Roguelike Dev Environment Questions

[mwoody]

Hey folks, just a couple quick questions re: development environments
and libraries for a pet project of mine, if you have a moment. I've
experience programming in C/C++, but it's been nearly a decade since
I've been active, so it will take some relearning and I'll need a new
IDE.

My requirements:
- Single programmer on the project, me
- Not terribly interested in too many extra features better directed
at enterprise users
- Need decent in-engine reference for the language
- Would like the code to maintain portability, possibly with some
work (Win32 environment first, Unix/Mac much later)
- Want to produce an executable(s) that runs with no extra downloads
required (i.e. Java or .NET)
- Simple graphics/sound, but with the possibility of upgrade later

After some 'net research, it seems the likely choice is to develop in C
++ (possibly with some Lua for scripting non-speed-intensive tasks,
though I'm undecided) with SDL on top of OpenGL for graphics/sound.
For an IDE, the popular choice seems to be Visual Studio, and it looks
like the just-released 2008 is the newest version.

So, my questions:
- Is Visual Studio, in terms of just the compiler and IDE,
significantly better than other alternatives (Eclipse/Code::Blocks/
Bloodshed)?
- Can I create portable C++ code without being forced into platform-
dependent solutions?
- Will my VS2008-produced code require people to install a .NET
framework to use the executable?
- Does OpenGL function well with Visual Studio, given that it's a
direct competitor to MS's own DirectX?

I apologize for what I'm sure are stupid questions; being largely self-
taught on an old DOS compiler means I'm having difficulty even
producing a good ol' "hello world" program from scratch.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions/answers you may provide.

 

[Krice]

- Is Visual Studio, in terms of just the compiler and IDE,
significantly better than other alternatives (Eclipse/Code::Blocks/
Bloodshed)?

Yes. Visual Studio IDE is superior tool compared to open source
alternatives.

- Will my VS2008-produced code require people to install a .NET
framework to use the executable?

Probably, but you can compile the project with another
less-dependent compiler like GCC, assuming that your source code
is portable and doesn't contain VC++ specific things or there are
alternative code for each compiler when needed (rarely if the
source code is standard & highly portable).

 

[Bo Persson]

Hey folks, just a couple quick questions re: development
environments and libraries for a pet project of mine, if you have a
moment. I've experience programming in C/C++, but it's been nearly
a decade since I've been active, so it will take some relearning
and I'll need a new IDE.

So, my questions:
- Is Visual Studio, in terms of just the compiler and IDE,
significantly better than other alternatives (Eclipse/Code::Blocks/
Bloodshed)?

If you develop on Windows - Yes.

- Can I create portable C++ code without being forced into platform-
dependent solutions?
Yes.

- Will my VS2008-produced code require people to install a .NET
framework to use the executable?

Not unless you actually use some .NET features.

- Does OpenGL function well with Visual Studio, given that it's a
direct competitor to MS's own DirectX?

Yes.



Bo Persson