Search Results

Search found 8664 results on 347 pages for 'lost with coding'.

Page 183/347 | < Previous Page | 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190  | Next Page >

  • 3d Picking under reticle

    - by Wolftousen
    i'm currently trying to work out some 3d picking code that I started years ago, but then lost interested the assignment was completed (this part wasn't actually part of the assignment). I am not using the mouse coords for picking, i'm just using the position in 3d space and a ray directly out from there. A small hitch though is that I want to use a cone and not a ray. Here are the variables i'm using: float iReticleSlope = 95/3000; //inverse reticle slope float baseReticle = 1; //radius of the reticle at z = 0 float maxRange = 3000; //max range to target Quaternion orientation; //the cameras orientation Vector3d position; //the cameras position Then I loop through each object in the world: Vector3d transformed; //object position after transformations float d, r; //holder variables for(i = 0; i < objects.length; i++) { transformed = position - objects[i].position; //transform the position relative to camera orientation.multiply(transformed); //orient the object relative to the camera if(transformed.z < 0) { d = sqrt(transformed[0] * transformed[0] + transformed[1] * transformed[1]); r = -transformed[2] * iReticleSlope + objects[i].radius; if(d < r && -transformed[2] - objects[i].radius <= maxRange) { //the object is under the reticle } else { //the object is not under the reticle } } else { //the object is not under the reticle } } Now this all works fine and dandy until the window ratio doesn't match the resolution ratio. Is there any simple way to account for that

    Read the article

  • Old Lock Retrofitted for Wireless and Key-free Entry

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    What do you do if the old key your landlord gave you is poor fit for your apartment’s lock? If you’re the geeky sort, you build a wireless unlocking module to do the work for you. Instructables user Rybitski writes: The key to my apartment never worked quite right because it is a copy of a copy of a copy. I am fairly certain that the dead bolt is original to the building and the property manager seems to have lost the original key years ago. As a result unlocking the door was always a pain. Changing the lock wasn’t an option, but eliminating the need to use a key was. To that end, he built the device seen in the video above. An Arduino Uno drives a servo which in turn opens the deadbolt. The whole thing is controlled by a simple wireless key fob. Hit up the link below for the full build guide including code. Key Fob Deadbolt [via Hack A Day] How To Delete, Move, or Rename Locked Files in Windows HTG Explains: Why Screen Savers Are No Longer Necessary 6 Ways Windows 8 Is More Secure Than Windows 7

    Read the article

  • Why job postings always looking for "rockstars?"

    - by Xepoch
    I have noticed a recent trend in requesting programmers who are rockstars. I get it, they're looking for someone who is really good at what they do. But why (pray) make the reference to a rockstar? Do these companies really want these traits as a real rockstar? Party all night and wake up to take care of quick business in the morning? Substance abuse, Narcissism with celebrity, Compensation well exceeding their management, Excellent at putting on a short-lived show, Entertainment instead of value, 1 hit (project) wonders or single-genre performers, Et cetera What is wrong with Senior or Principal Software Engineer who has an established and proven passion for the business? Rather do we mean quite the opposite, someone who: rolls up the sleeves and gets to work, takes appropriate direction and helps influence teams, programs in lessons' learned and proper practices, provides timely communication to the whole team, can code and understand multiple languages, understands the science and theory behind computation, Is there a trend to diversify the software engineering ranks? How many software rockstars can you hire before your band starts breaking up? Sure, there are lots of folks doing this stuff on their own, maybe even a rare few who do coding for show, but I wager the majority is for business. I don't see ads for rockstar accountants, or rockstar machinists, or rockstart CFOs. What makes the software programmer and their hiring departments lean towards this kind of job title?

    Read the article

  • I've inherited 200K lines of spaghetti code -- what now?

    - by kmote
    I hope this isn't too general of a question; I could really use some seasoned advice. I am newly employed as the sole "SW Engineer" in a fairly small shop of scientists who have spent the last 10-20 years cobbling together a vast code base. (It was written in a virtually obsolete language: G2 -- think Pascal with graphics). The program itself is a physical model of a complex chemical processing plant; the team that wrote it have incredibly deep domain knowledge but little or no formal training in programming fundamentals. They've recently learned some hard lessons about the consequences of non-existant configuration management. Their maintenance efforts are also greatly hampered by the vast accumulation of undocumented "sludge" in the code itself. I will spare you the "politics" of the situation (there's always politics!), but suffice to say, there is not a consensus of opinion about what is needed for the path ahead. They have asked me to begin presenting to the team some of the principles of modern software development. They want me to introduce some of the industry-standard practices and strategies regarding coding conventions, lifecycle management, high-level design patterns, and source control. Frankly, it's a fairly daunting task and I'm not sure where to begin. Initially, I'm inclined to tutor them in some of the central concepts of The Pragmatic Programmer, or Fowler's Refactoring ("Code Smells", etc). I also hope to introduce a number of Agile methodologies. But ultimately, to be effective, I think I'm going to need to hone in on 5-7 core fundamentals; in other words, what are the most important principles or practices that they can realistically start implementing that will give them the most "bang for the buck". So that's my question: What would you include in your list of the most effective strategies to help straighten out the spaghetti (and prevent it in the future)?

