Coding

[bebop]

Alright so I've been wanting to make a Text-based game for about a year now. In that time i have studied HTML and have began to learn PHP about a month ago. What i want to know is where do i begin in creating my game? Is there anything else I'm going to need
in the creation of my site? Should i go ahead and find a server to host it now or should i work on the codes with notepad++ and save the files onto my computer until i get a basic frame?


Please state your idea's as I'm being ignored on other programming sites.

Thank you,
Bebop.

[Lsmjudoka]

You need a computer with PHP installed to test your scripts -- If you've already installed it on your own computer, you can test on there, if not, you can either install it or find a webhost. 000webhost has free hosting with PHP included for, well, free...

Other than PHP itself you will need some kind of database for storing user data, MySQL is pretty common/popular.

[Tomalom114]

I'm sorry if this is a kind of a question of my own bebop, but I really don't think it's something that needs it's own thread, and it's slightly related to your question, plus you can probably answer it sufficiently yourself is nobody else does. I've been wanting to start learning the basics of coding, HTML, PHP, Javascript, I'm not really sure even where to even begin when it comes to beginning! It's not something I want to go to school for or anything, just something I want to study on my own time. Where would be a good place to start and how would I go about acquiring some basic reliable knowledge/skills to start working on this?

[Azula]

Find an online site that offers to teach you coding...although most of these they give you a short example and then want you to pay them for more.

[Hitori]

An okay place to start learning would be www.w3schools.com. They go over the basics, give you examples and you can test things out there as well. After that, honestly the best thing would be to buy a book or even take a few classes.

[Lsmjudoka]

I recommend w3schools.com for HTML/CSS, though there is one thing more important than all else:

Make your own site, about something that interests you. Like a personal blog about puppies, a wiki about DBZ, a site with random photos on it, etc. Set a big goal, and then along the way learn what you have to.

When you get into learning JavaScript and PHP, w3schools.com starts getting a little inadequate for curriculum, it's more of a resource for people who already know how. At that point you'll need to buy a book or two on the desired topics you want to learn, and go through it gaining knowledge and trying stuff out. Don't be afraid to break things, coding is like a sandbox and if you break it and can't fix it, the worst that happens is you sweep it away and start over fresh.

[Kuchiki_Mateus]

hey ,can someone tell me a good book for learn more about coding,please?

[Hitori]

First of all, which language are you interested in learning? There are various languages you can use, such as: C#, C++, PhP, EMCAscript (JavaScript), Java, HTML, etc., etc.

If you're just wanting to explore coding a bit, you could play around with HTML/CSS with W3schools.com. You can refer to Lsm's post for more information on this though. No sense in spending money on a book if you're just interested in experimenting.

[ElijahOfWoB]

Okay so i know my HTML, JavaScript, CSS, PHP, ASP blah blah blah (at least enough to write my own programs or build my own websites) but i would like to know if there is sort of like a place or a book where i can read all about game mechanics and structure like the battle system, how the whole exp. distribution works, etc. You know basically how a game really works behind the scenes.

[Lsmjudoka]

The secret of programming a game is that it's no different from the 7000 other types of programs: They all prompt the user for input, take that input, and execute actions based upon it. What you might be wanting to know is "I know how to do if/else, while, for, XXX functions, etc etc, but I want to know how to apply that to making a game"

In which case you need to revisit the programming process. Look up algorithms, pseudo-code, and look up the programming process. The programming process consists of 3-5 steps depending on who you ask but the basics are essentially:

1) Define what the program needs to do
2) Plan out how to accomplish each step
3) Write the code to execute the plan

In other terminology the way I learned it:

1) Problem definition
2) Solution planning
3) Coding
4) Testing/Debugging
5) Maintenance/documentation


Edit: Oh also if you're thinking "what does he mean programming a game isn't different, he's dumb" - A game is vastly different, but that's from a design perspective, decided before any code is written. A game has different goals then a CMS, but there isn't magic code exclusive to a game.

[ElijahOfWoB]

Thanks for the info  i'll look into that though i must ask is it entirely possible to create a game on your own? I mean i know it is but it would probably take a very longer period but with you did you do it all on your own or did you have help?

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