C/C++ Tutorials or Books

[IceColdDuke]

Originally Posted by Bad Sector

This looks more like a brain-dump of the programmer who wrote it than something that actually does anything more efficient (practically) :-P.

John Carmack wrote that :P.

[Delicieuxz]

Originally Posted by IceColdDuke

Lets look at a practical example in the idTech3 code, in tr_bsp.c under the ParseFace function:

sfaceSize = ( int ) &((srfSurfaceFace_t *)0)->points[numPoints];

College kids would look at that and go wtf? But people that look at practical examples and build there knowlage off of that know exactlly what that line does...we might cringe at it, but we know how to read highlly optimized code.

What does that code do?

[IceColdDuke]

Originally Posted by Delicieuxz

What does that code do?

It gives u the size of a structure * numpoints, its a really unsafe way of doing it tho...

[Bad Sector]

Originally Posted by IceColdDuke

John Carmack wrote that :P.

Then its even more likely to be a brain-dump :-P.

(with brain-dump i mean that kind of code that when you write it makes absolutely sense because it is exactly what you have in your mind and it DOES work but when you or someone else see it later you'll think that you would have written in another way - but since it doesn't hurt, you leave it alone)

The problem with brain-dumps is that in most cases other people don't understand them because they're "dumps" of your brain state :-P. If thats not an issue, they're usually pretty harmless.

[Delicieuxz]

Originally Posted by AllAmericanJBert

I would really appreciate if someone could point out some good tutorials or books on how to program in C/C++ (preferably C)


-AllAmericanJBert

I have a C++ book (that's slightly outdated), and I've been watching the video tutorials on programmingvideotutorials and 3D Buzz, and the 3D Buzz tutorials have been immensely helpful and coherent. It's especially beneficial when reading a chapter in my C++ book and then watching the video tutorial going over the same thing, it really results in me understanding and the information sticking.

You can watch the whole first 3 volumes of Buzz 3D's C++ tutorials for free on their website from this page. That's over 8 hours of tutorials, by the end of which you will have created a sprite based game. I think it's an amazing resource.

[AllAmericanJBert]

Originally Posted by Delicieuxz

I have a C++ book (that's slightly outdated), and I've been watching the video tutorials on programmingvideotutorials and 3D Buzz, and the 3D Buzz tutorials have been immensely helpful and coherent. It's especially beneficial when reading a chapter in my C++ book and then watching the video tutorial going over the same thing, it really results in me understanding and the information sticking.

You can watch the whole first 3 volumes of Buzz 3D's C++ tutorials for free on their website from this page. That's over 8 hours of tutorials, by the end of which you will have created a sprite based game. I think it's an amazing resource.

Thanks, I'm going to check those sites out right now!!!

[Delicieuxz]

My advice, programmingvideotutorials (which I bought a month-long subscription for) is worth bypassing. It's too much information being shot out in a steady jet-stream without appropriate explanation. I couldn't follow it myself, and could only partially grasp what was being talked about after going over it thoroughly in my C++ book. 3D Buzz is a whole different story. I've been going well past where I'm at in my C++ book, and I'm having absolutely no trouble following along. Major props to the 3D Buzz videos.

If the 3D Buzz tutorials continue to be as easy to follow, I think it's a guarantee that I'll pay the $100 for the complete series on DVD once I've exhausted the 3 free volumes. I've also found those 3 volumes for download via torrent, and having them downloaded can make it easier to skip back and forth through them on the fly since you don't have to wait for buffering of the videos.

[Delicieuxz]

AllAmericanJBert, how's the C++ going? I wanted to amend my previous statement that programmingvideotutorials is worth bypassing, because I've found it to be an absolutely excellent recap of information learned from the other sources. That it hits you with so much so fast is why it's not the best for your primary learning source, but it's also the reason why it's the absolute best recap/quick reference source I know of. It also contains information that isn't present in the other sources I've used. It seems to be thorough in content, but just not in explanation of the implementation of that content.

[peoplessi]

Impossible to recommend a site that hasn't got any examples/free videos available. Talking about programmingvideotutorials. I wouldn't really spend $10 on that.

[Delicieuxz]

They do have sample videos available, and $10 lets you download everything on the site.