Help setting up stuff for some real beginners

Impeesa · 2004-05-28T14:03:08

So last summer I worked at a science camp for older kids (13-17 yrs). I mostly covered the computer stuff. One of the main things we did was some very simple game stuff - using DJGPP and Allegro, they drew stuff to the screen, and did some simple collision detection to recreate what basically amounts to tag. I''m back this year, and I''d like to do something a little more interesting. Given the fact that most of them will have little to no prior programming experience, this means I''ll have to provide some sort of framework for them to work with. The catch? I don''t have enough time to teach myself from scratch and still get everything else ready. I''ve already done some Googling, and I can''t seem to find anything quite like what I want (maybe I''m just dumb*...) Basically, what I''d like to do is provide some sort of framework for a 3D projection. Something really simple that would let them draw lines or shapes on a 3D ''surface'' and then draw that to the screen. For their part, I''m thinking it may be best to put them in groups and have them do a simple project from that - 3D Pong, for example (one student makes paddles that move, one makes a ball that moves on its own, one does collision detection, that sort of thing). So my questions for you all become: 1) The most obvious one - does anyone have anything like this already made? The less fancy, the better, ideally it would be simple enough that I could walk them through the code and explain how it works. 2) Barring that, would anyone here be kind enough to volunteer a bit of time to help me put something like this together? 3) Any suggestions for a compiler? Is this feasible with the same stock DJGPP/Allegro setup I used last year? 4) Anyone ever do this sort of thing for a science camp before? Or have any cool ideas for other stuff we could do? One of the non-computer things we''ll be doing is some forensics, so I thought some internet-based information gathering puzzles might be cool. Anyways, thanks in advance to anyone who can help me. Feel free to pass this on to anyone else who might have ideas for me! --Impeesa-- *This is entirely possible. I''ve just finished my third year of a computer science/physics double major, I just haven''t done any 3D graphics at all.

For Beginners

Started by Impeesa May 25, 2004 03:01 PM

16 comments, last by Impeesa 19 years, 11 months ago

void*

292

May 26, 2004 12:15 PM

Python has OpenGL bindings and is pretty easy to pick up, even for non-programmers. I took a college level Physics course that used Python to simulate interactions between charged particles... and even the students in the class with absolutely no programming experience had no difficulty picking up Python''s syntax. It''s not the best interface for making a game but it is sufficient for the simple type of game that you''re aiming to create.

Greenspun's Tenth Rule of Programming: "Any sufficiently complicated C or Fortran program contains an ad-hoc, informally-specified bug-ridden slow implementation of half of Common Lisp."

Red Drake

120

May 26, 2004 12:26 PM

Isn't Python scripting lanuge ??

[edited by - Red Drake on May 26, 2004 1:27:07 PM]

Red Drake

Kris2456

100

May 26, 2004 02:53 PM

quote:Original post by Red Drake
to RuneLancer :
"Chances are his knowledge is fragmented. Learning the of what he posted basics can take a few weeks. Understanding them can take a few months. Mastering them will take a few years."

Wel of course it is. I mean I coud not move a single step in lightning, particle efects, shadows (advanced topics) ... widouth documentetion . Buth after all why is documentation hear anyway.
About hte understanding - I try to understeand the every article teoreticly, and as for code - I coud not write an initalisation engine widouth docs becouse i dont know functions (the names) and I asume that most of other people don't know all (i do know basics like GLBegin()...).
I think that is important to understand the teory and no learn evrithing like machine (if you dont remember somthing readi it later when you need it).
....

Amen brother

back to the subject, i reckon that u shud teach them C++ first, im also 15, and thats what i learn first. Then let them learn OpenGL, but onl y the rawing stuff, (not init). But be cazreful beacuse most 13-17 year olds arnt very motivated, and i know from personal experince that getting a team to sift their ass is difficult.

-------

"Here lies a toppled God,
His fall was not a small one,
We but built his pedastle,
A narrow, and a tall one"
Frank Herbert (Dune:Messiah)

[edited by - Kris2456 on May 26, 2004 3:54:38 PM]

------------ "Here lies a toppled God,His fall was not a small one,We but built his pedastle,A narrow, and a tall one" Frank Herbert (Dune:Messiah)

Red Drake

120

May 26, 2004 05:09 PM

Whel motivation isn't that hard.
Yust tell the guys that if they learn game development they will be able to earn 300.000 $ if they are good (i read that this is the top at gamasutra)
I don't know abouth the others but it certanly motivated me. Besides I like game development

The idea of makeing a game is kind of a cool
P.S. say that i am geek buth i dont care - I don't know you

And a question to Impeesa:
I don't understand the idea of this "science camp" becouse in Croatia ther is no such thing.
How come the students that come there dont qnow programing ??
Shoudent this things be for advanced kids ??

[edited by - Red Drake on May 26, 2004 6:15:14 PM]

Red Drake

Impeesa

122

Author

May 28, 2004 12:24 PM

Red Drake: Basically, it''s a two-week course where the kids show up each morning and stay all day. In our case, we offer three different streams - physical science (physics/chemistry), life science (biology/environmental science), and computer science. Generally speaking these are just average high school kids who come to learn a bit about some area of science that interests them, rather than people with any prior experience.

Thanks to everyone who''s posted. If someone knows of a very simple OpenGL demo that they could turn into a Pong type of game, that would be cool. Barring that, I think I may start writing such an engine myself... shouldn''t be hard, it only has to draw lines anyway, right?

--Impeesa--

Red Drake

120

May 28, 2004 01:30 PM

"shouldn''t be hard, it only has to draw lines anyway, right?

"
Man eather you are yoking (hopfuly)
or you belive it''s yust drawing lines

Lines hawe nothing to do with this (basicly)
As I mentiond before go to nehe.gamedev.net - demos, tutorials every thing you can think of.
If you hawe hard time learning it I coud write it for you (but only if this is the "only" option).
I still hope you are yoking

Red Drake

Impeesa

122

Author

May 28, 2004 01:34 PM

I should clarify that - something that tracks points/lines in space and renders a wireframe image would be sufficient for what I''d like to do. For an actual 3D engine, I know, that''s a trivially small portion of the things it has to do.

--Impeesa--

Red Drake

120

May 28, 2004 02:03 PM

Yes, yes buth hawe you considerd what i told you earlyer
You will hawe to use trigonometric functions that are (in my school) learnd at 2''nd year (16 + yrs.) so if any one doesn''t know his math

what then.
And you hawe not anwserd the question - do you need me to write your code or not (It''s the reason I am looking at this post)
I woud yust make an inatilisation code and add som simplified draw function ( like GL_DrawBall (radus), GL_DrawSquare (x,y)...) so you dont need to show them non of OpenGL code ( and it will be easy enough for anybody) - so you can let them wory about coallision, moveing, input ...

Red Drake

Help setting up stuff for some real beginners

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