How development a game for kde?

[Luigi]

Maybe the question is stupid, but I ask you however.
If I would like development a game for kde 4.x, where I should study?

[lmilano]

Re: How development a game for kde?

Hi Luigi,

The basic skillset is c++, qt and the kde libraries (in that order). If you do have a c++ background, I would just play a bit with some qt demos. A quick way to get to know qt is via the python bindings, because it is so much faster to explore things. If you have no c++ background, I would strongly recommend starting there.

Once you feel comfy, you can subscribe to their mailing list and offer help. Starting with some simple job will get you moving, maybe help fix something, etc. Next thing you know you are writing your own game

Of course the official starting point is currently here:
http://techbase.kde.org/Development/Tutorials

But it assumes you already have some c++ training ...

Hope this helps!

[Luigi]

Re: How development a game for kde?

Many thanks!
I will take a look at the link that you sent me.
I have just a bit c++ programming knowledge, and I do not know how to program with qt toolkit.
I am curious to know how a programmer create the graphics of a games, maybe a programmer use software such as inkscape or blender for create the background and other objects?

[GreyGeek]

Re: How development a game for kde?

I wouldn't recommend jumping into KDE programming, which requires a working knowledge of the KDE API, until you have a working knowledge of Qt programming AND Qt4.5 API.

Why? A KDE4 application needs to use the KApplication class in order for it to interact gracefully with the KDE4 environment. However, KApplication is buit using the Qt QApplication class. It is best to be knowledgeable of QApplication before one starts working with KApplication.

I would recommend that you install qt-creator, in the repository, which is a GUI RAD tool created by Qt-Software (fomerly known as TrollTech) to have a RICH application development tool that rivals or exceeds MS Visual Studio C++. Also, make sure to install EVERYTHING in the repository that begins with "qt4-".

Qt-Creator will have built in context sensitive connections to the Qt4 API and documentation. it also features context sensitive code help for classes and their parameters. It also includes debugging. Install Kdbg to include integrated graphical debugging.

For help while learning Qt4 I'd suggest you join the QtCentre forum.
http://www.qtcentre.org/

It also has a wiki which contains some excellent tutorials and such on learning Qt/C++
http://wiki.qtcentre.org/index.php?title=Main_Page


I didn't begin learning C++ until I was 64, and I learned both it and Qt4 at the same time. Qt4 makes writing programs in C++ almost child's play, but don't let that blind you to its amazing power, especially in graphics.

[lmilano]

Re: How development a game for kde?

Excellent! One more thing, Qt is a great skillset to have on its own (they were recently acquired by Nokia, so expect lots of qt jobs, particularly in embedded).

However, if you really are interested in game developing (rather than kde development), going this route might be a bit indirect. You may prefer to play a bit with an open source game (get the source, compile it, hack a bit). These days, larger games are based on engines. One that comes to mind is the Blender engine, and its flagship game Yo Frankie ...

[GreyGeek]

Re: How development a game for kde?

These days, larger games are based on engines.

True, but all major projects, including game engines, are built using the classes in an Application Program Interfaces (API) which directly or indirectly call the primary language around which the engine (classes) is based. Any game for the KDE4 environment would, eventually, be based on the Qt4 API. The difference between a one-off game and a world-class game is the present of a well designed and implemented set of classes, which become "off the shelf" components from which a new game is created or modifications made to an existing game.

Although I've never seen it, a game engine might come with its own IDE (Integrated Development Environment), just like Qt-Creator is the IDE for Qt4. I started with Qt3, and using it the principle design tool was the Qt-Designer, a very klutzy dev tool that mixed form generation with code base generation, resulting in layers of automatically generated code with "don't edit this file" warnings in it, just like NetBeans and some other IDEs for Java. Qt4 still has the Qt-Deisgner, for creating GUI forms and dialogs, but the only code it generates are menu action stubs and Signal/Slot stubbs. In Qt4 the form designer is specifically that. I usually bypassed the auto-code generation capabilities and rolled my own my functions, methods and properties would be consistant with my own design patterns.