    Read the article

  • Putting Together a Game Design Team?

    - by Kaia
    I'm attempting to put together a game design team that is willing to help me design/program, test, and somewhat produce the game we make to the public. I need anyone who knows anything about programming/coding, designing, etc. Once we get it up and running and out into the world (over dramatic maybe? haha) I have ideas of generating a profit from it so there is a possibility of payment. My thinking on it (so far) is this: 2D (possibly. I haven't decided if I want it 2D or 3D. It really depends on what is easier) 3rd person. Adventure (I want there to be a point to it, but like a point with no real end) I want there to be a story to it. If you've ever played Dofus, think like that. There is a story to the game, but no real end. I want (if possible) to include mini-games. These could end up becoming a possible way for a player to aquire in-game money, quest items, etc. If anyone is interested in helping me create the story line/script (which we will finsih first, before creating the game) please contact me. I want to get this completed as soon as possible.

    Read the article

  • How to keep track of previous scenes and return to them in libgdx

    - by MxyL
    I have three scenes: SceneTitle, SceneMenu, SceneLoad. (The difference between the title scene and the menu scene is that the title scene is what you see when you first turn on the game, and the menu scene is what you can access during the game. During the game, meaning, after you've hit "play!" in the title scene.) I provide the ability to save progress and consequently load a particular game. An issue that I've run into is being able to easily keep track of the previous scene. For example, if you enter the load scene and then decide to change your mind, the game needs to go back to where you were before; this isn't something that can be hardcoded. Now, an easy solution off the top of my head is to simply maintain a scene stack, which basically keeps track of history for me. A simple transaction would be as follows I'm currently in the menu scene, so the top of the stack is SceneMenu I go to the load scene, so the game pushes SceneLoad onto the stack. When I return from the load scene, the game pops SceneLoad off the stack and initializes the scene that's currently at the top, which is SceneMenu I'm coding in Java, so I can't simply pass around Classes as if they were objects, so I've decided implemented as enum for eac scene and put that on the stack and then have my scene managing class go through a list of if conditions to return the appropriate instance of the class. How can I implement my scene stack without having to do too much work maintaining it?

    Read the article

  • How to promote an open-source project?

    - by Shehi
    First of all, I apologize if this is the wrong section of network to post this question. If it is, please feel free to move it to more appropriate location... Question: I would like to hear your ideas regarding the ways of open source projects being started and run. I have an open-source content management system project and here some questions arise: How should I act? Shall I come up with a viable pre-alpha edition with working front- and back-ends first and then announce the project publicly? Or shall I announce it right away from the scratch? As a developer I know that one should use versioning system like Git or SVN, which I do, no problems there. And the merit of unit-testing is also something to remember, which, to be frank, I am not into at all... Project management - I am a beginner in that, at best. Coding techniques and experiences such as Agile development is something I want to explore... In short, any ideas for a developer who is new to open-source world, is most welcome.

    Read the article

  • ArchBeat Link-o-Rama for October 23, 2013

    - by OTN ArchBeat
    Virtual Dev Day: Oracle ADF Development - Web, Mobile, and Beyond This free virtual event includes technical sessions that range from introductory to deep dive, covering Oracle ADF and Oracle ADF Mobile. Multiple tracks cover every interest and every level and include live online Q&A for answers to your technical questions. Register now! Americas: Tuesday, November 19, 9am-1pm PT / 12pm-4pm ET / 1pm-5pm BRT APAC: Thursday, November 21, 10am–1:30pm IST (India) / 12:30pm–4pm SGT (Singapore) / 3:30pm–7pm AESDT EMEA: Tuesday, November 26, 9am-1pm GMT / 1pm-5pm GST/ 2:30pm-6:30pm IST A Roadmap for SOA Development and Delivery | Mark Nelson Do you know the way to S-O-A? Mark Nelson does. His latest blog post, part of an ongoing series, will help to keep you from getting lost along the way. Updated ODI Statement of Direction | Robert Schweighardt Heads up Oracle Data Integrator fans! A new product statement of direction document is available, offering "an overview of the strategic product plans for Oracle’s data integration products for bulk data movement and transformation, specifically Oracle Data Integrator (ODI) and Oracle Warehouse Builder (OWB)." Java-Powered Robot Named NAO Wows Crowds | Tori Wieldt Java community manager Tori Wieldt interviews a robot and human. Nordic OTN Tour 2013 | Lonneke Dikmans Oracle ACE Director Lonneke Dikmans checks in from the Stockholm leg of the Nordic OTN Tour for 2013, sponsored by the Danish Oracle User Group and featuring fellow ACE Directors Tim Hall and Sten Vesterli, plus local speakers at various stops. Lonneke's post include the slides from three of the presentations. Thought for the Day "Some people approach every problem with an open mouth." — Adlai E. Stevenson23rd Vice President of the United States (October 23, 1835 – June 14, 1914) Source: brainyquote.com

    Read the article

  • How do I use an API?

