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Newcomers DBPro Corner / Where do you get your knowledge ?

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Keemo1000
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Joined: 26th May 2005
Location: 28th Dimension
Posted: 28th May 2005 23:28
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Hey all of you pros in dbp out there ,

Where do you get all of your knowledge about dbp ?

Its like , someone asks a question , and you can answer the question really easily , where did you learn dbp so good ? who taught you ? was it a book , or a site or just self-learning ??

pls reply---
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TKF15H
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Location: Rio de Janeiro
Posted: 29th May 2005 01:03
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Through osmosis... I sleep on a programming book and my brain sucks it all in.

Actually, it's just using DBP as much as you can. Whenever there's a doubt, check the help files. After a while you'll be checking them less and less. Also, look in the help files first, if you can't find an answere there, THEN ask on the forum. Some people ask on the forum first, and a reply will take longer than if they'd check the documentation first.

WarBasic Scripting engine for DarkBasicPro
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zenassem
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Location: Long Island, NY
Posted: 29th May 2005 01:18 Edited at: 29th May 2005 01:31
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I wouldn't really consider myself a pro but...

I think many here are programmers first; meaning that we have learned and used a variety of languages. While many use a different syntax, the concepts and algorithms generally can be applied from one languge to another. for example...

===========
I started with Atari Basic then here was my progression
(There are other languages I explored as well, but never really became proficient in ie, pascal,logo,TI-basic etc...)
-Assembly language for the 6502 microprocessor
-Microsoft Basic
-Qbasic and GWbasic
-Assemmbly language for intel 8086 microprocessor
-C
-Microsoft Visual Basic
-C++ (numerous compilers and API's)
-PIC and Basic Stamp Microcontroller programming
-Java
.... Currently working with DBC/DBP Javascript and VBscript

I started learning early on in basic on my own. Lots of "Trial BY Error". I then learned from magazines like Compute! and books from the public library.

Eventually I studied a Computer Science Curriculum. It really helped me focus on Data structures, and algorithms, recursion, and all the stuff that I used to skipover while self-learning
===============


In the last few years there has been an explosion of game programming books and resources at retail booksellers like Borders. I learned alot about game programming from lamothe's series, the Gems series etc...

Lastly internet resources such as [href]www.gamedev.net[/href] and the like have helped out as well. It is a big advantage to know languages that have more articles and material around the web like C++.

As for DBC/DBP specific, I have tried to incorporate my past experiences, and again learn by "Trial by Error". The best learning for me comes from

1)Trying to code something yourself. Reading the Help, and trying some more. Some people give up to easily and then allow other to code for them without truly understanding how and why things work.

2)Reading the forums, and SERIOUSLY looking at other's code. Not just skimming, but truly understanding what and how things work together.

3)My best advice is to set a goal of learning 2-3 things every day. By learning i mean that you are solid on the concept or command; not iffy, but confident that you thoroughly understrand it. In a months time you will be 60-90 times more proficient then you are today.

========
some final thoughts....

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. More can be learned from experiments gone wrong than gettting it right on the first shot; in most cases.

Be easier on yourslef. Enjoy your programming.

Think Big, but start small.

Keep experimenting. Try to learn 2 or 3 ways to accomplish a task. Sometimes your first hunch at a solution isn't necessarily the best.

Remember... "TANSTATFC"
There Ain't No Such Thing As The Fastest Code

~zen


~zen


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James Morgan
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Posted: 29th May 2005 01:29
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I wouldny consider myself a pro either but for me its mainly through self learning. I have delphi and when it comes down to the math and VERY basics, all languages are pretty much the same (such as the For loops, and If statements)

I program something, tackle all the problems I come across then if I still need help I will go onto these boards.
The phrase Practice makes perfect really does sum up the learing curve of programming for me.


James

Hello!
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Baggers
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Location: Yonder over dem dere hills
Posted: 29th May 2005 02:06
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Not a pro but basically keep doing it !

