[Audyssey] Game development was intro

[Thomas Ward]

Hi Damien,
This list has been over this somewhat before but seriously I don't feel 
starting with autoit is the best suggestion. You may wonder why. Here is 
why I feel strongly against using autoit.
First, off any seriously interested game developer worth a grain of 
sault must know and understand object oriented programming and design. 
All major programming languages weather we are talking C++, C#.NET, 
VB.NET, Java, etc work with objects, classes, etc... Sooner or later a 
new developer is going to have to learn it, and it might as be earlier 
than later.
Second, autoit isn't a programming language per say so largely what you 
learn using it is basicly linked to autoit, and useless if you want to 
branch out and learn how to write a pro programming language, learn 
DirectX, and you wind up learning all over again from scratch. The time 
spent learning and working with autoit in my personal opinion is waisted.
Third, learning a real full blown programming language for games has 
more flexable mainstream uses. You might be writing a couple of games, 
and decide you want to write your own mp3 player or wav recorder. You 
can do that, because you have a powerful language and compiler under 
your fingertips.
Fourth, is similar to three, but this is to drive the point home. With 
autoit you are locked in to specific styles of games. With a full blown 
programming language you can do everything from text-based up to 3D audo 
FPS action games with online game play, etc...
Fifth, while most PC owners still are largely MS Windows-based there is 
a slowly growing movement of sighted and blind folks who are now using  
alternative solutions such as Linux as well as FreeBSD, and some using 
Mac OS. With such a growing movement portability is likely going to 
become more important in the future.
In fact, portability is one of the reasons I picked C#.NET as my 
development language for U.S.A. Games. At some point in the future I 
should be able to update my Sound.cs file with open source solutions 
like OpenAL, and run my games on Mac OS and Linux via Mono. I'm looking 
at porting STFC 2.0 to Linux right now, but have been busy with working 
on the core features of the game core to look in to portability.
Anyway, why I am writing all this is I strongly feel a new developer 
needs to learn good coding and practices and skills right off rather 
than taking shortcuts like Autoit only to find  out in the end it wasn't 
really valuable or worth the time. Granted we all have different 
interests, tastes, and aspirations, but what I would like to see is the 
accessible game comunity to stop lingering in Autoit, VB 6, etc and 
begin to really get in to more complex concepts and put out some cutting 
edge stuff.
I'm not saying this is going to happen at once, but the existing 
developers have sadly stopped pushing the edge of cutting edge gaming. 
We've got so many Space Invader type clones, but only a couple of FPS 
games like Shades of Doom, and SOD is still really a one of a kind. GMA 
Tank Commander was really the first awesome simulation combat game, but 
again nothing else has really come close to comparison. Why is this?
Well, as I said a game developer has to start somewhere, and starting 
with something truly useful such as C#.NET or VB.NET right off will 
break the new developer in to a real programming language.  After that 
they'll have to practice with some simple games. Even a Space Invader 
Clone or two. However, after that he or she should be able to cut his or 
her teeth in to something more complex. Maybe a FPS game. After that 
work up to an online game.
There is a progressiont to programming and a good developer is always 
learning, updating his or her skills, and is building more and more 
complex projects. Eventually, in 3 to 5 years he or she is ready to make 
games that are pretty advanced. All depending of course on the persons 
aptitude to learn. Not everyone can be a master, but many once they have 
a programming language well learned has the potential to go far. That 
potential is lost with substitutes like Autoit.
Smile.





 

x-sight interactive wrote:
> oh rachel i never knew you wanted to develop. if you want any help i can
> help you. i provide a starter pack for developers who wish to start off
> simple using autoit - most people don't like that though - but i would
> recommend that before starting something like vb or something more
> complicated.
>
> you can visit my dev section at:
>
> http://x-sight.brandoncole.net/dev
>
> hth.
>
> regards,
>
> damien
>