Java game breaks are horrible for motivation
Edited by - joeG on 2/23/00 4:00:43 PM
Staying motivated
IMO you should alway''s break your program into small stages, and each stage is a visable improvement to the program. If I can see the improvments it motivates me to make more.
I simply started with the displaying of an 3D object.x, and continued by adding control of the viewport, movement of the object, and..... all of which are goal''s that are obtainable in a short period of time. But if I was to try and program 50 - 70 % of the game before even attempting to run it, it could easily become boring (let alone the syntax and logical errors that you would have to deal with causing frustration with that much code)
my $.02
I simply started with the displaying of an 3D object.x, and continued by adding control of the viewport, movement of the object, and..... all of which are goal''s that are obtainable in a short period of time. But if I was to try and program 50 - 70 % of the game before even attempting to run it, it could easily become boring (let alone the syntax and logical errors that you would have to deal with causing frustration with that much code)
my $.02
I think this post has modivated me lots. I suppose a game is never finished, if you know what i mean.
- moe -
- moe -
Thank you for your input everyone. I think this has really helped.
I have a few more questions now, though. I took programming courses for the past 4 years. One year was VB where I wrote a new pacman-like game. Another year I did a little program in Java. The last two years I spent in C++ writing a crude 3D engine (it was actually wasn''t quite so crude.. Let me know if any of you care to see it.).
The problem with the courses was that there was no homework, so generally, you wrote what the teacher told you to write (that''s not ENTIRELY true, because, actually, he''d usually ask you want you thought you''d do next..). He''d explain what was going on, of course, but you never really got to write anything on your own so I never really learned C++ as per say..
Which is why this year, because there were no more classes I could take, I figured I''d teach myself C++ (functions, pointers and what not) from the ground up, then go on ahead with game programming..
But some of you mentioned trying to put a bmp on the screen, then adding a sprite and so on.. Should I abandon my previously planned route (which was to read C++ Primer Plus, then WGPFD, both of which I have) and instead read WGPFD and use C++PP as a reference and/or read it after?
Thanks again.
I have a few more questions now, though. I took programming courses for the past 4 years. One year was VB where I wrote a new pacman-like game. Another year I did a little program in Java. The last two years I spent in C++ writing a crude 3D engine (it was actually wasn''t quite so crude.. Let me know if any of you care to see it.).
The problem with the courses was that there was no homework, so generally, you wrote what the teacher told you to write (that''s not ENTIRELY true, because, actually, he''d usually ask you want you thought you''d do next..). He''d explain what was going on, of course, but you never really got to write anything on your own so I never really learned C++ as per say..
Which is why this year, because there were no more classes I could take, I figured I''d teach myself C++ (functions, pointers and what not) from the ground up, then go on ahead with game programming..
But some of you mentioned trying to put a bmp on the screen, then adding a sprite and so on.. Should I abandon my previously planned route (which was to read C++ Primer Plus, then WGPFD, both of which I have) and instead read WGPFD and use C++PP as a reference and/or read it after?
Thanks again.
Staying motivated to program has always been a very big problem for me. (this has a point, please bear with me) I would hack out a few pages of code now and then, but for the most part I just never got around to doing it. It wasn't that I didn't *want* to program, just that every time i sat down and tried to do it, I would end up just listening to music, playing a computer game, reading a book, or something else that didn't require a lot of effort on my part.
This problem was not just with programming, it was with everything I tried to do that took much effort (such as homework or keeping my apartment clean). I always got distracted very easily...if something remotely interesting came on TV i would start watching that, if a friend called I would talk to them for a while then forget what I was doing, etc. I always thought I was just lazy and would always get mad at myself when I didn't do the things I needed/wanted to do.
If this sounds like you, do not despair.
After realizing that I had a serious problem that was bound to interfere with my lifetime goals (becoming a successful game designer), I did some serious research on the subject. After reading quite a few articles and talking to a few people, I found out that I am a textbook example of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
At first, I thought it was all a load of crap. However, something made me decide to give the treatment a shot anyway. I started taking some medication (Adderol) and almost instantly improved. The medication alone allowed me to focus much more on tasks I wanted to perform, and coupled with some self-management skill I have learned, I can now do the things that I just could not get myself to do before.
ADD is very common. It is estimated that 1 out of every 7 teenagers could be diagnosed with ADD, and most of those could benefit from treatment.
If this sounds anything like you (I imagine it sounds very familiar to a few of you), then you should look into it, even if you think ADD is a load of crap (as many people do). The rest of your life is at stake, isn't it at least worth a shot?
--nevyn
"I see you have turned your shame into an asset." --"Johnny Mnemonic" Takahashi to Shinji the monofilament thumb whip wielding errand boy.
Edited by - nevyn on 2/27/00 12:57:13 PM
This problem was not just with programming, it was with everything I tried to do that took much effort (such as homework or keeping my apartment clean). I always got distracted very easily...if something remotely interesting came on TV i would start watching that, if a friend called I would talk to them for a while then forget what I was doing, etc. I always thought I was just lazy and would always get mad at myself when I didn't do the things I needed/wanted to do.
If this sounds like you, do not despair.
After realizing that I had a serious problem that was bound to interfere with my lifetime goals (becoming a successful game designer), I did some serious research on the subject. After reading quite a few articles and talking to a few people, I found out that I am a textbook example of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
At first, I thought it was all a load of crap. However, something made me decide to give the treatment a shot anyway. I started taking some medication (Adderol) and almost instantly improved. The medication alone allowed me to focus much more on tasks I wanted to perform, and coupled with some self-management skill I have learned, I can now do the things that I just could not get myself to do before.
ADD is very common. It is estimated that 1 out of every 7 teenagers could be diagnosed with ADD, and most of those could benefit from treatment.
If this sounds anything like you (I imagine it sounds very familiar to a few of you), then you should look into it, even if you think ADD is a load of crap (as many people do). The rest of your life is at stake, isn't it at least worth a shot?
--nevyn
"I see you have turned your shame into an asset." --"Johnny Mnemonic" Takahashi to Shinji the monofilament thumb whip wielding errand boy.
Edited by - nevyn on 2/27/00 12:57:13 PM
The most important thing you need before you will be motivated is a clear goal.
Without knowing exactly where you want to go, you will never feel like you are making any progress and you will get bored and lazy. (I know, trust me)
If you want to release commercial games etc., read about and learn your programming language and form a solid foundation, and from there it will no longer be a question of what you can do, but instead you will know for sure what you are capable of and how to make it happen.
Hope i could help!
Without knowing exactly where you want to go, you will never feel like you are making any progress and you will get bored and lazy. (I know, trust me)
If you want to release commercial games etc., read about and learn your programming language and form a solid foundation, and from there it will no longer be a question of what you can do, but instead you will know for sure what you are capable of and how to make it happen.
Hope i could help!
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