makes Universal Binaries and I don't use Xcode...

From what I've read a bit I guess I should be looking for an easy to learn OpenGL book? If I do learn OpenGL and make a game with it does my game have to be GPL or do i have to give my source code and make it Open Source? because I'm using OpenGL? what about SDL? If I used SDL in a game would I have to make my game Open Source then?

Also, i use C++ so I'd like a recommendation on an easy to read game making book please that doesn't use high level math (so no 3D) thanks

added: I know this maybe isn't the right place to ask about games that work in other than Mac but I don't know of any better places. I used to ask on gamedev but they are rude and are mainly MS Windows. There are no good cross-platform newbie forums so I bounce between linux forums, mac forums, windows forums

*sigh* i use Linux, OS X, AND Win. ...

and the two game books I have are Teach Yourself Game Programming in 24 hrs. and Beginning Game Programming. (both are by the same author and both are based on Win32 only). I want to make games on Mac and Linux too...

mac_girl Wrote:If I do learn OpenGL and make a game with it does my game have to be GPL or do i have to give my source code and make it Open Source? because I'm using OpenGL?

Nope. No such license restrictions exist for use of OpenGL.

mac_girl Wrote:what about SDL? If I used SDL in a game would I have to make my game Open Source then?

As I recall, as long as you dynamically link to the SDL framework, you don't have to GPL/open source your game. Other forum members who actually use SDL can probably tell you more...

mac_girl Wrote:I know this maybe isn't the right place to ask about games that work in other than Mac but I don't know of any better places...

Don't worry, it is perfectly acceptable to ask about cross-platform development here if one of those platforms includes the Mac.

SDL is very popular around here for cross-platform development. Unfortunately, I know of no cross-platform game development books that include the Mac. My guess is that if you have a Windows box available, you'd probably find it easier to develop with SDL/OpenGL there primarily and port to the Mac and Linux secondarily.

mac_girl Wrote:If I used SDL in a game would I have to make my game Open Source then?

ThemsAllTook Wrote:As I recall, as long as you dynamically link to the SDL framework, you don't have to GPL/open source your game. Other forum members who actually use SDL can probably tell you more...

That is correct, SDL is released under the LGPL, so (to paraphrase the license) as long as another user is able to replace the SDL library with modified versions of the SDL library (i.e. you dynamically link to the SDL library), you don't have to release the source to your game; hence, one of the versions of Unreal Tournament uses SDL...

Neither do you have to release the source to your game if you use OpenGL (or pretty much every major game on the Mac would have had to release its source by now...)

mac_girl Wrote:I know it's old but that is incorrect now, because the IDE I use also makes Universal Binaries and I don't use Xcode...

It was always lying; Xcode just uses the standard command-line build tools, so those of us who hate Xcode never needed to use it.

If I were you I'd be looking into SDL and OpenGL. That'll give you fast drawing and easy window setup on all your target platforms.

In a shameless plug for myself, I'm working on a cross-platform window setup and events layer, like a very lightweight SDL, called GameShell. You can look at the source here: http://onesadcookie.com/trac/browser/GameShell or grab it from svn with "svn co http://onesadcookie.com/svn/repos/GameShell", but it's in a state of various different things working or not on various different platforms, currently. My game Outnumbered ( http://onesadcookie.com/Software ) used an older version.

mac_girl Wrote:I'd like to know if anybody here knows of a really good book for cross-platform(as in i'd like it to run in OS X, Linux, MS Windows) game making? 2D not 3D. Very easy book for a game making newbie like For Dummies book...but not just for Windows.

I am working on the book you're looking for. It uses SDL and OpenGL to create cross-platform games. I have some code samples at the book's site.

Mark: that's awesome. If so, you don't happen to know of a way of making SDL toggle fullscreen without destroying the context?

I don't know of any way to portably toggle fullscreen without destroying the context. It is a weakness in the current SDL implementation.

Which is why I have a version right here that uses shared contexts to preserve it. I have both Mac and Windows binaries available along with the source.

Consider getting/buying a 2d cross platform game library instead so you can spend your valuable time on your game and not on figuring out all the many messy details of cross platform game development. Some suggestions of libraries that have been used for many cross platform 2d games:

http://www.phelios.com/ptk/ (Mac/Win) $230 (or free for freeware!)
http://www.garagegames.com/products/torque/tgb/ (Mac/Win - Linux sorta) $100 - 1200
http://libsdl.org/ (Mac/Win/Linix) free
http://alleg.sourceforge.net/ (Mac/Win/Linix) free
http://clanlib.org/ (Mac/Win/Linix) free

Most of those have lots of tutorials, documentation, example code, and forums to ask questions on.

codemattic Wrote:Some suggestions of libraries that have been used for many cross platform 2d games:

There is a link to the Novashell engine on the news page of idevgames.com...

I tried out novashell it seems weird and it's hard to understand. Also, I accidentally deleted my main world files and so now I'd have to reinstall everything? Too buggy to me...

I just ordered Focus on SDL from amazon.com last night so i hope it will show me SDL basics ^_^ can't wait!

edit: and I just ordered this too Learn C++ by Making Games I saw it recommended on libsdl.org