What do you guys do when you've been working for months on a game demo and you still can't run it because you suck as a programmer and can't even get moving bitmaps right which should be the first thing that any decent game writer can do?
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If your focus is to ship a game, I'd switch to simpler development tools. With Unity3d, Panda3d, Torque, or UDK you can have a sprite moving in hours.
Alternatively, consider picking up a book on developing with the game or graphics engine of your choice that includes a chapter on moving sprites. That way, you'll know that when you reach chapter N, you'll be able to do that, and likely develop many helpful skills along the way.
Do you just scrap your project when it gets too complicated for you to understand? Or do you just push through?
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Neither. I simplify it using tools like modularity, documentation, and loops until it's easy to understand. I strive for objects and methods that are so simple I could (and do!) explain them to non-programmers. Simplification is precisely why I've successfully assumed projects where others gave up and produced something marketable from them.
Despondent
Author
Thank you all for your support. I just want to let you know what I plan to do. I have decided to devote several hours a day to learning Unity, so I can learn a high level approach together with a low-level one. But I have had some epiphones in the mean time and I`m going to try to fix up my C++ implementation. One of the problems that I was having was not knowing where to place assets, and now that I have learned a bit about RTTI, reflection, and serialization, I have decided to just use simple LoadAtlas() and LoadEntities() functions in the Enter() function of my application`s state machine. This should just automatically load up the needed bitmaps and I can focus the rest of my energy perfecting the input subsystem to get these things moving as well.
Easier said than done, but through reading some good books and doing some deep introspective thinking, I think I can have my cake and eat it too! I`ll let you know when this stage of the project is complete, and will upload code and/or binaries for your use/perusal.
Thanks again.
-Dave
Easier said than done, but through reading some good books and doing some deep introspective thinking, I think I can have my cake and eat it too! I`ll let you know when this stage of the project is complete, and will upload code and/or binaries for your use/perusal.
Thanks again.
-Dave
I have to second CuriosityKills's suggestion. What is your desire? Do you really want to make the engine, or do you want to make a game. There are too many tools available, and in general they do things for you so you don't have to. For example, Game Maker(silly name, but works great) handles all of the sprites, etc... You don't have to do any loading, drawing, collision tests, any of that, and instead you program the game's logic, which saves tons of time.
Wait, you learned about C++ RTTI and somehow missed the entire thing where it's completely broken/useless?
LOL Telastyn. (So true.)
OP, it sounds like you're just getting too far ahead of yourself. In my experience it's better to pick up a new concept and get completely comfortable with it, then move on to the next one. Don't distract yourself with implementation madness while you're trying to learn something new. Create a new project and use the new tool/concept in a small program that focuses on just that one thing. Once you're done with it just zip it and put it in your archive as a reference on that subject for later use. A year from now when you feel downcast again just thumb through the old archives and you'll be able to see how very far you've come.
OP, it sounds like you're just getting too far ahead of yourself. In my experience it's better to pick up a new concept and get completely comfortable with it, then move on to the next one. Don't distract yourself with implementation madness while you're trying to learn something new. Create a new project and use the new tool/concept in a small program that focuses on just that one thing. Once you're done with it just zip it and put it in your archive as a reference on that subject for later use. A year from now when you feel downcast again just thumb through the old archives and you'll be able to see how very far you've come.
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