I started programming when i was 8 (i think... maybe 7) doing little bits on Qbasic with print and maths and the like. The only books i read on programming one were ones meant for children from the local library.

On DBC the manual was good so i made good use of that...but when i got to the tutorials i quickly got bored and started making a fps..which failed !...and then a 3rd person shooter, which got quite far and died...evil lack of backups!

But seriously your best friend is the search button...if your intersted in an area of programming read as much as you can about it...i spent ages on as level physics sites learning about vectors so i could use them in DBP.
In the end it all comes down to just practise as has been said above, each time you code you should learn somethig new you use in future projects.

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BatVink
Moderator
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Posted: 29th May 2005 07:31
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I program for a living. DB Pro is a "creative outlet", business programming can be dull to say the least.

BatVink
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Gil Galvanti
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Location: Texas, United States
Posted: 29th May 2005 07:36
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ask questions, get answers, teach urself. Learn by trial and error.

Video games…they take you places unreachable, unfeasible. Putting you in the book...putting you in the movie...putting you in a world, that before could only be imagined. expage.com/piratesmainpage.
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SageTech
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Location: Orlando, Florida
Posted: 29th May 2005 13:03
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im not a pro but...

the answer is there is no click here to download infinate knowledge of dbpro buttons. You have to work with dbpro quite a bit and another idea is to modify existing code. There are many ways, just have fun!

Sagetech forums currently down
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Keemo1000
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Posted: 30th May 2005 13:13
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Thanks alot for the self-learning encouragments , but this is my very very very first language that I really want to master , ive heard of that 700 page book to teach yourself darkbasic , and the developers told me it teaches the basic commands and variables and stuff in db , but the new commands in dbp arent included in the book , so it was a bit expensive for me , I can try to buy it , but will it help me as a noob programmer ??

Or can you guys give me a short tutorial on everything i can figure out ? (the help file in dbp is more of a <tip> file , it gives you tips , and little help)

pls reply---
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qwe
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Posted: 30th May 2005 16:28
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by seeking it of course
especially when trying to add things to your game that you don't know how to do. have to learn

also of course practice
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master programmer
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Posted: 30th May 2005 17:09
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Well, you aren't born with the knowledge of programming, so finding the language comes easily, partly through osmosis, but mainly just trying new things, reading the manual, ummm.... reading the manual, I should say this site, but I haven't been here long...just a day, so I would say you get the knowledge by .....Gee I don't know...pass.

_________________________________
<<<<I can program using anything>>>>

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NanoBrain
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Posted: 30th May 2005 17:32
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keemo,

Start with coding simple programs EX:
. Begin to add to these programs with any knowledge you recieve from the included tutorials. I promise they are not just for tips. But, they really do teach you much. Though, I had knowledge of Visual Basic 6.0 beforehand, without the tutorials I wouldn't be where I am now in DarkBasic.

When you run into a problem and cannot figure a solution from the tutorials, or command listings, then come to the forums and ask others for help. Well, after you have searched the forums and codebase for plausible answers. Good luck. We're here for you because others have been here for us. Programming is a great hobby and career.


+NanoBrain+
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HowDo
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Posted: 30th May 2005 19:13
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This is just like learning to swim or walk a tightrope looks easy until you try, However this forum is like your life gurad or saftey net, On stand by waiting for a chance to guide up and coming programers (UCP).

I been bashing keys on all types of machines form the UK101, ZX81, BBC32, Amiga500 and Pc, All very diffrent and all with there good and bad bits.(all use some sort of basic.)

The main thing is do it because you want to, some, it will click just like that other's will be pushing it, but like all things small steps at a time and who knows.

ps don't bash the keys to hard as pc key boards aren't that good at saying stop hitting me!

I'm not getting you down am I, Ho Look! another fancy Door?
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Keemo1000
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Posted: 31st May 2005 23:53
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Can any one write me a short tutorial for noobs like me ??

