I've read 4 books on c++ and i understand it very well. My ultimate goal is to create a 3rd person shooter and i know im a long ways, but i don't know where to go from now. I just ordered a opengl book and im wondering if it will help. And i would also like to know where to go from where i am.
thx.
Make sure you've developed a number of smallish c++ programs to make sure you completely understand the language...nothing is more important then experience. :)
OpenGL or DirectX are pretty much your main choice with 3d rendering; make sure your first projects with them are also quite small so you learn them properly before undertaking a large project.
Jus practice a lot until you feel comfortable with the languages before trying a large project, I guess that's all I'm trying to say. :)
I recommend that you also take a look at some open source 3D games so you can get an idea of how things work.
In addition to learning DX and/or OpenGL, you're also going to need to know a good chunk of 3D math and more in depth rendering techniques before you can make a big game. I recommend checking out the Game Programming Gems & GPU Programming Gems series of books, along with a good OpenGL (OpenGL Superbible) or DX book. I don't know which DX books are that good because I mainly use OGL.
Also, gamedev.net is going to give you a lot more information about game development than you'll find here. They have lots of tutorials, specific forums, book articles, etc...
Good luck =)
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