Where/how to start?

[llewelyn]

Alessandro just made a game that I wanted to have a bash at myself! Just a moon landing though, not the whole flight.

I'm unbelievably crap at programming and that in Basic only, so it was always a pipe dream more than a possibility...although thirty years ago I did manage something reasonable as part of my college final, long since lost and gone forever alas.

I thought perhaps then to start with something easier, maybe an attempt at the verb/noun data entry - two sets of numbers read from a list - but how to translate that into the visuals on a small area of screen, showing magnification of pixels as descent occurs, as well as shifting left/right.

I was taught to start working out a program with paper and pencil so when (and if) I can come up with a storyboard perhaps I'll put it up for some feedback?

Well meaning and helpful persons that will suggest machine code please don't, I haven't a snowballs chance in hell of ever getting my head around that!

[Fahnn]

Alessandro just made a game that I wanted to have a bash at myself! Just a moon landing though, not the whole flight.

I'm unbelievably crap at programming and that in Basic only, so it was always a pipe dream more than a possibility...although thirty years ago I did manage something reasonable as part of my college final, long since lost and gone forever alas.

I thought perhaps then to start with something easier, maybe an attempt at the verb/noun data entry - two sets of numbers read from a list - but how to translate that into the visuals on a small area of screen, showing magnification of pixels as descent occurs, as well as shifting left/right.

I was taught to start working out a program with paper and pencil so when (and if) I can come up with a storyboard perhaps I'll put it up for some feedback?

Seriously, please do! I've recently written some terrible games in BASIC that I probably should have asked for feedback on as I was going (in order to make them less awful) but in my infinite stupidity, didn't. There are some really clever people on this board (not me obviously) who I'm sure will be very happy to help with anything.

[Ralf]

Not everyone has to be a coder.

In modern gamedev actually a lot of people are "game designers". They make projects of games
without writing a single line of code.

If you have a nice idea of a game, certainly write it down here. If it's good, then maybe someone will pick it up.

But don't be afraid to play with Basic as well.. The only way to learn to write programs is... to write programs

[ZXDunny]

If you want to code in Speccy BASIC but without the speed penalty, you could give SpecBAS a try...

[llewelyn]

If you want to code in Speccy BASIC but without the speed penalty, you could give SpecBAS a try...

As if I wouldn't! Its sitting right up on my desktop next to Fuse.

[ZXDunny]

If you want to code in Speccy BASIC but without the speed penalty, you could give SpecBAS a try...

As if I wouldn't! Its sitting right up on my desktop next to Fuse.

OMG Really?

You mean I have two users now? Wow. Feel free to feedback and offer ideas for improvements and... whatever, really.

[Alessandro]

Hi [mention]llewelyn[/mention], I am pleased to know that my game (I suppose you are referring to Ad Lunam) inspired you to try having a go at programming yourself

I would suggest you to download some of the scanned books about BASIC in the archive, there's plenty of useful stuff there, starting with the good old BASIC programming manual that was included with the Spectrum.

Also, take a look at programs other people wrote, peer into their listing/sources and try to understand what does what.

Finally, you can always ask here

[llewelyn]

Hi @llewelyn, I am pleased to know that my game (I suppose you are referring to Ad Lunam) inspired you to try having a go at programming yourself

I would suggest you to download some of the scanned books about BASIC in the archive, there's plenty of useful stuff there, starting with the good old BASIC programming manual that was included with the Spectrum.

Also, take a look at programs other people wrote, peer into their listing/sources and try to understand what does what.

Finally, you can always ask here

Thanks for the advice Alessandro and yes it was Ad Lunam I was referring to.

The other thing I fancied a crack at was an artillery shot placement game where the other 'guy' returns shot for shot and then someone else did THAT!

[Morkin]

The other thing I fancied a crack at was an artillery shot placement game where the other 'guy' returns shot for shot and then someone else did THAT!

I'm sure I've seen quite a few of that type of game for the Speccy. Each has it's own style though (e.g. how the landscape is drawn), so there's no harm making another one.