SE4 development tools

[brettben]

Does anyone know what language/tools Aaron used to develop SE4?

[Atrocities]

That is classified information. Sorry dude, you'll have to ask him.

[Matryx]

From an experience in coding similar programs I would assume one of the following:-
c++ (doubtful cos it's a pain in the ***)
delphi (easy to use but not very popular)
visual basic (I hate it but it seems to be widely used)

[Will]

Aaron used Delphi. Don't ask me how I remember after something like a year and a half or two years, when he made a comment about it to the SE4 ideas list when there was a small arguement about the difficulty of certain features, mainly people who thought they knew how to program (I admit I was among them at the time ).

I'm fairly sure SE1 was done in VB, an earlier Version if I remember, like 2 or 3. SE2 was VB 4 or 5 (I think ), SE3 used Delphi, SEIV used Delphi.

Oh, and just so everyone knows, VB is evil.

[Baron Munchausen]

Yep, SE 1 was developed in VB, and so was SE II. SE III was done in Delphi 3, I think? And SE IV was done in Delphi 4 or whatever was the latest Version when he started working on it. Too bad Delphi is not more popular. Delphi is a very nice language but like everything else not coming from the 'The Source' in Redmond cannot compete with stuff developed in house with the correct API by MS Lackeys.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 24 August 2001).]

[brettben]

Got a reply from Aaron to my query, SE4 was written entirely in Delphi 4.0., graphics generated with Truespace and Photoshop.

[Magnum357]

Hey Will, why is VB EVIL??? Seriously though, I kinda like the program.

[brettben]

Okay, as it seems some responses come from people with programming experience, what would YOU use if you had written SE4, one that would give you the best quality product in shortest amount of time with the least amount of effort (or how would you balance those three qualities)? Any input would be appreciated, because SE4 has inspired me to make my own 4x game, I have enjoyed it so much.

Use C not C++. C++ is a castrated Version of C specifically designed by committee to lobotomize the programmer's intellect. I learned C in a week and was developing advanced data stuctures within a couple months. An especially powerful ability in C is the indirect function call, and when used with recursion you can do incredible things.
Edit : Okay, I did it again spouting off out of place. I hold firm in the opinion I have of C++, but admit that C may be too unstructured for many people to manage well.

[This message has been edited by LCC (edited 25 August 2001).]

[Will]

Ok, for me VB is the Devil incarnate (AKA, EVIL)

Pretty much, it is far to linear for me. I started with C, and quickly learned not to do stuff like use "goto". From what I know of VB, it's just about impossible to *not* use goto and labels everywhere. I never touched it much myself, besides the BASIC clone on my graphing calculator, but I know some people who were writing somewhat large programs in VB for the "computer camp" I went to. At the end, all hated VB, especially the people working with any kind of data structure (there was small business software; a battleship clone w/ underwater, surface, and air sections; a database of participating students... just to name a few things ).

BASIC is ok for someone to be introduced to programming, but I would say get on Pascal/C/C++/Java quick. Those are really the only other [higher level] Languages I know much about, except for Perl, which you don't really want to use for anything other than simple scripting

For SE4 I would have used C++ simply because I'm most familiar with it, and I know how to plan out the classes ahead of time (if I didn't, I would probably have the same opinion as LCC). Do not use C++ if you're just diving in without any planning at all, because you will fail, that's a guarantee If you don't know how to program yet, don't start with a 4X game. Spend a year or so learning first, three options for that, in order of least motivation to most:
1. Sign up for a course at your school/college/university.
2. Find someone who knows how to program to teach you.
3. Buy a book and teach yourself.
For most people, 1 or 2 are the only ways that they will learn how to program. I did 3 myself, and it was a %#$*& teaching myself and I gave up multiple times (and came back later, obviously ). You have to be really devoted to teach yourself. Anyway, after you learn the basics, work your way up in complexity of programs. Simple text editor, program that plays tic-tac-toe, program that plays poker, checkers, tetris, etc.