wyrd

Just add another INNER JOIN after your first one. :) All of your syntax related questions can be answered in the MS SQL BOL (Books Online). It's a help file you can download that explains and shows examples of all of the SQL commands, plus much more. You can download it here: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinfo/productdoc/2000/books.asp

Too much commenting can make code harder to read. The best code documents itself. Example: Bad: // Check if a player is dead. if (player.IsDead) { ... } Obviously the comment does nothing but repeat the code. In this case, the comments get in the way and would be better off left out, or a more meaningful comment needs to be put into place. Good: if (player.IsDead) { ... } or explain why we're checking if the player is dead: // Death animation must be displayed when the player is dead. if (player.IsDead) { player.BeginAnim(ANIMATION_DEATH); } Even so, the code still speaks for itself, so the comment still isn't absolutely necessary, and is probably still getting in the way: if (player.IsDead) { player.BeginAnim(ANIMATION_DEATH); } Point being, don't get zealous with commenting. If you program your code well enough, it'll document itself. That's the true sign of great design and programming. But don't take this too far, either, or misunderstand what I'm saying. Too little commenting is also harmful. You want to comment where possible, you just don't want to repeat what the code already says by itself.

There's only one place you need to go if you're interested in game programming: http://www.gamedev.net The site is entirely based on game programming, regardless of language. In fact, a large portion of the programmers on there use C# (that wasn't always true in the past, but times have changed). However, that doesn't matter, because most problems related to game programming are the same regardless of which language you're using. The .NET framework won't help you solve that AI problem, but implementing a solid finite state machine will. The code will be near identical regardless if it's C# or C++.

Read this book and you'll never have "messy" code again: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735619670/qid=1105698805/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/002-9860937-2800811

CF = Compact Framework.

Apparently there is no stand alone .NET CF SDK. I do not have .NET 2003, nor do I have the money. Honestly, I don't care about the IDE, right now I'm just trying to find a way to get ahold of the compiler and assemblies. Curious.. is it possible to just download the .NET 2003 trial just to get the CF assemblies, then compile CF apps manually with a compiler?

I was mainly looking at the DataGrid because it offered an easy way to display data (just link the ArrayList to the DataSource). It's also similar to an Excel sheet, where you can just click a cell and edit. ListView is nice and solid, but I have to do an extra few steps to display my data, but it would give me more control over how it's displayed. The only thing about the ListView is that you can't just click on a cell and edit it, it works much like a typical windows icon and how you rename that (click it once to select, then again and 1 second later it lets you edit it). Maybe there's a way to change how that works.

When setting the DataSource of a DataGrid to an ArrayList of objects, it automatically displays all properties of those classes. ie; If you had a Customer class that had two properties, Name and ID, they would be shown in the DataGrid. My question is, how can I limit the properties that the DataGrid uses from its DataSource? Using the example above, say I only want to display the Name property from the Customer, and leave the ID out. The only solution I've been able to come up with is to turn the ID property into a method (ie; GetID()). Surely that's a valid solution, especially if the property is read-only anyway, but that solution may not always be applicable. If the Customer object grows into something more complex, and has the address and other info. available through properties, I can't just start redesigning all of my classes based on what DataGrid will and will not display. However, another solution that presents itself is to create view classes which encapsulate the Customer object, CustomerView. Then only use that class for the DataGrid dispaly, and have the CustomerView class only provide properties which will be viewed in the DataGrid. But that isn't very flexible, and there may be situations where I want different customer data viewed at different times. Creating several different CustomerView classes just for this purpose doesn't sit well. In any case, help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. EDIT: Woops wrong forum, please move to Windows Forms. Thanks.

Is there an Express version of .NET Mobile? Or is it only available in the full studio versions? I have the Academic version of 2002 (from when I was in college), but that obviously doesn't have the .NET Mobile stuff. However, since I'm starting to get into the whole PDA thing, I'd like to work with it. Matter of fact.. I'm not even sure if I can download the SDK for it like I can with .NET 1.1 (or 2.0 now with Express?). In any case.. I'm looking for a cheap version of .NET for mobile devices (PDAs and the like). I don't want to buy the whole studio just for it, you know? Thanks in advance.

Managed C++ sucks. Either use unmanaged C++ or C#. If need be you can call C++ methods in C# with PInvoke.

Told ya you just needed a reformat. :D I try and make a point to reformat my system every 6 months to a year. When your system registry gets bloated and you have a bunch of crap that keeps getting installed on your puter, it tends to start chugging along and giving you errors for no reason what-so-ever. Reformat fixes those problems 90% of the time. The other 10% is usually hardware related.

It doesn't really matter.. use whatever you like more. However, DirectX is directly supported by Microsoft, OpenGL bindings are only provided by a 3rd party, there is no "official" Managed OpenGL or anything similar. As for your 2D game, DirectX supplies an easy-to-use Sprite class which will help you out quite a bit if you're new. They also provide nice Font classes and the like, all of which you have to build yourself in OpenGL.

I'm an elite hax0r.

Dell didn't give you the Windows XP key? Ew. I'd demand a refund! :)

I guess you don't want your father finding your porn? :) For this reason I always recommend parents and children having seperate computers! :D