    - by GRardB
    Background I have no idea how to use an API. I know that all APIs are different, but I've been doing research and I don't fully understand the documentation that comes along with them. There's a programming competition at my university in a month and a half that I want to compete in (revolved around APIs) but nobody on my team has ever used one. We're computer science majors, so we have experience programming, but we've just never been exposed to an API. I tried looking at Twitter's documentation, but I'm lost. Would anyone be able to give me some tips on how to get started? Maybe a very easy API with examples, or explaining essential things about common elements of different APIs? I don't need a full-blown tutorial on Stack Overflow; I just need to be pointed in the right direction. Update The programming languages that I'm most fluent in are C (simple text editor usually) and Java (Eclipse). In an attempt to be more specific with my question: I understand that APIs (and yes, external libraries are what I was referring to) are simply sets of functions. Question I guess what I'm trying to ask is how I would go about accessing those functions. Do I need to download specific files and include them in my programs, or do they need to be accessed remotely, etc.?

    Read the article

  • String Conversion to Char for Java Game

    - by Jen
    Is there someone who could help me achieve the following points on this problems? I can't seem to get it. I tried using toCharArray and Scanner to achieve this, but it doesn't work, nor do I know how to make this things possible for my word game. :( · Get a popular name of person, place, verse, saying or event from the user. This may have a single or multiple words in it. · Create a copy of this string to an array where each letter is replaced with a hyphen (-) and each space is replaced with an underscore (_). Symbols and numbers will remain shown. · The program then asks a letter from the user. If the letter is in the inputted string, then it should be shown on the array at the same position it is shown in the string. Meaning, the letter replaces the hyphen (-) at the correct position of the array. · The program again prompts for a letter from the user and replaces the hyphen (-) of the array if it exists on the inputted string. This will be repeatedly done until such time each hyphen (-) is replaced with the correct letter. · If the user inputs an invalid letter, that is, a letter that does not exist on the inputted string, then the program should inform the user. If this happens 3 times while there is still at least one hyphen on the array, then the program should inform the user that he lost the game and showing him the whole correct string. · If the user completes the game, meaning, all hyphens have been replaced with the correct letters; then the program should congratulate the user for a job well done.

    Read the article

  • Maker Faire Report - Teaching Kids Java SE Embedded for Internet of Things (IoT)

    - by hinkmond
    I had a great time at this year's Maker Faire 2014 in San Mateo, Calif. where Jake Kuramoto and the AppsLab crew including Noel Portugal, Anthony Lai, Raymond, and Tony set up a super demo at the DiY table. It was a simple way to learn how Java SE Embedded technology could be used to code the Internet of Things (IoT) devices on the table. The best part of our set-up was seeing the kids sit down and do some coding without all the complexity of a Computer Science course. It was very encouraging to see how interested the kids were when walking them through the programming steps, then seeing their eyes light up when telling them, "You just coded a Java enabled Internet of Things device!" as the Raspberry Pi-connected devices turned on or started to move from their Java Embedded program. See: The AppsLab at Maker Faire It will be interesting to see how this next generation of kids grow up with all these Internet of Things devices around them and watch how they will program them. Hopefully, they will be using Java SE Embedded technology to do so. From the looks of it at this year's Maker Faire, we might have a bunch of motivated young Java SE Embedded coders coming up the ranks soon. Well, they have to get through middle school first, but they're on their way! Hinkmond

    Read the article

  • Storing data offline with javascript

    - by Walker
    My question is about storing data offline and potentially whether I will need to bring in an outside programmer or could this be learned within a few weeks? The website I am working on will have an interface where users will login and go through a series of quizzes in the form of checkbox, drop down menus, and others. Each page/quiz area could have 20-100 total checkboxes in a series of 3-5 rows because of the comprehensive nature of course. This I can do - I know how to code the quiz and return a correct or incorrect answer based on each individual checkbox and present a cumulative score (ie: you got 57% correct). The issue lies in the fact that I would like to save the users results and keep them informed of their progress. When they complete all of the quizzes, I would like to have a visual output of their performance in each area. Storing the output from their results offline is where I think I may run into a problem with my lack of coding experience. I would also like to have a sidebar with their progress of each section (10-15) with a green percentage completion bar or a % correct which would draw from this. I have never had to code something that stores information like this offline - so back to my question - would it be better to learn the language needed or bring in a coder/developer for the back end stuff.

