Hey there. For the last year, I have used game engines such as Unity, but have found that i enjoy using frameworks and libraries such as Monogame. I have a bit of experience in c++.
My question is : Is learning OpenGL useful for becoming a game programmer? Or should i learn a game engine?
Sure. Using a game engine or not is ultimately your choice, with downsides and upsides.
That’s what I went with. Yes, it’ll take longer to write the program, but what you get in the end is a much more specialized engine fit for your needs only, and a base upon which you’ll build similar games. Both of these are worth it, in my opinion.
If you want to make games, learn an engine. Bear in mind that OpenGL (or Vulkan, or DirectX) only deals with graphics. Most engines also provide other necessary features such as physics and networking.
For a small developer, one of the biggest issues with developing your own engine is that you need to test it on a wide range of systems. For an off-the-shelf engine, that’s already covered.
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Assuming we complete the Vulkan tutorial, what would we have?
Would we be able to start making simple games in it?
How do you debug your base game engine?
Just GDB, but any regular debugger works. It’s not much different from a regular program.