Sorry your browser is not supported!

I've written a few tutorials in the past, some quite long. A complete book has been something I've wanted to do for awhile. And while I'm stuck in therapy, there's not a whole lot to do when I'm not exercising except to read (currently reading angels & demons).

I want to write a complete textbook in a way that's geared towards what schools would want to use. (so quizzes, homework, challenges at each chapter) I've begun my initial outline, including a comprehensive history of DB. Right now, I'm looking for feedback on the order of topics.

1. Data output (printing to screen)
2. Loop control
3. Data Types and working with variables
4. Data Input (keyboard and mouse input)
5. Arrays
6. Working with Images
7. User-Defined Types
8. Sprites
9. Files
10. Gosubs, Functions, & Including external sources (#include)
11. Sound
12. DATA statements
13. Intro to 3D; primitives, billboarding techniques, camera control, handling model animation

Chapter 13 will be broken down further. Students will construct various games while reading, including Pong and some kind of 3D game.

I have specific reasons for learning the commands in this order, but if you think you have a better strategy then please share it. My reason for learning images early on and before UDTs is because I feel they will have learned enough at that point to make simple functional programs and now they'll have the chances to add some graphics; to keep interest and push them to progress further.

I've read many instructional books that often gives examples of various concepts that hold no real world use most of the time. By carefully designing the right examples, my hope is that students will grasp real reasons for choosing the various commands where appropriate.

Beginner programmers tend to not make those simple connections that many of us would find obvious. As a very basic example, hello world demo. Maybe all they manage to see is "oh why would I want to print that on the screen?". A more functional example I think would be to instead display frame rates, something they would immediately see a use in.

What do you guys think? I do have a goal to try and see this published within a year's time.

I really like this idea as a person who wants to script but dosnt know where to start I would buy such a book.

I think you should probably re-arrange these, to:
4. Arrays and Types
5. Data Input (keyboard and mouse input)
6. Working with Images
7. Sprites

Possibly combine arrays and types, because on their own, they don't leave a whole lot of material for an entire chapter. You also had images and sprite separated by types. Images would be a good intro to sprites, while it's still the last thing they read, it's good to build off of that. You could use the input chapter in images (have them load in a file that they specify) and sprites (for movement obviously)

After the sprites chapter, a simple 2D math chapter might be good, and at the end, possibly have a chapter on memblocks (maybe not though, don't really know what age group you are aiming for).

The topics you chose are fine. Maybe it's just me, but I think you should learn UDTs before images, and kind of combine that with arrays (switch 6 and 7).

I also think that programming structures should be among the first things you learn before getting into stuff like sprites and files (functions, subroutines, DATA, select/endselect, case/endcase etc.), so try and squeeze that in at the beginning.

I hope you finish this book, it's a good idea

TheComet

I agree with the APPLIED approach as I am currently debating a book on game design while applying it to actual projects some example projects some real world projects which will be published (hopefully lol)

Nice idea keep it going!

One thing your forgetting about putting types near the start, is you dont want to overwhelm people.

It'd make more sense to have a basic variable section before any control structures, since the latter will require knowledge of variables.

What I'd do is structure it in a way that the reader can learn the basics such as variables, control structures, text and simple graphics output, and have fun building their own programs that use these concepts before moving onto more advanced things.

I'll rework it so variables are covered before control structures. Thanks for the feedback, I'm considering it all.

i would also buy such a book.

It might also be good to list various good practices at the end or somthing

I've already made a note about naming conventions. Coding practices can fit in there.