Who Wants To Learn How To Program?

coldghost213 wrote:Could I just go into sites I pick at random, download a bunch of stuff that says "Hackers package" (which half of those stuff probly has a virus) and just go to other people and say LMAO I MADE THIS :3

This is a pretty lame thing to do IMNSHO. Also that doesn't make you a hacker by any means. Even YOU could probably learn to write a Trojan at least, but do what you like.

Um =\ you do know I was just being sarcastic -_-

coldghost213 wrote:Um =\ you do know I was just being sarcastic -_-

Sorry coldghost213, I didn't catch that you were being sarcastic - it doesn't always come through the typing. I wasn't trying to offend you either. Just wanted to make sure it was clear to anybody else viewing this, what my opinion on that was.

I'd actually recommend a different approach (although I admit I'm not that great a programmer).

Firstly, you have to understand what the essence of programming is: Programming is simply you giving instructions to the computer, different languages are just different modes of giving these instructions.

I think that's the first barrier to overcome, when you understand that I think it's all downhill from there. I'd say learn something really - REALLY - simple, like HTML first. This is just to learn the syntax of programming in generals. For example annotating your code and telling the computer(web browser in this case) what you want it to do. For example:

Code: Select all: <html></html> This defines the code, in other words: You instruct the computer that everything inside this area is 'important' and needs to be executed <h1></h1> This instructs the computer to make a large heading, again simply gets you going with syntax

After that I'd recommend learning a language that is similar to english, like BASIC or Visual Basic or some other varient. This introduces you to variables, loops, conditional statements etc. Visual Basic also teams you OOP which is also good. From there, I think you have a solid foundation and can learn other languages much easier.

good shit.. i learned how to program from e-books and google

To each their own, but I would never suggest someone learn something like VB as their first programming language "so it's simple". Programming is really not a hard thing at its core, so languages that are 'easy' are really not benefiting(?) you much at all. I'd say go with something like C# which is well structured and will teach you all the principles of OOP and programming in general. If you'd like to learn more about memory management, then i'd suggest C++. Then go from there and learn something like PHP if you like. That way you'll be able to look at php and see, 'oh, it's figuring this out for me so I don't have to figure it out myself.' So the whole point is if you learn a more structured and 'full' language first, like C# or C++, you'll be able to not just understand programming better in general, but you'll also be able to understand languages like PHP better beause you'll be able to see the underlying structure.

I know this isn't well written but the point is:

Programming is not very difficult.
So choosing a language because it is 'easy' doesn't reap many benefits.

I am trying to teach myself C right now with a C for dummies book it is really helping me understand it. I admit I am a little slow at learning things but once I do it over and over I can get it. I am also really enjoying doing the little tutriols in the book.

But I want to know what program language I should learn for developing video games. I am a Digital Animation major at my university and I just want to learn some programing on the side for my own benefit ya know. Just to have an upper edge on some people. I can go into a job interview saying that I can develop characters and do level designs and I also know how to program. Because I see working for a video game company is very competitive so anything to give me the upper hand on someone is always great :twisted:

azusa wrote:But I want to know what program language I should learn for developing video games. I am a Digital Animation major at my university and I just want to learn some programing on the side for my own benefit ya know. Just to have an upper edge on some people. I can go into a job interview saying that I can develop characters and do level designs and I also know how to program. Because I see working for a video game company is very competitive so anything to give me the upper hand on someone is always great

Good thinking. There are many components to game building as Im sure you know, learning a bit of everything would benefit you a lot.C++ for sure because its used today on a large scale for the mathematic computations of the game and for the parts of the simulation. It is also the de-facto standard for game programming. Scripting languages are used too usually depending on the game but after you learn more programming It shouldn't be that tough.

I would suggest learning C++ after C since C++ is basically "an improved C" and maybe learn one or all of Visual Basic, Java
and Python.

Point blank - You want to learn C++
Hope that helps you out

-Sharmz

Sharmz wrote:Good thinking. There are many components to game building as Im sure you know, learning a bit of everything would benefit you a lot.C++ for sure because its used today on a large scale for the mathematic computations of the game and for the parts of the simulation. It is also the de-facto standard for game programming. Scripting languages are used too usually depending on the game but after you learn more programming It shouldn't be that tough.

I would suggest learning C++ after C since C++ is basically "an improved C" and maybe learn one or all of Visual Basic, Java
and Python.

Point blank - You want to learn C++
Hope that helps you out

-Sharmz

That's good information Sharmz, and I'd like to point out that openly many different languages are used for writing games professionally today, including Java, Adobe Flash, DarkBASIC, C#, and Python. You can write a game in any language that can somehow bind to the hardware to make a graphics interface using at least OpenGL. SDL, PyGame, and DirectX are a couple of game or graphics libraries that are commonly used to write games. Also none of the languages I specified have any problems with performance. Full games have been and continue to be written in those and many other programming languages.

Also as Bjarne Stroustrup, the inventor of C++, suggests, I (unlike Sharmz) would recommend just learning C++ if you want to learn C, because as he also states, C++ is a better C. Unless you absolutely need C for something, then I would always use C++ if you're going to go in that direction. It is easier to use, provides the same low-level access, and the same performance as C.

I just want to say nice post i am Really new to this stuf (all the programming languages, and what to do with it)
So i recently started (Nearly a week ago already completed all the basic missions except 9 but still learning but this post has
told me alot where to start and where i can use it for, for now i think i am going to try to learn C++ For Maybe making small games to start with or little programs and to get some experience with it since i want this to be my profession later lol
so i want to say nice post since thanks to your post i know really figured out which programming language i can best use and where to start

one question also is it really that helpful to buy a book and try it out with a book or do you think i can just asswell if i want to use the internet and learn it that way by trying it out also
Excuse me if my english is bad i know how to speak it but since im not from england i know almost everything but still sometimes make mistakes

rickynl wrote:is it really that helpful to buy a book and try it out with a book or do you think i can just asswell if i want to use the internet and learn it that way by trying it out also

It may be helpful to buy a book containing information that you don't know about a particular programming language, and generally speaking books are much better structured for beginners than most tutorials. It is good if your book has a sort of school text book format, for example exercises to try for yourself at the end of chapters teaching programming concepts. The Internet is also a useful tool as has been mentioned, but again most people who write content for the Internet in the form of tutorials miss a lot of the basic requirements for a beginning programmer (and for intermediate and advanced programmers as well in some cases).

The most effective use of your time is to learn the language however you learn best. Sometimes, delving into the libraries or other language documentation is a good idea -- it won't teach you how to program, but it will teach you what tools you have available in your programming language currently.

Who Wants To Learn How To Program?

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