Anyone here do any programming? Specifically game programming? I'm getting started and I was wondering if anyone has any tips or advice to make my learning process easier. Things to keep in mind or avoid? Maybe some common misconceptions you can clear up? Really, any info would be much appreciated
Well, that is kind of hard in my experience. If you are starting I recomend you starting at making maps or stuff like that in games that have world builder, like warcraft 3 or SC2. also there is a program called Unreal Development Kit (UDK) it will help you get started in more complex things and is a free unreal engine for you to use. Sent from my lovely Princess Luna.
http://www.w3schools.com/ I don't know if it has game programming, but I used this site to get on my feet when I first started. It's incredibly useful for hints and learning basics. I'm not sure how far into the languages it goes, though. There's more websites like this out there. I'm sure they can't be that hard to find, this is just the only one I know of.
Do you know any programming now? Perhaps a certain language you'd like to learn, and a (reasonable, reachable) goal of a game? What sorta game (2d/3d, genre, simple or complex) My first couple games were text adventures which were pretty straightforward to create. If you know next to nothing about programming general, I'd advise learning a simpler language to get the hang of things (Visual Basic, C# come to mind), unless you're feeling adventurous and trying out C and C++, which is what most games are written in. If you'd rather go with more visual and interactive simplicity, you could go the route of game maker, and those sorts of programs, but they are limited. Poking around with engines like Unreal Engine, CryEngine, and Unity could be something to look at as well. If you need a hand with anything, by all means, let me know, and I'll help where I can.
Unity is also very expensive to license and still requires knowledge of programming. Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk
I like using Slick 2D and Java based technologies but mainly because I've spent so long using them, it's difficult to move over to something else. Still, I can concur with the guys and gals above: Learn a Language! Doesn't matter too much what, as long as you learn something. The hardest part of coding is getting your head around logic and how a computer will interpret an action, not necessarily how the language is put together. It's just syntax. It's like a dialect of the same language, your just learning new slants on imparting the same thing. Logical thinking is probably the most important thing you can try and learn as a programmer in anything. Because your dealing with a computer, the stupidest thing to pretend to be intelligent. It's just a tool and only follows instructions. It can be bloody irritating. If your unsure of your logic, pen and paper can be your friend. Run what you want it to do in your head, writing down the results of each stage of your process before you put it into the computer. It might help you get around some logical traps.