Pls , i want more than the help file

pls reply---
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waffle
22
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Location: Western USA
Posted: 3rd Jun 2005 13:11
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>zenassem I also played with 6502 ... Had the monitor program for the C64 Also programmed 8800 and 8086 (imsai) with toggle switches.

Yes, programming is like a "language", and each developement "language" is like a dialect. After awhile, your only questions are concerning the dialect or syntax because you can figure out what the command does, just having trouble implementing it. Also, look at any code you can. And don't just "look" at it. Copy it, change it, break it and see if you can fix it. Writing code is the easy part ... fixing broken code is the hard part. The next hardest part is adding new features ... this usually breaks the old code in unexpected ways When learning, start with any "free" source code and "fix it up" by adding a new feature.
Or just restructure the code to make it look neater. Either way, you'll learn something.

Also,
Play with each "monster hunt" tutorial. Don't just "run" them and go "so that's it eh?". read them, break them. Way back when, in one of my computer classes, we would intentionally intruduce errors into a program, just to see what would happen. On one of my tests, I was to create a source code that would generate each error message. Sounds easy, but that's a really hard thing to do.

try that code.
The error is obvious in such a short program,
but image how hard it would be to find in a large program.
The important thing is not what you see, its what the compiler
message is. The compiler does not speak english or even french
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HowDo
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Posted: 3rd Jun 2005 22:53
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keemo this is in the help files.
Quote: "
MAKE OBJECT CUBE 1,100
DO
YROTATE OBJECT 1,OBJECT ANGLE Y(1)+0.1
LOOP
"


Very simple.

Now can you make it so that the cube is not close up and can tumble in three direction at once and make the background red.

commands to look up are:
position camera
set camera range
autocam off
backdrop off
color backdrop

plus two in the code above that are a letter diffrent.

Ok seem simple; can you show us that you can do it.


If other members think the above is a bit hard say so and I will edit the post.

I'm not getting you down am I, Ho Look! another fancy Door?
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Ric
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Posted: 4th Jun 2005 05:22
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Quote: "can you guys give me a short tutorial on everything "


It's sad that many of today's kids don't have the initiative to learn by themselves - they need to be spoon fed.

I learned to use basic when I was about 8. And, for the record, that was about 15 years before the internet existed. No online tutorials, no forums to ask questions, no bank of code snippets to read, no tutor. Just me, my zx81 and the manual.

When I got my Acorn Electron (think I was about 11), there were two or three books with some really basic game code which I read. I got hold of a couple of magazines too, which had the odd snippet of code.

Today, you can learn basic with just the help files and the information on this website. And there are links to various tutorials if you look hard enough. And there are nice people to help you when you get really stuck.

My generation were pretty much all self taught, because it was the only way. Today, you've got it easy, you just need a bit of iniative and a positive learning attitude.

Just my two penneth.

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HowDo
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Posted: 4th Jun 2005 05:25
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Ah! remember the listings, Bi monthly mags, the hope some ask your question the help pages.

Agggggggggrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

I'm not getting you down am I, Ho Look! another fancy Door?
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Gil Galvanti
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Posted: 4th Jun 2005 07:57
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im always here if ud like some basic to intermediate help on 3D programming . (kinda my "specialization" , hehe)

Video games…they take you places unreachable, unfeasible. Putting you in the book...putting you in the movie...putting you in a world, that before could only be imagined. expage.com/piratesmainpage.
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kaymation
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Posted: 4th Jun 2005 07:58
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I recomend checking out the curriculum at www.isupportlearning.com
that is what I use and + they can live chat with you if you nedd help

i owe all my wantingness to TBC at www.homestarrunner.com
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D Ogre
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Posted: 4th Jun 2005 11:56
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I started playing with computers about 25 years ago. I don't consider myself an expert by any means either. I think I started learning Basic on a Commodore Vic-20. I eventually progressed to Assembly, C, and Pascal on other machines. From the time I started I was hooked. It is definitely in my blood now. All I can say is you've got to have a passion for it. Make your experiences in programming joyful and satisfying. Be patient, the knowledge will come.
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mr_fan
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Posted: 4th Jun 2005 14:37
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the way I learned Dbpro was by reading the book! I started reading the book when I was 13 and now I can make a first person shooter game (I am curently 13 )
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Keemo1000
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Posted: 7th Jun 2005 22:45
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hey thanks for all of this but , smart guy mentioned above that he started reading " the book " I WANT THAT BOOK !! what book is it
?

