Have probably been said already...
1. Do clearly comment all your code. Do it. Trust me, in a few months you’re going to need to know what your code does.
2. Do not put the majority of your code in one large file. The thing will just keep growing and growing until it is unmanageable. This is pretty damn obvious, but I missed this one on my first project
Game designing "Do and Don'ts"
quote:Original post by Unsuspected
what''s a profiler?
And before anything else mentioned here, learn to use google.
Read my signature.
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"Each refinement in the definition of the task becomes a refinement in the algorithm." Frederick. P. Brooks, Jr.
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"Each refinement in the definition of the task becomes a refinement in the algorithm." Frederick. P. Brooks, Jr.
The topic made me think this was about game DESIGNING, not coding. But maybe it''s supposed to be about designing code for games?
- Do constantly evaluate you design: having a function that does a job is good, having two functions that do that job is okay, having three functions that all do that job is cause to start re-thinking...
--
Never
My game
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Never
My game
DO re-use portions of your code where possbile. For things that are the same or similar every time (eg. DirectX initialization) it will save you a lot of time and effort. However DO write these portions of code for yourself in the first place, and ensure you understand them. Since you will be re-using the code, try to optimize it within reason once your sure of how it works.
DO give enough details of your problem when asking questions. People will be able to help you much easier if you give them as much of the relevent information as possible, such as what language you use, which IDE/compiler, links to tutorials if the problem is with code from a tutorial, etc.
DO try to help other people with thier programming problems if your fairly sure you know the answer - explaining to someone else is a good way of learning things yourself.
DO make an effort to use correct spelling and grammar in forum posts, as well as formatting techniques such as punctuation and paragraphs. This will make your posts easier to read and your questions more clear, so you are more likely to get the help you need, or conversely save you from having to explain the help you gave someone else again. You do NOT have to hit return at the end of each line when posting on the gamedev.net forums, the text will wrap.
DO use anchor tags to make 'clicky' links for any urls in your posts if you have time, as this saves people responding to your posts a lot of time and effort when following links. People may sometimes not bother to visit a url if it isnt provided as a 'clicky link.'
DONT give up if a specific technique or problem is difficult, as these are often the most rewarding to solve, and are most likely required for you to progress as a programmer. Try to solve the problem yourself, look at any avaliable documentation, search google, gamedev.net, or similar sites for tutorials, and lastly, post on the forums for help. You should try to solve problems for yourself before posting when possible, as you will often learn better that way, as well as saving others the effort of helping you.
DONT needlessly insult others in forum posts - even if thier question seems fairly obvious to you, just remember that there are most likely people who find the solutions to YOUR problems obvious as well.
[edited by - kazgoroth on April 5, 2004 11:14:04 AM]
DO give enough details of your problem when asking questions. People will be able to help you much easier if you give them as much of the relevent information as possible, such as what language you use, which IDE/compiler, links to tutorials if the problem is with code from a tutorial, etc.
DO try to help other people with thier programming problems if your fairly sure you know the answer - explaining to someone else is a good way of learning things yourself.
DO make an effort to use correct spelling and grammar in forum posts, as well as formatting techniques such as punctuation and paragraphs. This will make your posts easier to read and your questions more clear, so you are more likely to get the help you need, or conversely save you from having to explain the help you gave someone else again. You do NOT have to hit return at the end of each line when posting on the gamedev.net forums, the text will wrap.
DO use anchor tags to make 'clicky' links for any urls in your posts if you have time, as this saves people responding to your posts a lot of time and effort when following links. People may sometimes not bother to visit a url if it isnt provided as a 'clicky link.'
DONT give up if a specific technique or problem is difficult, as these are often the most rewarding to solve, and are most likely required for you to progress as a programmer. Try to solve the problem yourself, look at any avaliable documentation, search google, gamedev.net, or similar sites for tutorials, and lastly, post on the forums for help. You should try to solve problems for yourself before posting when possible, as you will often learn better that way, as well as saving others the effort of helping you.
DONT needlessly insult others in forum posts - even if thier question seems fairly obvious to you, just remember that there are most likely people who find the solutions to YOUR problems obvious as well.
[edited by - kazgoroth on April 5, 2004 11:14:04 AM]
Some safety...
Dont keep trying to solve a problem until you are exhausted, leave it for some time.
Your brain needs rest and relaxment....
Dont use Highres in 17 inch display, above 1024x768.
Dont keep staring and focusing on a same point, keep eye balls moving.
Prefer printer to read docs.
dont look at display when not needed.
(Some of these are not neccessary in case of LCD disp)
Dont sit on a chair where your back angle is less than 90.
Dont force your wrist to lift your hands.
Keep your wrist on a ground where your fingers have easy access to keyboard.
In simple words your body should be in 100% relax pose.
Dont work in a darkroom, keep constast of light of room balanced with your display.
Prefer a theme/color_scheme with dark over light contrast instead of light over dark.
Warmup your body after every hour by jumping/dancing/jogging...ie refresh every muscle of body
[edited by - DirectxXx on April 5, 2004 11:58:21 AM]
Dont keep trying to solve a problem until you are exhausted, leave it for some time.
Your brain needs rest and relaxment....
Dont use Highres in 17 inch display, above 1024x768.
Dont keep staring and focusing on a same point, keep eye balls moving.
Prefer printer to read docs.
dont look at display when not needed.
(Some of these are not neccessary in case of LCD disp)
Dont sit on a chair where your back angle is less than 90.
Dont force your wrist to lift your hands.
Keep your wrist on a ground where your fingers have easy access to keyboard.
In simple words your body should be in 100% relax pose.
Dont work in a darkroom, keep constast of light of room balanced with your display.
Prefer a theme/color_scheme with dark over light contrast instead of light over dark.
Warmup your body after every hour by jumping/dancing/jogging...ie refresh every muscle of body
[edited by - DirectxXx on April 5, 2004 11:58:21 AM]
I don''t understand the science behind the dark room "screen glare". I heard it (for the TV screen though) was just a marketing myth to sell lamps or something. Apart from eye strain, does working in a dark room really make it any worse?
Can anyone explain this so that I can stop doing it ( I prefer working without the light on usually ).
Can anyone explain this so that I can stop doing it ( I prefer working without the light on usually ).
This topic is closed to new replies.
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