13 replies to this topic

[MrJasonReynolds]

Just a general question, Where did all of you guys learn what you do now = Coding/Modeling/Mapping Ect....
Please provide a link.

[Palidine]

Just a general question, Where did all of you guys learn what you do now = Coding/Modeling/Mapping Ect....
Please provide a link.

Programming: Dad taught me Basic on the Atari 800 when I was about 13. But primarily college. Then during my internet and game jobs ad through hobby programming. A lot on this site just asking questions.
Design: During my game jobs


-me

[Aardvajk]

Yeah, same really. Learned BASIC on a Spectrum when I was a kid, did a bit of C at college but mainly taught myself. Being active on these forums and reading every book I could get my hands on are probably where I learned the most of what I use now.

[boogyman19946]

I don't think there ever truly is a single source. I know I didn't have just one and I have no links to post, unfortunately. The first programming language I've taken upon learning was either C or C++ and I started learning with an e-book but I never finished it because I was a little bit too young to understand what the information meant. I tried studying Java as well with a huge bible but I got to GUI programming where I was completely lost. Later on, I've discovered in one of my classes that I can program my calculator, a TI-84 Silver Edition. I've made a couple of programs to help automate my math and I've taken up more interest in studying programming. I came back to studying C++ and tried to find out how to implement graphics into my games. I've stumbled upon DirectX and OpenGL but just starting out, it was way above my head. I got my hands on a program (a course, that is) for game programming with Win32. I've plowed through it and managed to create a Tic-Tac-Toe game. I've continued on to make Pong and later on a clone of Tetris. All three games made in C++ with Win32; however, for my current project, I decided to go back to Java. It may not seem as a sane choice as the usual advice is to stick with one language, but I now know I've made a good choice. I've found Java to be more productive at least by a magnitude. I guess I liked the challenging struggle with C++ and it's advanced use because I perhaps don't seem to be as motivated with Java (it's a little bit too easy maybe >.>) but I got far more work done with Java than I have with C++. Throughout everything, I've used the MSDN, Java Docs, and a multitude of tutorials to help me along the way. I've found also that programming a game requires a lot more than just being able to program. Understanding theory is probably far more important. You need to understand how to do something before you can break it down into automated chunks for your program to execute. You can't create a calculator without having the slightest idea of what math is, despite it being mere silicone and wires. A link just won't do. There is no link to experience

[Telastyn]

The vast majority of things I've learned was by trying to make something, and then trying to use it. As long as you're paying attention, you'll see quickly how it's good and how it sucks. Repeat until things suck less.

[szecs]

Some C coding: On a course in the engineering university. After that on my own, using some references (no net, no programmer friends, no books).
old OpenGL: the Red Book
Modeling: on my own by struggling a lot.
texture making: nowhere, I'm shit in that.

[ApochPiQ]

Learn by doing.


As another poster said, there's no link to experience.

[TMKCodes]

No single source, The web, Many different books. I've been self studying programming even though i have taken some programming classes, but those were classes which content i already knew before hand. Writing lots of code and learning to use the debuggers and lots of lots testing and more code and more code and again testing, it has become daily routine to write a little bit of code and make it functional even if it's a small bash script.

[menyo]

I started learning C# by doing going through to the most basic of tutorials to more advanced ones. "Hello world" -> "Calculator" -> "Text rpg" -> "XNA pong" was the path i took a while back. The main thing is to really understand what was going on, if i could not wrap my head around it i would ask on forums such as this one. After the pong i felt confident enough to make my own XNA break out clone, which was very simple and learned a lot from it by making mistakes like not thinking ahead. Then another couple of tutorials like the XNA tower defense tutorial and some of my own little projects like fiddling around with tilemaps, isometric and 3D stuff.

I'm feel i am still a beginner programmer but i can make some cool stuff and i can google solutions for most of the problems i encounter which is very important imo.

[Postie]

Though I've been programming for 15+ years, I still use this link to find the answers I need.

[loom_weaver]

Just a general question, Where did all of you guys learn what you do now = Coding/Modeling/Mapping Ect....
Please provide a link.

A link? What's that?

I started coding by modifying a game called Lemonade on the Apple II. I hacked it to start with 1M dollars instead of $2.

I also typed in full source code listings from Compute magazines.

Add some high-school programming courses, a university degree, several internships, and finally real-world work experience.

But I'm still learning. Some things don't change and for me it boils down to curiosity. Give me a reference manual, a computer, and a compiler and I'm off and running.

[Bregma]

I got me one of these in the early 1970s. Programmed a game called 'nim' by following the instruction manual.

Sorry, best I could do for a link considering I learned to program decades before the web was invented.

[Sirisian]

I started by reading Sam's Teach yourself C++ in 24 hours like 9 years ago? The book is considered horrible and it's outdated now. dev-C++. After that I learned VB6 and VB.NET in HS via a class. Then I learned C# at the end of grade 12 and the university taught me a lot more when I got a CS degree.

What little modeling I know I learned using Wings3D without any tutorials. Pretty intuitive tool. I once learned the basics of rigging with Blender but forgot how that all worked.

My advice is grab a book and start learning. C# or Python are good starts. (After that C++ will look easier and you'll learn it faster if that's your intent).

[Varine]

I made my parents buy me DarkBASIC when I was like ten, and then started C++ when I was 12 or 13. I took some animation classes in high school too, but I don't like modeling. Every now and then I get stuck helping the artists though. It's horrible, they make fun of me.

Apparently I'm the only one that didn't go to college... I should really consider doing that.