Well, I certainly do appreciate the honesty you exhibited in your post. Many welcomes, first of all.
I can understand some of your feelings and frustrations. Most IT related studies nowadays don't apply at all to the art of game development. For some reason, schools generally seem to think that there are only tailor-made software applications written at a high level of abstraction. They forget that there are plenty of other types of software that require a completely different approach. Game development is in the most separate category - it's more like the movie industry than anything else.
Classes about C programming are rare at most schools and C++ is practically non-existent. I was already self-tutored in C before I started my CS study, and I learned to use pointers properly during a short stint at the university. After that, I was lucky to land an internship where I got to program C++ for half a year (I already had some C++ experience by that time), because there I really got to hone my C++ skills. Right now, I feel there's not much left in the language that could surprise me. I still don't consider myself to be a 'super human' though.
When it comes to Ogre, I learned about its existence about two years ago, right about the same time I took my first steps in C++. I meddled around with it a bit back then, but I wasn't comfortable enough with C++ yet to really make something out of it. Since then, I've held off on Ogre, trying instead to write my own engine (and with a certain degree of success, but a lack of focus and interest made me quit halfway through). Now, after the release of Eihort, I've picked up on Ogre again and as time allows, I'm trying to learn its intricacies and to think of an interesting project that I could work on during the next couple of months.
Now, to answer some of your questions:
* What is the "minimum" knowledge of C++ before I can start using Ogre?
That's hard to say really.
I'd say you should at least know something about pointers and references and the importance of constness. Secondly, Ogre makes extensive use of the classes in the Standard Template Library (STL), so you need to know a thing or two about these as well. There are some design patterns that Ogre uses, such as the Singleton and Factory patterns, that you will want to be familiar with as well.
Now, you say you're comfortable with .NET, so I assume you know the basic principles of object oriented programming, such as encapsulation and polymorphism.
Besides all that, C++ has a lot of nasty pitfalls that you need to be aware of, but these are things you mostly have to learn in practice. Just make sure you dig into the theory before putting some technique into practice, that way you can avoid a lot of mistakes before you make them.
* Where can I find this "minimum" knowledge?
I personally learned a lot from the
Thinking in C++ books. It's a massive piece of text, but just about everything is in there - from the most basic Hello World programs to the biggest complexities of the languages. Most of C++'s pitfalls are explained as well.
* What should I do when I have this "minimum" knowledge?
Practice! Start on small projects and hone your skills. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Never be completely satisfied with your work, there's always room for improvement. Learn from what you do and try to do things differently the next time.
Most importantly, don't get too ambitious too soon. A lot of my own projects have failed because I was aiming for the moon and got stuck halfway through. You said you're an "I-want-to-do-an-MMO" person, then I say you shouldn't be thinking about that yet. Aside from the fact that maintaining a home-built MMO would be a practical impossibility, it takes many people, many years and an ungodly amount of resources to create anything that remotely resembles a proper MMO game.
Start small, get motivated and learn.
* Will I get chicks when I'm an Ogre Guru?
Not likely. In fact, Ogre will probably diminish your chances, unless you can become the next Peter Molyneux or something.
By the way, I don't agree on the "I can't write english and meaningful posts" thing. Your English is exemplary and if everyone wrote posts like you do, this board would be a whole lot more pleasant.
