I've recently become set in stone with the fact that I want to become a computer programmer and more specifically probably a video game designer. I was going to become a video game tester which is a great way to get into the business...
But... I live in Detroit... And there are absolutely no jobs here... In that field at least
So I figured I should probably start learning some programming languages before I head of to college and get my degree in programming and desing... (I'm 16 btw)
Which language should I start with?
How should I go about it?
What programs do I need?
Can you point me in the direction of a book and or site that can help me learn?
Some kind of development environment. For Python just the idle found on their site is good enough. For Java Eclipse is the best thought it's complicated.
Can you point me in the direction of a book and or site that can help me learn?
I wouldn't recommend learning complex languages, I' myself am starting Software Development in Ireland, but I've started learning programming/markup languages.
If you want to start programming, first I'd recommend learning html, though it's not a programming language, you may create website for the future.
Visual Basic would be the best to start off with, It's easy, and will start you off.
If you wish to learn stuff please visit:[url=http://www.w3schools.com/]
You may not think this website will help but you will need a good amount of it for your future career.
[b]Please note, if you wish to create games, that's good, but if your getting into this career just because you love games, you should watch out, both thing's are entirely different[b/]
Well I jumped on the AS3 banwagon and learned ir first though hours and hours (a year know) of study, I had done a little GML but not enough to make a full game from scratch, but I absulatly don't suggest going down the road of GML! Though now that I stand back and look, taking AS3 of the bat was probaly a bad idea but I love the launague! Realy I think things like basic are not going the derection everything else is like with AS3 or java or C, the EMCA standerd is best (all AS3,java, and I think C is based on) and html is a mackup laungue not a programing laungue! Sherh xml and xhtml work with programing but still a mackup, they also have a very.... unusaul format to them. C is not realy easy to learn it is very complex and and has oldy colpmex ways of doing things say strings ( a sentence value) in C... well there are none! You have to make Chars wich are letters and put them in to an array ( basicly a list) to make a sentence! That is a lot more work than put "" around a sentence! But it is more powerfull and that "feature" can help if your doing something that needs the power... but AS3 can still do so and has strings! So does java!
Now AS3 or java I would say java is "querky" and AS3 is slightly "harder", I would learn java then AS3 then C, but PHP maybe be good I have no clue about it!
But for any of these I would go to the people with the leading books and support and who get the info for the work start from the source(say adobe for AS3) Oreily.com! Here's a link: Oreilly.com I learned every thing I know from these books and they have been a blessing! They are well priced but you can get it cheapper on amizon, I have never payed more than 10$ for one! That is 75% off or more!
But the number one thing is you find a laungue you like and are comfortable with! That is why I went with AS3 I could have done java but I like AS3 better so I have down wonderfull with it!
Also I recemend all programmers read this book (or series truly): Amizon link to book "Programmers at work" and here is a website by th auther that posts the interveiws free to read:the web page for free!(glad I found that one!) Yes it is outdated but it is at a time when programming started and tells use the path that even then they say was right but is now being dissrupted! It is also neat that there future is our now!
Hope that helped! Going thew the mess I wwnt though was not so easy but made me ... well me!
I started with Game Maker Language, it shows me the basics of the programming but it shows me bad programming habits too, Game Maker Language is maybe a good start for you. After that you can go with AS3 but I warn you that GML and AS3 are radically differect each other, but dont worry because I pass from GML to AS3 successfully and I dont regret that.
Now AS3 or java I would say java is "querky" and AS3 is slightly "harder", I would learn java then AS3 then C, but PHP maybe be good I have no clue about it!
AS3 is not an language a normal programmer needs to have mastery of at all. PHP is just a database language, mostly for webpages. You could just learn Oracle and be better off.
If you want to be a CS major it's really Python -> Java -> C++ -> Oracle -> Whatever language you like to get the job done after that. CS is not about language it's about the concepts so in higher level courses you just do stuff in any language you want as long as it works it's fine. Most people stick to C++ since having a mastery of that is very important.
video game designer. I was going to become a video game tester which is a great way to get into the business...
For Video game designing you don't really need to do that much programming compared to a CS major.
You really should be more concerned with what video games I haven't because they were out of my generation, Extra Credit and thinking about video games in a academic sense.
I am just starting as well, and am 15. I personally found notepad++ a great program for practicing any sort of code. You may want to start by modding some code before coding from scratch, and if you do I reccomend the game garrys mod and notepad++ to edit the code and create custom content. I understand modding isn't everyones choice as a starter, but personally its working for me.
i started c++ as my first language when i was about 13, and it took some time for me to figure it out, but its not as hard as people make it seem. After programming in c++ for a while i picked up java knowledge very fast and easy. Now im making simple 3d games and can program in c++, Java< and python. id say start with c++, after you learn it the other languages are cake.
some good tutorials for starting c++ are
here
and
here
i didnt use any books to learn, im 16 and if you take your time you can do it.
After programming in c++ for a while i picked up java knowledge very fast and easy.
Programming in one language is similar to another it's like learning a new language that is closely tied to the one you know like French and Spanish.
id say start with c++, after you learn it the other languages are cake.
Not a good idea C++ is more complicated than Python or Java. You've only scraped the surface of C++. It's easier to learn the, "common data structures, logic, loops, recursion, other design patterns and Advanced OOP concepts then language itself becomes irrelevant--just a matter of applying syntax. " To learn these concepts you can just work through a low level language but end up learning everything about programming and then later apply to to higher level languages.
i didnt use any books to learn, im 16 and if you take your time you can do it.
Books are written by experts and not students. They are also more cohesive and teach you how to design programs. Your video's are nice but they don't teach you much. Your better off mostly ignoring videos if you serious about learning all there is to know about the language and programming. Videos only provide a brief intro to the language.
