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Java Forum / General / April 2007Programs for newbies
Hey, I'm wondering.... How do you create a program? I just want to understand the basics, although if someone could explain how to make one of those 2d-3d computer game worlds, I'd love to learn. thanks, [Not entering name for security reasons] ... >I'm wondering.... How do you create a program? Learn the language*, write the code. * For Java, a good way to learn is to work through the 'Java Tutorial'. <http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/> >..I just want to >understand the basics, although if someone could explain how to make >one of those 2d-3d computer game worlds, I'd love to learn. Creating such a game is hardly 'the basics', there are a number of things you should learn before writing programs with GUI's (programs without GUI's generally run on the command line/DOS). Then starting into (fast) 2D/3D rendering is another learning curve. >thanks, >[Not entering name for security reasons] Huh? You do not need to use your 'real name' when posting, but 'rbklex' is suitable as a 'handle'.  SignatureAndrew Thompson http://www.athompson.info/andrew/ > Learn the language*, write the code. > > * For Java, a good way to learn is to > work through the 'Java Tutorial'. > <http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/> I could not disagree more. I tried that. Twice. I never quite got the whole OOP paradigm. I was writing crappy, procedural Java code. Then I took a course at a local college, and, suddenly, it all made sense. My advice: Invest three months and ~$400 for a local college course plus textbook. Access to a professor who knows his stuff is a huge benefit. First you will need to understand OOP. After that, the language you use - Java, C++, Perl, C#, etc - is secondary. >> Learn the language*, write the code. >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > First you will need to understand OOP. After that, the language you use - > Java, C++, Perl, C#, etc - is secondary. Yes having help is useful - but certainly not necessary. My university courses mostly told me to pay for an expensive textbook and then do problems out of it. For many people, the determination to study something when not somehow being "pressured" to do so is overwhelming and they give up quickly. If I had to guess I would say that, in general, a class forces you to spend more time on a subject than someone otherwise normally would. But that does not necessarily make it a better method for learning. And the price of teaching yourself over a class is a big deciding factor for many people. In many cases it could just be an issue of having the right tools to teach yourself. A trip to the library, coming home with some crappy 8$ Java book is not generally going to be particularly beneficial, in my experience. Most tutorials are good for depth study but they are very "narrow" and don't teach basic concepts. Even beginner tutorials seems to focus almost exclusively on code and little to nothing on style or theory. So to a point I agree with you. But I think a good book is just as good as a university that you will pay just to have them tell you to go buy the book you were going to get originally ;) -- LTP :) > My advice: Invest three months and ~$400 for a local college course plus > textbook. Access to a professor who knows his stuff is a huge benefit. Good advice. A four year computer science degree would be better, esp. if the poster really wants to do 3D graphics, which is non-trivial to say the least. CompSci with a minor in math is more like it. To the OP: But yeah, start with the tutorial that Andrew pointed you at, take a class if time and finances allow, but realize that what you are attempting is not easy and will be a lot of work. >> My advice: Invest three months and ~$400 for a local college course >> plus textbook. Access to a professor who knows his stuff is a huge [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > take a class if time and finances allow, but realize that what you are > attempting is not easy and will be a lot of work. Could be bad advice. Some people learn better and faster without a classroom holding them back. I know any number of people, myself included, who found ways to learn Java without the expense of a college course, and at the much faster pace that such a course would've obviated. In my own case, I got together with other programmers to form in-home study groups when I was learning JEE. We agreed on textbooks and example projects, and took turns presenting the information. Free, fun and fantastically effective. SignatureLew > rbk...@gmail.com wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Creating such a game is hardly 'the basics', You should probably be talking about solving games rather than creating games. The easiest would be a one player game with a definite solution. Find a puzzle book and look for some ideas. If you haven't programmed before, you would be better of playing around with an interpreter. This means you can get instant feedback on what you are doing. Download a SCHEME, or a BASIC interpreter. But yes, a Sun's Java tutorials are a good way to learn. > Hey, > I'm wondering.... How do you create a program? I just want to > understand the basics, although if someone could explain how to make > one of those 2d-3d computer game worlds, I'd love to learn. > thanks, Expect to spend 5-10 years full time studying before you are able to make "those 2d-3d computer game worlds". Expect to spend more time (15-30 years) if you are unable to spend full time studying due to being a university student in a non-computer science program; and/or having a job; and/or having a family to raise; and/or having friends to spend time with. Once you've spent 5-30 years studying enough to know HOW to make a game, expect to spend 5-10 years of actual effort making that game (especially if you're going to do it solo). There's a reason Sony, Blizard, Nintendo, etc. spend in the tens of millions of dollars on teams of 100+ employees over several years to develop those games, as opposed to just spending a couple thousand to have some guy develop the game over the weekend. - Oliver >> Hey, >> I'm wondering.... How do you create a program? I just want to [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > make "those 2d-3d computer game worlds". Expect to spend more time (15-30 > years) if you are unable to spend full time studying due to being a Well, I think this is a tad excessive. Anyone of mediocre talent could master the basics of programming, 2D and 3D math and crank out a couple of engines in five years, if they were diligent and applied themselves. Yes, I agree that doing it full time (i.e., no more than "student" jobs) would be required. It is possible to learn on your own, but that requires considerable drive, ime. Even self-taught programmers often feel the need to get a piece of paper with a degree on it eventually. In fact, I think the graphics industry moves too quickly for self-teaching to be possible. By the time you learned one technique, the industry would be two steps ahead. For true mastery, working in the industry is required. Yes that will probably take another five years before you could possibly be a "hot commodity." But at least you'd be doing it the whole time. Free MagazinesGet these publications absolutely FREE for up to 12 months. There are no hidden fees and no obligation. Simply choose a title, complete the application form and submit it. Read more ...
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