Hey guys,
I decided i'd start this thread, becasue maybe some of you would like to program your own games. I have listed several excellent resources for doing so with the c++ programming language, which is what i use, and most other commercial games do.
First off, you'll need a compiler. Dev c++ is an excellent free compiler, made by bloodshed software:
http://www.bloodshed.net/download.htmlOnce you have that, you'll obviously want to learn to program. You can read tutorials online, which can be very useful, but i reccomend these two books, which got me started - 1) Idoits guide to c++ 2) Beginning C++ Game programming. As for free online tutorials, cprogramming.com has a good selection of tutorials:
http://www.cprogramming.com/tutorial.htmlOnce you've mastered that, and it won't take quite as long as you think, you'll want to learn about OpenGL. NeHe ( Short for Neon Helium ) is a site with many OpenGL tutorials, and they are explained so well, that even a 3 year old would get it:
http://nehe.gamedev.net/You will need to be able to make 3d models if you want to make 3d games
So i suggest either blender3d or milkshape3d. Blender is free - milkshape is 25$, but more than worth the price. It can export many popular 3d model formats, like .md2, .bsp, .skn, etc.
http://blender.org/cms/Home.2.0.htmlhttp://www.swissquake.ch/chumbalum-soft/Now, you will probably want a good engine. You can make your own, but if you're making your first 3d game, you will probably want one that's already made. Irrlicht is one of the best free 3d engines out there. It works with OpenGL and DirectX, and loads tons of different types of 3d and image formats.
http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net/index.htmlI hope this was useful to anyone wanting to make computer games
Mike