Where to start?

[Aedous]

Hey, this is simply a what to do question.

I have got some books on programming and i think im on an adequate level of programming in c++, i also got a book on programming video games using direct X, this jumps from 2d and then on to 3d.
I also have quite abit of knowledge on game logic (which does not necesarrily mean that i would know how to immediately create specific things lol).

What i really want to know, is if its a good idea or a bad idea to use another game engine instead of creating your own from scratch (depending on your knowledge) for example ive gone through some direct X functions but designing my own graphics engine may seem abit of a difficult task at the moment.
I simply just need a stepping stone of where to begin, for example do i use the SDL libraries to create my own engine, or the Allegro, or even HGE to create my own engine, or is it seen as "taboo" to use another engine and rather to create your own .
Anything will be appreciated i just need a point of view from people who are generally on a higher level than me.
Thanks.

[Reedbeta]

It depends on your goals. If your goal is to understand how engines work, then building your own from the ground up is a great way to go. On the other hand if you are more interested in creating a game and don't care so much about knowing what the engine is doing under the hood, then using one of the several free engines out there is a great option.

[Aedous]

Oh, im more interested in making the game, however im also interested in the engine lol, but i think ill take your advise and start with a library and maybe after when i get a better understanding ill make my own.

What library would you recommend, i simply want to start with 2D games for now, and move on to 3D later on.
Thanks.

[Dom_152]

Allegro (http://www.talula.demon.co.uk/allegro/) is good for 2D Games I hear, I've never used it though. For 3D I recommend Irrlicht (http://irrlicht.sourceforge.net). It's really simple to use but pretty powerful.