Hello everyone! Today I'd like to propose that some of the more experienced programmers around BYOND do something that can truly benefit the community: Adopt a Novice. What I mean by this is that you take someone under your wing that is willing to actually learn how to program, and teach them how to.
This doesn't have to be some insane undertaking that makes you bash out ERTYDFGHCVB from your keyboard using your forehead. Find someone who would like to learn how to program, and teach them. I've found someone, and I'm teaching him using TeamViewer and DM how to program, starting from the planning stages, and working his way up to finishing a small project meant to teach him the basics. My goal for the end of this is to teach him enough DM that he can go from there and learn more on his own, and eventually produce fun and interesting games for all of us to play.
So jump on this bandwagon! It can only benefit BYOND.
I'm also looking to learn programming so if anyone would gladly take me under there wing please add my msn: [email protected]
| |
TEACH ME!
I'm not quite a novice, but there's still a million things I need to know! I'm self-taught up to this point not having one day of college and mainly relying on BYOND's user-driven resources as my source of learning and developing my developmental abilities. | |
I'd like to learn more about AI.
So if anyone with more knowledge than i,in this section could help me,i'd be realy thankfull | |
A great idea! Although I do think that the novices could at least learn the basics on their own. You can gain that knowledge through a 10 minute Zilal tutorial. Only things you should need a teacher for are more complicated aspects, like AI as Kidpaddle suggested.
| |
It takes more than programming to make a game. People should focus more on game design. If you don't have any good game ideas, it doesn't matter how good of a programmer you are.
There's no reason to have a designated teacher - people can post on the developer forum or on their own blog to ask for help. Why have just one teacher when you can have everyone on the forum offering help? A teacher isn't likely to be available as often as the novice would need, and their help only benefits one person - an answer posted on the developer forum can be read by anyone. | |
Forum_account wrote:
It takes more than programming to make a game. People should focus more on game design. If you don't have any good game ideas, it doesn't matter how good of a programmer you are. The first thing I did with my novice was walk him through planning out the game and writing a design document. There's no reason to have a designated teacher - people can post on the developer forum or on their own blog to ask for help. Personally, I learn best when I have someone there to talk with live and help walk me through the problems that I'm having and bounce ideas off of. Don't get me wrong, the forums and existing articles are great, but there's just something about having someone dedicated to me personally that motivates me a little more. Just like working on a game is more fun working with a team, so is learning. | |
I have a feeling that learning something like DM is going to result in a hoard of questions, every day, for the learner. I doubt they'll post the majority of what's on their mind onto the forum, simply because it's too much. Although, maybe a single topic that they've posted where they can ask questions wouldn't be such a bad idea, if it's allowed.
I still think that having someone you've established a good relationship to provide the answer when you need is useful, especially if it's live, like on Skype. There's also a big motivational factor that comes with it, having someone to assist you on a personal basis, you wouldn't want to let them down. | |
Writing A New One wrote:
I have a feeling that learning something like DM is going to result in a hoard of questions, every day, for the learner. Oh for sure, especially since the majority of people learning DM have no prior programming experience what-so-ever. | |
This is interesting..... I need more interns.
| |
Well, I wouldn't mind learning under a experienced programmer in order to better my knowledge of DM I tried this once with Loduwijk Not to long ago, but he had very little time between work and family and we never got to finish. But the information he gave me was amazing and helped a lot in learning the little I did. we made a neat little game that didn't really do anything but was the basis for a small project.
I think this is a wonderful idea, one I have made post about on the forum before. I think this is a much better alternative to having people constantly asking for programmers to help them with there projects on the classified ads, as well as an interesting way to get more people interested and learning DM properly and connecting community members to have support outside of the forums if they need help. The forums aren't always the most friendly place to go when you need help. Especially when you are a novice and the answer maybe obvious to everyone else but you. | |
me want lurn dm
| |
I think this is a decent idea, but the ratio of people who want to learn and people who are qualified and willing to teach is staggeringly unfavorable, unless everyone who was going to teach taught 3-5 beginners.
I propose that, rather than teaching people individually, a few of the more capable/experienced developers get together and make a page/forum where lessons can be posted and support offered for complete beginners. It could cover every aspect of creating a game, design, programming, art, music, etc. We could try to get some people from the art society/audiophiles to pitch in for their respective sections, so that beginners interested in those aspects could learn their trades as well. Obviously, this is more work than individually training new programmers, but it also doesn't rely upon both parties being available at the same times(with more teachers, it is more likely that someone will be available), and could reach a wider audience than one on one tutoring would. I suggest this because, as it is, the only good tutorials we have right now are ZBT, Your first world, A step byond, and the blue book. We could base the lessons around the DM guide, but make it more interactive and more up to date. Provide a centralized support specifically for people who are getting started and have little to no experience developing games, and live chat for people with issues. I believe that this would also expose the potential new developers to a wider range of experience than simply tutoring them one at a time, as it would allow them to interact with a variety of developers, each with their own strengths and areas of expertise. | |
This is also a good idea. I wonder if possible maybe Tom or Lummox could get involved or help out in the way of advertising this to BYOND. As a blog or forum it might gather some attention alone, but if the lessons and tutorials were sent directly to everyone (like in the latest news section of the BYOND pager we get the announcements for BYOND and Within) that might get the attention of more programmers to help out as well as more people interested in learning will know where to go to get the help.
| |
Alright,I'm doing just like you're doing F0lak. =D
http://www.byond.com/games/Kidpaddle45/IrukaClassroom | |
At some point someone has to update those damn youtube videos. I would but I don't have a mic on this and I would be stabbed if I tried to borrow my sister's studio mic :P
| |
ExPixel wrote:
At some point someone has to update those damn youtube videos. I would but I don't have a mic on this and I would be stabbed if I tried to borrow my sister's studio mic :P What youtube videos? BYOND has youtube stuff?! Since when? | |
Robertbanks2 wrote:
ExPixel wrote: Yeah some people tried to make some tutorials but they only go as far as how to change icons and things like that. No one has done anything about that for a while. | |
ExPixel wrote:
Yeah some people tried to make some tutorials but they only go as far as how to change icons and things like that. No one has done anything about that for a while. That would be because youtube videos are an inefficient way to teach someone something. It would require several takes to make perfect as well as a decent amount of editing if you ever need to add anything to what you had already stated. Incremental chapters with exercises for the student (exercises that actually require them to put what they learned in the previous chapters to use) are the way to go, but hardly anyone would really read them let alone perform the exercises. Most users of DM don't really want to learn how to develop software; they just want to learn the quickest, most cookie-cutter way of pumping their game out there. | |
Now that I've finished the first year, I have around about 2 months of free time. I'm going to attempt to learn DM regardless of whether or not I have a tutor to guide me, but if someone wouldn't mind offering their time, something similar to what Folak is doing would be beneficial to my learning, most definitely. Not only as motivation to not disappoint and waste the time of my tutor, but experienced, one to one guidance.
If anyone is interested, shoot an email to [email protected] and we'll sort something out that works for us both.