Okay. So, the golden question. How do I start programming a game? Googling hasn't lead to a lack of information, but rather a few tons of straw to hide the illusive needle, with no magnet inside. But to make this easier for you, and more likely that I will get an answer, I'm going to answer my own question, and have you guys fill in the blanks.
Want to program a game? Yes, yes I do.
Can you program? Yes, yes I can. I've done extensive academic programs in C++, matlab and several other such languages/formats.
So what info do I want?
To make a game, I see the following needs.
Input
I want the user to give input. I've never used custom imput methods, and as such, I have no idea how to make a block on screen, accept a user typing in a name, and then handling the click on a button.
Graphics
With regards to the previous item, how do I make that block appear on screen? How do I draw a background? What should I use? OpenGL?
Engine
I have a fairly basic idea of how to do this. Pretty sure I could figure out a suboptimal way to do this if no one has any tips for this. I see an engine as the actual core gameplay mechanics. The Dungeons and Dragons rule book turned into code.
Any help with any of these three items would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!