This makes some good points: http://www.gamedev.net/reference/design/features/makegames/default.asp
I'm looking at, for compilers:
- DJGPP -- I used this a few times, didn't really like it, but it may have matured? free.
- mingw -- free, clean, simple
- lcc -- Nice enough. Clean. $500 for commercial use
- visual c++ 6.0 (old, yes, and nasty, yes)
- gcc?
Then for graphics:
- Allegro (easy under DJGPP), does 3d with "ex3d" -- nothing really fancy, lots of manual 3d making. an insane number of doclinks
- SDL
- PLIB seems nice, maybe. Is it mature? I'm not sure. I don't even know how to tell. I wish I knew what I was doing
- OGRE -- an object-oriented graphics rendering engine; several orders of magnitude more than I need to start with, I think, but I'd like to be able to move here for later games... perhaps... [[getting started with vc++7]]
- Crystal Space -- perhaps more of a package than I want for simple 3d, non-fps games?
- OpenGL -- low level, extremely cool, ... I feel that I should start here, perhaps? [[gcc]] [[tutorials, tending towards linux]] [[(toolkit faq)]]
- GLUT -- glut is well-suited to learning opengl, simple, easy, and small. but not good for a large program with a sophisticated user interface</a>
For sound:
- FMOD -- it's a bit expensive if I want to shareware ($100 license/platform) or *really* publish ($1000-$4000 per platform), but seems to be creme de la creme...
- Housemarque aka midas -- another free for free use sound lib, "contact" for commercial use
- JgMod -- MOD playing engine for allegro.
Installers:
- Create Install -- $150, thirty day free trial...
Subnotes:
- OpenGL, Mingw32 and Allegro + DirectX
- Achieving a stable simulator
- on code portability
- optimizing video, sound, ... -- all out of my price range, for now
- Mysql OpenGL screensaver -- very cool tutorial for windows (vc++ and codewarrior 5.3)</a>
