i'm using visualc++ 6 in a different way again...
there is a tutorial somewhere (i will find it later) that shows you how to set up a tool icon that invokes gcc, and the build output even appears in the visualc output window at the bottom!
unfortunately you can't click on the warnings/errors and immediately jump to the corresponding line of code. (this is only because they are not formatted the same as the visualc compiler outputs, so maybe it is possible to make gcc output compatible errors?) <_<
another problem is that you still have to edit your own MakeFiles, anyone can tell you, Makefiles are a pain in the arse! :angry:
i also have a batch file for deleting object files to make sure everything gets rebuilt properly.
next is the clever bit?... :huh:
i actually use project files that are compatible with the visualc gamepark sdk, as you may know this is pretty useless as it only compiles win32 compatible files which it runs in a little gamepark skinned window.
but there are several good reasons for using the win32 sdk, 1stly errors are formatted a lot nicer so they are easy to spot and click on to immediately be sent to the offending line.
the other big plus is that you can use visualc's debugger and set breakpoints, inspect variables etc., all the comforts which professional developers rely on a day to day basis. (a word of warning: i use XP and when skipping too many breakpoints my whole PC has locked up many times while debugging. I suspect dodgey coding by gamepark staff is the cause of this.)
you also don't have to worry about MakeFiles, but of course you do when you want your game/app to run on a real gamepark!
and this is where the problem lies ... often you will have something that compiles/runs fine as a win32 build, but when you come to try and make a fxe using gcc it can be a whole different story! weird compile bugs you did not have before or strange graphical glitches when ran on real hardware.
so as you can see, switching between platforms is not necessary a good idea, but you do get the debugging benefits. another thing you need to think about is that visualc will not compile ARM9 assembley so any assembler will have to be #ifndef out of the windows build.
visualc 6 is a good thing to have as you can learn c from windows tutorials too, (not that crappy c# nonsense), SDL or allegro may also be worth looking into, tho i've never used them myself.
for newbie programmers a demo of something like BlitzBasic is worth a download as it is much easier to get into than c/c++, which you can always pick up later when you get more confident.
the following is in no way directed at kjun...
people come on here and whine that they can't program and nobody has written any decent tutorials, but then they go on to say that they are going to make the most amazing game the gp32 community has ever seen!
but when someone offers them help and points them in the right direction they just whine again because it wasn't what they were expecting!
everyone has had to start with a program that prints "Hello World" on the screen and build from there... nobody said gamepark development was going to be easy, my advice is to grow up and search the forums, find the tutorials, and learn to program, i suspect it will be a rather humbling process. :lol:
