Hello!
I've got a couple questions for the community:
------------------
I recently got Blitz3d, worked my way through the tutorials that come with it, and am now slowly working my way through the 2d tutorials on blitzcoder.com
I've been able to keep up with the code, but maps and tiles are really confusing me. :( Could anyone give me a really general overview of the philosophy behind tile maps? I know that it is taking an image split into tiles and then drawing the map with those tiles.
The comments on the code I'm looking at are very helpful, but I'm having trouble looking at "the big picture" so to speak. That is, I can understand what each line of code does, but I'm having trouble piecing it together. If someone could maybe describe the general idea behind coding a tile engine (i.e. "First you must create a function to blahblahblah, then array blahblahblah. This allows the engine to blahblahblah"), I would really appreciate it. :)
I ordered the "How to Program 2d Games in Blitz" (sorry if I got the title wrong), and am anxiously awaiting it. Does the book contain a very good description of tile mapping? Even if it does, I would really appreciate some commentary on tile maps, as several viewpoints may help me to understand the concept better.
------------------
My other question:
I was curious how other people started learning Blitz. I pretty much have no programming experience whatsoever, so it's actually pretty difficult for me. :( There are times going through the tutorials where I get stuck, and then think about it some, come back, and it all makes perfect sense! Those times are great. :) Then there are times where I get through a tutorial, and I feel that I just barely understand the concepts introduced. Those times aren't great. :(
There are time when I get disappointed with myself and want to give up, and feel like I won't ever learn anything! :O I usually take a break for a day or two, and when I come back, I can usually find the problem.
Anyway, I was just wondering how other people are learning/have learnt Blitz. Did you have experience before? Did you just jump into programming your own stuff? Did you go over all the tutorials? Did you go through the "Programming 2d games..." book?
Also, how quickly did you learn? I've been learning for 2-3 weeks now and feel really behind. :( How long before you made your own simple game?
Thanks, and I really appreciate any responses!
Al
I've got a couple questions for the community:
------------------
I recently got Blitz3d, worked my way through the tutorials that come with it, and am now slowly working my way through the 2d tutorials on blitzcoder.com
I've been able to keep up with the code, but maps and tiles are really confusing me. :( Could anyone give me a really general overview of the philosophy behind tile maps? I know that it is taking an image split into tiles and then drawing the map with those tiles.
The comments on the code I'm looking at are very helpful, but I'm having trouble looking at "the big picture" so to speak. That is, I can understand what each line of code does, but I'm having trouble piecing it together. If someone could maybe describe the general idea behind coding a tile engine (i.e. "First you must create a function to blahblahblah, then array blahblahblah. This allows the engine to blahblahblah"), I would really appreciate it. :)
I ordered the "How to Program 2d Games in Blitz" (sorry if I got the title wrong), and am anxiously awaiting it. Does the book contain a very good description of tile mapping? Even if it does, I would really appreciate some commentary on tile maps, as several viewpoints may help me to understand the concept better.
------------------
My other question:
I was curious how other people started learning Blitz. I pretty much have no programming experience whatsoever, so it's actually pretty difficult for me. :( There are times going through the tutorials where I get stuck, and then think about it some, come back, and it all makes perfect sense! Those times are great. :) Then there are times where I get through a tutorial, and I feel that I just barely understand the concepts introduced. Those times aren't great. :(
There are time when I get disappointed with myself and want to give up, and feel like I won't ever learn anything! :O I usually take a break for a day or two, and when I come back, I can usually find the problem.
Anyway, I was just wondering how other people are learning/have learnt Blitz. Did you have experience before? Did you just jump into programming your own stuff? Did you go over all the tutorials? Did you go through the "Programming 2d games..." book?
Also, how quickly did you learn? I've been learning for 2-3 weeks now and feel really behind. :( How long before you made your own simple game?
Thanks, and I really appreciate any responses!
Al