Getting Started with 2d Game Dev (C++): DirectX or OpenGL?

Posted by Dfowj on Game Development See other posts from Game Development or by Dfowj
Published on 2010-08-02T21:04:48Z Indexed on 2013/07/01 23:16 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 341

Filed under:

c++

|

opengl

|

directx

So, i'm a student looking to get my foot in the door of game development and im looking to do something 2D, maybe a tetris/space invaders/something-with-a-little-mouse-interaction clone.

I pointed my searches in the direction of C++ and 2d and was eventually lead to DirectX/OpenGL

Now as i understand it, all these packages will do for me is draw stuff on a screen. And thats all i really care about at this point. Sound isn't necessary. Input can be handled with stdlib probably.

So, for a beginner trying to create a basic game in C++, would you recommend DirectX or OpenGL? Why? What are some key feature differences between the two? Which is more usable?

© Game Development or respective owner

Related posts about c++

Which C++ book shold I get between "C++ Primer" vs "C++ Primer Plus"

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I want to learn C++ by using Vim and MinGW as compiler. I'm interesting at "C++ Primer (4th Edition)" and "C++ Primer Plus (5th Edition)" but I don't know how about it different. It has no book store that I can review those books, so I want to know, what is the different between those book and which… >>> More
C++ : C++ Primer (Stanley Lipmann) or The C++ programming language (special edition)

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I have a Computer Science degree (long2 time ago) .. I do know Java OOP but i am now trying to pick up C++. I do have C and of course data structure using C or pascal. I have started reading Bjarne Stroustrup book (The C++ Programming Language - Special Edition) but find it extremely difficult esp… >>> More
I need help on my C++ assignment using MS Visual C++

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Ok, so I don't want you to do my homework for me, but I'm a little lost with this final assignment and need all the help I can get. Learning about programming is tough enough, but doing it online is next to impossible for me... Now, to get to the program, I am going to paste what I have so far. This… >>> More
Managed c++ std::string not accessible in unmanaged c++

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
In unmanaged c++ dll i have a function which takes constant std::string as argument Prototype : void read ( const std::string &imageSpec_ ) I call this function from managed c++ dll by passing a std::string. When i debug the unmanaged c++ code the parameter imageSpec_ shows the value correctly… >>> More
The Definitive C++ Book Guide and List

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
After more than a few questions about deciding on C++ books I thought we could make a better community wiki version. Providing QUALITY books and an approximate skill level. Maybe we can add a short blurb/description about each book that you have personally read / benefited from. Feel free to debate… >>> More

Related posts about opengl

Unity completely broken after upgrade to 12.10?

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
I am facing a very frustrating issue with my computer right now. I successfully upgraded to Ubuntu 12.10 this afternoon, but after the upgrade, the graphical user interface seems completely broken. To be more specific, I can not get the Unity bar to appear on the right. I have tried many things,… >>> More
OpenGL or OpenGL ES

as seen on Game Development - Search for 'Game Development'
What should I learn? OpenGL 4.1 or OpenGL ES 2.0? I will be developing desktop applications using Qt but I may start developing mobile applications in a few months, too. I don't know anything about 3D, 3D math, etc and I'd rather spend 100 bucks in a good book than 1 week digging websites and going… >>> More
OpenGL extension vs OpenGL core

as seen on Programmers - Search for 'Programmers'
I was doubting: I'm writing a cross-platform engine OpenGL C++, I figured out windows forces the developers to access OpenGL features above 1.1 through extensions. Now the thing is, on Linux, I know that I can directly access functions if the version supports it through glext.h and opengl version… >>> More
OpenGL ES 2/3 vs OpenGL 3 (and 4)

as seen on Game Development - Search for 'Game Development'
I have migrated my code from OpenGL ES 2/3 to OpenGL 3 (I added bunch of defines and abstract classes to encapsulate both versions, so I have both in one project and compile only one or another). All I need to change was context initialization and glClearDepth. I dont have any errors. This was kind… >>> More
LWJGL - Eclipse error [on hold]

as seen on Game Development - Search for 'Game Development'
When I try to run my lwjgl project, an error pops . Here is the log file: # A fatal error has been detected by the Java Runtime Environment: # EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION (0xc0000005) at pc=0x6d8fcc0a, pid=5612, tid=900 # JRE version: 6.0_16-b01 Java VM: Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (14.2-b01 mixed… >>> More