PocketMatrix

If you are starting from scratch you need a PC, a PocketPC (you can exist without this for a while & use an emulator or PC build to test) and Microsoft's free Embedded Visual C++ software. If you happened to have Visual C++ 6 then you can do most development on desktop without a PPC. See this link


If you are just beginning I suggest using one of the 2 popular game development toolkits, PocketFrog or GapiDraw. In my opinion PF has more functionality & is easier to use while GapiDraw is more organised & has wider platform support. Suit yourself as they will both help you create fast games.

As well as this site which is PPC specific you should visit www.gamedev.net which is one of the best dev sites out on the web.

Happy coding

I think I'll chime in on the book recommendations;

After reading an intro. to C++ book, read this;

- Code Complete by Steve McConnell

After reading that book - which should hopefully improve your code in a generalized fasion - you'll need to improve your C++ code;

- Effective C++: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your Programs and Design (2nd Edition) by Scott Meyers

And finally, you must learn what it means to "program to an interface, not an implimentation";

- Design Patterns by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides

Inbetween all of these, you'll need a good book on data structures. Unfortunately I have no recommendations for such a book.

These books, combined with the group knowledge located on these forums and www.gamedev.net, should get you well on your way.

Hehe, good post man. I have to agree about the necessity to think "like a man-made machine" (as long as you don't completely turn into one - might not be so good for the real world, whether human relationships or your spiritual walk), and I really learned a lot from my early days writing little programs in GWBASIC.

I didn't do the ASSEMBLY thing, but I can see the benefit of understanding the real work that the hardware is doing underneath, especially since performance remains an important factor for a lot of games.

Data structures have never been that hugely important to me - I mean, I can use them if I feel the need for extra efficiency, but more important is to understand the way code flows. At the lowest level, that's your loops (for, while) and your conditionals (if...then). Then your functions and subroutines, and in the OO model, your classes and interfaces.

OO makes such a big difference to my development. Without it, I find I must rely on a huge amount of commenting or I'll completely lose track of where I'm at.

Nathan

I agree with all the posts;

Always remember GRMoore's post : Keep the word 'FUN' in mind.

In addition:

Read Books
Read Magazines
Be Attentive
Be Curious
Be Patient
Be Artistic

and

here's my favorite quote from a game programmer

"...there are many less honorable jobs than making other people SMILE with our programs."

- I've read this in one of the graphics source codes I downloaded from the internet 10+yrs ago. And this inspired me to study game development

Goodluck.