View Full Version : Programming
EZ_Valrog
10-22-03, 01:04 PM
I'm working on a game, by myself partially as a end-of-high-school-senior-year project... Other kids doing checkers and @#%$, and I'm doing a 2D space shooter in opengl... Hot damn it isn't easy. I've been working on it today and it nearly drove me crazy trying to figuare something out, and I still haven't got it. I get extremely stressed while something like that happens, because these thoughts keep going through my head... If I don't solve this thing, does it mean that I'm just not good enough? I'm not good enough in the one thing that I really like doing? I can easily get help and get this thing done, but I don't want to get help for every little thing. Damnit I really want to solve this problem on my own but I already spent two nights on it... And the @#%$ phone. People keep calling my mother because my family needs to coordinate a certin event that's gonna happen and my mother never @#%$ answers the phone. Today the phone rang over 15 times in the 4 hours that I was programming, completely breaking my concentration every god damn time. If I don't answer the phone then it just won't get answered, heaven forbid my mother picks up the phone that's 2 meters from her when the call is clearly for her. I nearly cried together from the stress... I get to this state where I can't think straight after a while, and it ruins my mood for the entire day, because my logic says that tommorow won't be any different than today. It's like if I don't get this now then I'll never get it. It's @#%$ driving me insane. Edited by: Valrog at: 10/22/03 12:07 pm
EZ_Hindraak
10-22-03, 01:15 PM
Don't look at your code for 24 hours, this will put you into a neutral standpoint, opposed to your current "aaah! I can't get this I r retard!" state you're in. And when you do program, take the phone out of that room, unplug it, what ever. And don't answer it. If it's important, they can leave a message, or call back.
The first part has saved me much frustration with coding, where errors and ideas can be hard to see if you concentrate on a problem too hard.
EZ_Hummerlein
10-22-03, 01:26 PM
If I really love doing kung fu, I'm still not going to be a black belt the first week I'm training.
Glip the Gnome
10-22-03, 01:28 PM
Especially when you take into account kung fu doesnt have black belts :P Glip the Gnome
Head Administrator: The Safehouse
Overlord of Doom: The Scurvy Dog Buffet
Where are my pants?
EZ_Hummerlein
10-22-03, 01:53 PM
Well, my instructors' belts sure are a blackish hue, and get referred to as black belts a lot for not being black belts Edited by: Hummerlein at: 10/22/03 12:54 pm
Krimzan
10-22-03, 02:24 PM
All belts in Kung Fu are black...
EZ_Hummerlein
10-22-03, 02:30 PM
What a mess! I was just trying to use an analogy. All I know is I'm in shaolin kung fu right now, and the belts are white, yellow, blue, green, brown 3-1, black 1-8.
Krimzan
10-22-03, 02:48 PM
I swear I'm not trying to be a pain in the ass, but traditional Kung Fu there are no colored belts. If you want, (well I would) ask your instructor why you have colored belts.
Brelkor
10-22-03, 02:52 PM
Hey valrog. Go ask for help. In the real programming world theres always people to ask. If your teachers don't approve of it.. oh well. You can't always do everything on their own.
Brelkor the Blackhammer, The Masta Back Stabba, retired rogue
"Wake up on fire every day
And I never say goodbye
Pre-determined destiny
I've never been afraid to die"[i]
[i]
EZ_Pedric Cuf
10-22-03, 03:23 PM
What Brelk said. There are also lots of programming support forums out there. All the ones I have are for C++ or I'd link them. Just do a google.
Never concentrate on programming, it ruins your balance.
Only by releasing your desire to answer the question can you achieve harmony with nature and have the answer presented to you.
(you can replace the word "Nature" with "C++" or "HTML" or whatever is applicable) - Nymm
Prexus, Deceiver, 1 ea.
EZ_nekoken
10-23-03, 02:10 AM
In the real programming world you'll always be under this kind of stress. Think of it as training. You'll be a half-sane psychotic code monkey who snaps due to mundane things without even having to go to college.
Obviously I snapped long ago.
Narsse Nekoken
EZ_Northerner
10-23-03, 02:53 AM
Your lack of paragraphs already makes me feel like I've worked on your legacy code (complete with run-on comments).
Whatever though, one thing I agree with from the posters here is that you will never have enough time. Frankly, even doing projects in school that seemed impossible for time constraints is nothing compared to what real life occasionally demands.
On the other hand, you'll often get paid for frankly insane amounts of "downtime" between projects. Well, at least if your job doesn't end up overseas Celeris Tujimson
Maurading Deceiver of The Nameless
That all men are equal is a proposition to which, at ordinary times, no sane individual has ever given his assent.
Aldous Huxley (1894 - 1963)
EZ_Valrog
10-23-03, 05:25 AM
It will end up overseas, cause I live in Israel =D Gaming development market in Israel is non-existant, and I don't give a rats ass about apps. Anyhow today at school (during history class, whee) I thought of a completely new approach to the problem, yay for me. Thanks all for your support and suggestions, they are well noted!
When I finish my super-uber-amazing-star-wars-themed-2D-top-down-perspective-arcade-style-shooter (or SUASWT2DTDPASS, for short) I'll post a link here =) Watch out for it in 3 months~ Edited by: Valrog at: 10/23/03 4:48 am
You could handle it the way developers around here do. Just pump out a steaming turn, and pass it on to QA, and let them figure out what is wrong with it.
If you are wondering, I'm QA.
EZ_Absolute Master
10-23-03, 07:02 AM
You gotta remember that this is high school, so don't be too ambitious on your project where it gets too complex that you cannot finish what you sought to do. You'll probably gonna be facing up against people who make a program that draws a square or some crap like that They will probably score you on the mechanics of what you learned, oh yeah and damn documentation:"> .
For example for my computer programming class project back in high school, I wrote a shooting game where you shoot targets (which shrank and disappeared faster as you went) ala duck hunt (using the mouse). The basic core and concept of the game was absurdly simple. Took me a day or 2 of class time and I had a 'working' game. The rest of the month was spent adding features on top of features. At the end, it had difficulty levels, a 2 player option, bonus lives as you reach certain scores, high score keeping which saved, convenient ui, etc... The game was damn addictive and had people lining up to play it lol, they all wanted the high score. Ended up getting a 95 or 96%, lost all those points on documentation .
It's always nice when you finally figure out the solution to the problem that stumps you for a week though. But if necessary, scale back on what you want to do at first if it gets really problematic. It is better to have a working simple program, then a complex one which doesn't compile.
EZ_Valrog
10-23-03, 03:03 PM
I know what you mean, and I've been very careful not to load myself with an overly-complex project. I "feature locked" (ooOooO) my game a few days back, and am just gonna implement what's left on the list, then see if I have time for any fancy doodas that I want in, like a particle system for the engine trails and explosions... But I actually have like 3 months left and I only started a month back and I have easily half my project done. I'm extemely passionate about my first game =) And yeah... It did feel great to finally solve my problem, alone!
Guess this thread kind of lost direction, but I'm no longer angry so it's served it's purpose quite well, thanks all =) Edited by: Valrog at: 10/23/03 2:04 pm
But I actually have like 3 months left and I only started a month back and I have easily half my project done.
Basic rule of thumb about software development. The first 90% of the work takes 90% of the expected time. The last 10% takes another 90% of the expected time.
EZ_Nazbuk
10-24-03, 07:11 AM
You need some headphones for the phone problem.
You need to suck it up and ask for help and or go online and read a forum to find your answer.
In the real world when someone has a problem they get help. If you want to keep your pride but deliver a product late then you and your pride will be out the door.
Nazbuk
The Troll