Question

[PKDemon]

i am wanting to get into game programming and i dont know what would be the easiest to do

i know some php/mysql

i know vb6

i know some vb.net

and i was wanting to know what people would suggest for me to use

[Perry]

It really depends on what type of game you want to build, but if you already know some PHP and mysql, then you would probably get a lot out of halls tutorials on how to make an mmorpg. Here is a link to them: http://indie-resource.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=33

What type of game were you trying to make? There are a ton of options depending on the game you want to make.

[Corinthius]

What is easier to do you ask?
- A language you feel comfortable with, feel good about coding in and most of all a language you're confident with.
As the poster above stated, it depends on what kind of game you're looking to make but if you're into building browser games, like a lot of us here, then you'll probably want to stick with PHP and MYSQL, not only is it free but there are a lot of support boards, development communities and many people who are willing to help you with it too.

If you're looking to do it for a job, as in working for someone else, then you'll probably want to go learn Java as it pays a lot more by average.

Corinthius~

[PKDemon]

another thing i was wanting to ask about if i was to use the php would it be possible to make it using like a flat file system instead of a mysql DB

[Jackolantern]

You could, but that would limit your player size. Flat files are orders of magnitude slower and less efficient than relational databases (aka MySQL or PostgreSQL). Really, writing SQL queries is going to be easier than all of the string manipulation code you will have to write to read and write from a flat file once you get the hang of SQL.

[PKDemon]

i downloaded an ebook for php gaming i am reading it to lean more on it and hope i will be able to make a little game after i get done reading the book

[Jackolantern]

If it is the book I think it is (the only PHP game development book), it is not very good. I would suggest going through Halls' tutorials and learning the style from there. For some reason the only multiplayer game discussion in the book uses sockets...and not websockets

[PKDemon]

yeah that is the book and i started reading it and didnt like it so i might just start watching all the vids and see what i can learn

[Jackolantern]

Yeah, I don't know what that author was thinking. But the good thing is that browser-based game making with PHP is not that different from making standard websites. It isn't as foreign as, say, business C++ applications and C++ games, which are so incredibly different that there is little bleed-over. You still use links, you use databases, HTML form elements, Javascript effects, AJAX, etc. So just supplementing some traditional PHP development texts with the tutorials here should do you fine.

[PKDemon]

i guess i am gonna try to watch all the videos and see if i can come up with my own little mmo