Just as no carpenter can do any wood work without the right equipment, no programmer can either. Choosing what tools are right are generally a personal preference. Like some wood workers can make do with a simple hand saw, others would require something a little more elaborate.

So what tools are right for you? Well, basically I should just outline what you will need, then allow you to make your own personal observation as to the specific brands and types, etc..

• Programming languages
  The examples displayed on these web pages are written in either the C or the BASIC language, unless otherwise stated in the example presented. So a good C compiler or a good Basic compiler (or interpreter) is required if you want to try the examples yourself. Particular brand of compiler is for the most part a personal preference. I personally like to use Borland's Turbo C++ compiler for C programming and Microsoft Basic product for Basic programming. The BASIC programs I present will come in one of two flavors, QBasic or Visual Basic for Windows. They can be modified to use other products, so if you use another company's C or Basic product, you should be able to follow along okay.

• Drawing programs
  Some of the programs that will be presented are game programs. In order to write good games, you will need some kind of paintbrush type program. A good one allows you to select many different graphics modes and choose from a wide range of colors and allows you to change the palette. Windows Paintbrush will be suitable for creating images that are to be used in Windows programs generated with Visual Basic, but for images to be used in some of our C programs, you need one that gives you more control of the system's palette. I've found that Neopaint from a company called Neosoft does the job just fine for most of my needs. You can obtain a free copy of their Neopaint program by visiting their web site at http://www.neosoftware.com/

• Creating and editing sound
  A sound editing program is a definate must if you want to add sound effects to your games. Here you are pretty much free to use whatever you can lay your hands on, but one thing I should point out is that a good sound capture and editing file should allow for a wide variaty of formats. Mainly formats like WAV (Windows), and VOC (Creative Labs). A sound program that can make a raw binary file of the sound is a plus but not nessecary in most cases. One program that I've included that is shareware is a program called Blaster Master that's suitable for most of our purposes even though it is crippled to only 30 seconds or so of recording time. For those of you who use Windows sound recorder, I've included a utility that can convert WAV files to VOC files and so on.
  Click here to obtain Blaster Master File size 283KB
  Click here for the conversion utility File size 48KB

Getting Started | Assumed Knowledge | Tools of the trade | Acknowledgements

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