GameDev Events Discussion

[Sengir]

To spark activity in the GameDev section of tSR and really tSR as a whole I've been discussing GameDev events with the mods. Now I know GameDev events have been flops in the past, but back then I was running them without much community input. So here we go, feel free to C+C:

February 2012: Language Learning
The idea here is that we as a community choose a language that not many of us know or that many of us would like to know better. At the beginning of the month I list four apps, simple games like Pong or Rock Paper Scissors or even apps like a Dice Roller or Rich Text Editor. We all have that month to program one of the four apps.

Any ideas for a language?

[Gwen]

I'm JUST getting started on C, and gamemaker would help, but if you guys have better programs to use, I'd love to learn!

[DiamondDustSpirit]

One thing to note, the language shouldn't too hard, or one that takes too long to do simple tasks (unless we can agree on an easy to use library for that language) or else it would drive a lot of people away.

Another thing, those apps are boring. How about our objective is to make something like Pong, but with a twist.

Also, any rewards?

[Proton]

Java is always great with shittons to learn.

Along with good IDEs like Eclipse and NetBeans.
(Android APIs too, which is annoying too learn, but rewarding.)

Unless you want extreme simplicity like Turing or some other teaching language.
Free, too.
(Literally takes a week to learn graphics and basics, as it's literally English and is a terrific starting line)

There's also GML (Game Maker) for the sake of getting attention.
There are a lot of people who just straight up want to make games rather than learn programming altogether and really do avoid the nitty-gritty of programming.

Granted, it's more honourable to have it dedicated to programming in general, which reading the prior topic is what you were going for,


but it's also the gamedev, along with GML a simplistic basic language that's extremely easy.
It costs money, but the Free edition would suffice.

[Kakashifan]

Probably C would be good I guess, but would it be too hard to learn? I really know little about programming though I'm trying hard, and worried that C is too much or that I won't have any idea where to start; I think it's more the latter. GM has helped a bit with trying to understand the way coding works though.

Maybe we could split stuff up into like 'People who want to code but don't know where to start' and 'People who know how tk code well, but can't enhance their skills on their own.'

@ DDS- you mean like Breakout/Pac-Man etc. or something? That would be neat; Maybe that would be the best place to start. Since all the graphics would be lines and tiny pixels, wouldn't it make it easier to code than something you 'd to make a collision mask for, like an irregular human shape? Plus, all the paddles have to do is kmove up and down in accordance with the direction the ball is going in;

[Gors]

the reward is to know how to program



really, there's nothing better than learning stuff, I wouldn't want a reward for learning

[DiamondDustSpirit]

The thing about C is that you cannot just create a window with a simple function. You need to use WinAPI or something. I go against this, unless we all agree on a common library to use.

[Proton]

Probably C would be good I guess, but would it be too hard to learn? I really know little about programming though I'm trying hard, and worried that C is too much or that I won't have any idea where to start; I think it's more the latter. GM has helped a bit with trying to understand the way coding works though.

Maybe we could split stuff up into like 'People who want to code but don't know where to start' and 'People who know how tk code well, but can't enhance their skills on their own.'

C in a month like February?
Not much of a "holiday/free time" month.
Too overboard with something like C.

[DiamondDustSpirit]

Maybe we shouldn't have to choose a common language, but all choose a common goal. I've seen some competitions where you have to just create an algorithm. The algorithm would look basically the same in all languages. The concept is important.

I'm taking a Data Structures and Algorithms class next semester which starts tomorrow
Maybe I could give you guys ideas.

[Sengir]

PHP maybe?

We could also choose a library too, like an ActionScript Box2D game using FlashDevelop.

Or a console project? We'd be able to make a text-based game and not have to worry about displaying graphics/focus more on what moves the game.

---

That sounds cool too, DDS! We could even all try to implement the same algorithm but in different ways.

[DiamondDustSpirit]

PHP for a game? I've never heard of that... O_o
How about HTML5, which means Javascript? Something we all must have without worrying about anything. Our IDE is Notepad and our interpreter is our browser. We must all have that, I mean how else do we come here?!

Text based games... wack.

If we do the algorithm thing, I call A* path-finding! :p

[Proton]

Psuedocode for everyone,


and then any language for any programming done.

[Shade]

I'd have to go with GML.
The free version isn't very limited compared to the full version and the language isn't as difficult to understand compared to C, it also wouldn't take nearly as long to learn.
That being said though, it would probably be somewhat misleading to someone who's serious about game making,

[Gwen]

I'd have to go with GML.
The free version isn't very limited compared to the full version and the language isn't as difficult to understand compared to C, it also wouldn't take nearly as long to learn.
That being said though, it would probably be somewhat misleading to someone who's serious about game making,

Not really, it'd help going up to C, and our professors teach us it due to it being easy to make games in time for projects.

[Previous]

Hey now. When you want to open a Window in C++, there's plenty of templates! Most IDEs do that work for you. Bloodshed DevC++ anyone?
Displaying graphics is another story... I've got to agree that for beginners, OpenGL et cetera are quite hard.


About GML, well, anything that is proper coding helps you with learning how to code. Knowing one language always makes it a lot easier to learn another.


I'm not sure I'll have time, exams are coming up and I've got some other tasks I have to finish soon.