PS : I would like to master dbp so i can make an online game of any sort , so if im a fast learner , how long should it take me ?? (hopefully less than a year for a hobby orpg)

pls reply---
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ddg
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Posted: 9th Jun 2005 01:25
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dont b too hopeful.it takes a long time to get good just keep trying and dont give up.and dont aim too high it never works.
try start with the monter hunt tutorials then go on to binary moon.

-------DDG-------
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Three Score
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Posted: 9th Jun 2005 02:48
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http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=25076&b=7
that should get u started
download the dbp trial version
and most of all practice
try just if yr bored and have some time just try reading through the help file(start smaller wwhich would be not 3-d)
and u could try making a simple text based game or a simple 2-d game nto right away but rather as a learning project where you will code it all yourself getting help along the way

formerly shadows of emptiness
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Grog Grueslayer
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Posted: 9th Jun 2005 12:38
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I'm no expert either and i'm new to Darkbasic as well. My families first computer was a TSR-80 Model 1... with only a tape drive to load/save files. I didn't program on the TSR-80 though. My first program was on a Texas Instruments Professional. My first program was the entire Planetfall solution from begining to end... about 50,000 lprint statements. I later went on to Quickbasic for about 10 years. Keemo you are fortunate to have discovered such a powerful language to start programming. Everything that takes mere seconds to do in Darkbasic used to take forever to do in Quickbasic and practically impossible in Basic. My best advice is like everybody elses... code, code, code. Every day pick another new command to learn and experiment like crazy. Eventually you'll be able to understand all the commands inside and out... making any project you dream of possible. Darkbasic is SO much better than Quickbasic in every respect (of course i'm still reeling from Darkbasics limited mid$ command). :-(
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Keemo1000
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Posted: 9th Jun 2005 12:47
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So what book is it ?

Help file and ??

pls reply---
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RUCCUS
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Posted: 11th Jun 2005 11:31 Edited at: 11th Jun 2005 11:34
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When it all comes down to it it's simply a matter of yes or no questions with programming. Once you get past that...and memorize tonnes of the commands, the sky is the limit.

Don't get me wrong Im not a pro either but I could probably pull off any task given to me in programming (within reason), it just wouldnt be efficient and...pro...like.

I started with BYOND (www.byond.com), worked with it for about 5 years, then moved on to here. I started when I was 8 so my brain soaked up a lot of stuff.


Current Projects: SHADE - Game Maker | Mecho - TGC Puzzle Entry | Halo Physics Engine | RovaR - Polygonal Collision Detection
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Phaelax
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Posted: 11th Jun 2005 11:54
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self-taught mostly. I have had some schooling on programming which has helped my coding structure.

PETA - People for the Eating of Tasty Animals
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HowDo
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Posted: 11th Jun 2005 17:26
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If its not been said above somewere, the games we have out today have been waiting some time for these machines to get fast enough to do the job, some where thought up in the late 80's but are only now coming out.

look at the first PS2 games and look what they can do now.

Those coders went to there machines and studed every command to see what could or could not do.

So think of something then see if you can make the code do it, if you can well done move on to the next idea.

I have seen some code on here that made think Yikes! their how old and can make it do that! must tear this apart and see how they did it.

That how we get the knowledge! [we nick it.]

I'm not getting you down am I, Ho Look! another fancy Door?
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mr_fan
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Posted: 12th Jun 2005 01:15
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if you want to know what book it is, just look around on this web site for "beginers guide to dark basic", that ought to do it!
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Keemo1000
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Posted: 12th Jun 2005 02:38
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thanks for the help

pls reply---
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