Advice for Newbies

Facehat · 2000-05-22T10:21:59

I've noticed recently that there have been a lot of newbies with attitudes who don't really know what there doing/talking about. IMHO, these are perfectly reasonable people who just need a little straightening out. Therefore i've decided to give some Common Sense Advice for Newbies. This isn't meant as an attack on newbies, but instead just a bit of a reality check (and ego check!). So without further ado, here are some tips. Most of these are geared towards programmers, although many of them can be taken in general, as well. Tip #1: Don't jump in over your head. I mean, for goodness sakes, learn the fundamentals before you try to out-code carmack! I've seen people try to write 3D engines when they don't even understand C++ very well at all. There is a reason why people get paid for game developement: it's hard, and it's not something you can just pick up in a couple of days. Tip #2: Dont post entire programs on the message board I often see people post entire programs onto the message board. I generally will not answer these for this reason: if the person hasn't taken the time to at least figure out what (general) part of their code the problem is coming from, then they obviously haven't put enough effort into trying to solve the problem themselves. I'm not giving up MY time if they're not willing to give up some of THEIRS. Tip #3: learn your language first. This is similiar to the last tip. Simply put: don't try to learn DirectX if you don't know what a pointer is, and don't expect to be able to code a game if your still puzzling over what for loops do. Tip #4: No, your design probably *isn't* that great. And having a great idea still doesn't mean too much. I see so many people post (especially in the help wanted forum) that they have a super-incredible-fantastic game idea which will revolutionize the game industry. Yeah, you and everyone else. Most of these ideas aren't even that great, and the ones which are still aren't that valuable. Ideas come a dime a dozen, the hard part is implementing it. *This* is where most games either succeed or fail. Tip #5: Make coherent posts This isn't directed at people learning english, as I understand their predicament and don't mind a few grammer mistakes. I'm talking to native english speakers here: use at least a _bit_ of proper grammer in your posts. A few mistakes are OK, but make sure that it's at least readable! Honestly, I see way too many posts where people obviously wrote it in 30 seconds and didn't bother to read over it even once. There are so many gramatically terrible posts it's not even funny. I'm not trying to sound like an english teacher here, but really, at least make sure your posts are readable, okay? BTW, if you see a mistake after you post, you can use the edit post icon to change it (seems like quite a few people don't know about it). Tip #6: Only ask a questions after you've taken a bit of time to search for the answer. Really, I've seen too many posts with questions that could have been answered with 5 minutes worth of research on the posters part, which leads me to my next tip: Tip #7: RTFM ...Which stands for: Read the freakin manual. Don't ask questions when you can easily look it up. Well, thats all for now. Generally, most newbies are pretty good about these things, but if you find yourself violating one of the tips above then smack yourself on the side of the head with a large trout for me . Anyway, post any other tips you think I left out, or if you think I'm an idiot, tell me so (but do it in a civilized way! ) --TheGoop Edited by - TheGoop on 5/18/00 8:53:02 PM

GDNet Lounge Community

Started by Facehat May 18, 2000 08:46 PM

25 comments, last by Facehat 24 years, 4 months ago

Chris F

122

May 21, 2000 06:40 PM

quote:
Granted, I''m immature. I''m 15, what do you expect?

Fredric, here you go again with your conceited comments. You''re implying that all 15 year olds act like you, which is insulting half the board. Just because your a little boy who needs to grow up doesn''t mean everyone your age acts like you.

"I have realised that maths can explain everything. How it can is unimportant, I want to know why." -Me

Fredric

122

May 21, 2000 06:45 PM

You again?! Leave me the hell alone you bastard!

There are three types of people in the world; those who can count, and those who can't.

3D Math- The type of mathematics that'll put hair on your chest!

Strife

374

May 21, 2000 06:50 PM

Duhhhhh, how do you program a game? Heheh, just kidding

If you code it, they will come...

Commander M
http://commanderm.8m.com
cmndrm@commanderm.8m.com

http://mike.polycat.net

Chris F

122

May 21, 2000 06:50 PM

Hahaha... point taken.

"I have realised that maths can explain everything. How it can is unimportant, I want to know why." -Me

rivit

122

May 21, 2000 08:11 PM

hey *a fish * you sound like a prick...

rivit

122

May 21, 2000 08:17 PM

its,a bit hard to do a game when you trying to get help and you are getting negative crap from you people,a game is only as complecated as you want it to be ,"understanding is progress",hope my spelling is bad like it normaly is

khawk

3,763

May 22, 2000 10:21 AM

This has become a senseless name-calling post. Enough. Help the new people if you want, otherwise, just leave their questions alone. Very, very simple.

Kevin

Admin for GameDev.net.

Advice for Newbies

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