Wanting to Start Learning Code

  • #1, by armhansonThursday, 19. November 2015, 23:21 9 years ago
    I took HTML in high school, but know hardly anything about code other than that. C++ was something I half-way studied after school, but never took it seriously, as I wasn't sure if it would help with what I eventually wanted to do. What would be a good coding engine for me to learn through that would work well with Visionaire? I'd like to be able to understand the scripting part of it better so I can really add some extra mechanisms to the game.

    I'd like to start studying everyday and become familiar with a language I can start with and then possibly go onto more. Any suggestions for educational sources and useful tools for learning would be greatly appreciated by this newb! Thanks!

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  • #2, by afrlmeFriday, 20. November 2015, 00:48 9 years ago
    Visionaire Studio uses a combination of Lua script & VisObj (object tables exclusive to the Visionaire Studio engine).

    I recommend checking out the official wiki. I've added a section covering some of the basics of Lua script to it & there are tons of scripts & examples on the wiki written by myself & other members, which range from basic to advanced.

    Everything you need to learn scripting is on the wiki under the scripting section of the menu.

    If you want pure Lua script intro then I recommend this blog. It's written & explained in a way that is very easy to understand.

    P.S: I recommend downloading Sublime Text or Atom (github' own text editor) to write your scripts in, as they are a lot nicer & come with many useful functions including auto-complete. I personally use Sublime Text 3.

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  • #3, by tristan-kangSaturday, 21. November 2015, 00:08 9 years ago
    I just wondered about coding. So C++ is basic thing to learn for coder. But what I want to know is are every single code based on C++?

    Like Lua script or VisObj or some codes in Game Maker. Are these .. um.. languages are improved version of C++ or just individual?

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  • #4, by afrlmeSaturday, 21. November 2015, 00:31 9 years ago
    C++ is not basic at all. Most C languages take quite a while to learn. Most code formats share similar traits in one form or another but some are object based & some are class based.

    Java / jquery is more similar to C languages in that they are both class based. Lua doesn't have classes & instead uses variables which can be changed to different types at any time you like unlike C languages which require you to define the variable class type before you can add data to it.

    Some languages are quite heavy in terms of math & some less so. Some like Visual Basic ( dot net ) have a more word friendly approach & are more akin to telling a story than programming. Some have visual approach & some are text only.

    etc. etc.

    In other words... even though most code formats share something similar (here & there) most are unique in their own way, but once you have a decent grasp on one language, learning another shouldn't be too difficult.

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  • #5, by tristan-kangSaturday, 21. November 2015, 00:43 9 years ago
    I want to know further detail between object and class based. What's really different among them?

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  • #6, by afrlmeSaturday, 21. November 2015, 01:28 9 years ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class-based_programming
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object-oriented_programming

    Some programming languages require you to declare the class type of a variable before you can use it. Once declared that variable will only accept data of the class type you declared. C languages & Java both use class types.

    Lua script on the other hand doesn't require you to declare the class types of your variables. The only thing you have to do is determine if the variable should be local or global. Once you create a variable you can replace the data stored inside of it with whatever you want, whenever you want. So a variable could be a string one second, an integer value the next, or even a table or function the next.

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  • #7, by tristan-kangSaturday, 21. November 2015, 01:38 9 years ago
    Then do you think Lua script is beginner friendly for coder?

    Just like VS, most actions are stored in engine itself.

    If technology getting enhanced every year, then coding also follows the stream. It means we may encounter the game engine that literally script is never required.

    Then, how the programming will be evolved in future? Do you have any thoughts about it?

    Like if as soon as the coding experience getting easier then coders will increase but only small experts remain.

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  • #8, by afrlmeSaturday, 21. November 2015, 02:47 9 years ago
    Sure, game development side of things is getting easier to a degree as most engines now come with an IDE & also most have some form or other of pre-made actions / events / functions that you can select from a list or a add to a work-flow based system.

    Programming applications / web apps however still requires a lot of complex code.

    There are already engines where you don't have to script. Construct 2 would be a prime example, however the editor is limited to Windows & it has limited platform export options. Personally I'm not a fan of navigating through lists / sections & the constant click click clicking that goes with it as I find it disruptive to my work-flow. For me it's often faster to create a single execute a script action part & type a few lines of code into it; as opposed to creating 10 or more action parts to do the same thing, but each to their own.

    Lua script is fairly easy once you learn the basic operators / syntax for it. There's not actually that many to learn. GML (Game Maker) code is also pretty simple. HTML is even simpler. Javascript is a little more complicated but if you can learn that, then you can probably learn c# based on what you know, which means you could easily move onto using Unity or whatever, although those engines require a lot more work to get a working prototype than VS, Game Maker or Construct 2.

    P.S: programming is very logic based. If you can wrap your head around basic logic of how things should work, then you're already on the right path, so to speak.

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  • #9, by tristan-kangSaturday, 21. November 2015, 04:38 9 years ago
    Then coding will be developed like 'Mod' for game engine rather than core base in game.

    Or it already is now. lol

    You mentioned you're making faster ways in order to cover actions in the engine. It means, you already made custom mod (your personal work-flow) as script and using it. If you use it personally then it ain't mod. But you show it to public. Then the script, is, kinda mod.

    If mod things are converted into in-game with better... functions. Then mod became obsolete unless it still has slow works (then I'll use the mod anyway).

    Ah, that's the problem for Construct 2. Limited actions.. I'll mark it. Then it's bound for flash games or simple mobile games I guess.

    I hope Unreal Engine 5 with easier work-flow just pops out before I make another game. lol

    Why? because I believe there will be 5... I saw it in my dream. smile Also I think Unreal has better program languages too.

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  • #10, by afrlmeSaturday, 21. November 2015, 05:43 9 years ago
    UDK already has an action part type system in place of a sorts... I think it's called Blueprint. I've no idea how easy it is to use though & I have a feeling that you'll still have to get your hands dirty in code. I think UDK has its own programming language, but I believe it's also possible to use C++ or C# (not 100% sure - I've downloaded & installed it, but not had the chance / reason to bother opening the program yet).

    Construct 2 has loads of actions & a modern GUI. Yes it's pretty much limited to the actions it comes with, but it does mention something about extensibility through javascript - how extensible it is, is something I don't know.

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  • #11, by armhansonSunday, 22. November 2015, 07:32 9 years ago
    Thanks for the exhaustive info! Very useful and appreciated.

    Newbie

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