    Read the article

  • Parse text file on click - and then display

    - by John R
    I am thinking of a methodology for rapid retrieval of code snippets. I imagine an HTML table with a setup like this: one two ... ten one oneTwo() oneTen() two twoOne() twoTen() ... ten tenOne() tenTwo() When a user clicks a function in this HTML table, a snippet of code is shown in another div tag or perhaps a popup window (I'm open to different solutions). I want to maintain only one PHP file named utitlities.php that contains a class called 'util'. This file & class will hold all the functions referenced in the above table (it is also used on various projects and is functional code). A key idea is that I do not want to update the HTML documentation everytime I write/update a new function in utilities.php. I should be able to click a function in the table and have PHP open the utilities file, parse out the apropriate function and display it in an HTML window. Questions: 1) I will be coding this in PHP and JavaScript but am wondering if similar scripts are available (for all or part) so I don't reinvent the wheel. 2) Quick & easy Ajax suggestions appreciated too (probably will use jquery, but am rusty). 3) Methodology for parsing out the functions from the utilities.php file (I'm not to good with regex).

    Read the article

  • Why do I need a framework?

    - by lvictorino
    First of all I know my question may sounds idiot but I am no "beginner". In fact I work as game developer for several years now and I know some things about code :) But as this is no related to game development I am a bit lost. I am writing a big script (something about GIS) in Python, using a lot of data stored in a database. I made a first version of my script, and now, I'd like to re-design the whole thing. I read some advice about using a framework (like Django) for database queries. But as my script only "SELECT" informations I was wondering about the real benefits to use a framework. It seems that it adds a lot of complexity and useless embedded features (useless for my specific script) for the benefits that it will bring. Am I wrong? EDIT: few spec of this "script". Its purpose is to get GIS data on an enormous database (if you ever worked with openstreetmap you know what I mean ~= 200Go) and to manipulate this data in order to produce nice map images. Queries are not numerous (select streets, select avenues, select waterways, select forests... and so on for a specific area) but query results may be more than 10.000 rows. I'd like to sell this script as a service, so yes it's meant to stay.

    Read the article

  • What's wrong with cplusplus.com?

    - by Kerrek SB
    This is perhaps not a perfectly suitable forum for this question, but let me give it a shot, at the risk of being moved away. There are several references for the C++ standard library, including the invaluable ISO standard, MSDN, IBM, cppreference, and cplusplus. Personally, when writing C++ I need a reference that has quick random access, short load times and usage examples, and I've been finding cplusplus.com pretty useful. However, I've been hearing negative opinions about that website frequently here on SO, so I would like to get specific: What are the errors, misconceptions or bad pieces of advice given by cplusplus.com? What are the risks of using it to make coding decisions? Let me add this point: I want to be able to answer questions here on SO with accurate quotes of the standard, and thus I would like to post immediately-usable links, and cplusplus.com would have been my choice site were it not for this issue. Update: There have been many great responses, and I have seriously changed my view on cplusplus.com. I'd like to list a few choice results here; feel free to suggest more (and keep posting answers). As of June 29, 2011: Incorrect description of some algorithms (e.g. remove). Information about the behaviour of functions is sometimes incorrect (atoi), fails to mention special cases (strncpy), or omits vital information (iterator invalidation). Examples contain deprecated code (#include style). Inexact terminology is doing a disservice to learners and the general community ("STL", "compiler" vs "toolchain"). Incorrect and misleading description of the typeid keyword.

    Read the article

  • Strategies for managing use of types in Python

    - by dave
    I'm a long time programmer in C# but have been coding in Python for the past year. One of the big hurdles for me was the lack of type definitions for variables and parameters. Whereas I totally get the idea of duck typing, I do find it frustrating that I can't tell the type of a variable just by looking at it. This is an issue when you look at someone else's code where they've used ambiguous names for method parameters (see edit below). In a few cases, I've added asserts to ensure parameters comply with an expected type but this goes against the whole duck typing thing. On some methods, I'll document the expected type of parameters (eg: list of user objects), but even this seems to go against the idea of just using an object and let the runtime deal with exceptions. What strategies do you use to avoid typing problems in Python? Edit: Example of the parameter naming issues: If our code base we have a task object (ORM object) and a task_obj object (higher level object that embeds a task). Needless to say, many methods accept a parameter named 'task'. The method might expect a task or a task_obj or some other construct such as a dictionary of task properties - it is not clear. It is them up to be to look at how that parameter is used in order to work out what the method expects.

    Read the article

  • How bad would be to focus on iOS/Android development for an indie developer?

    - by kender
    After some time developing games for others I'm thinking of moving towards my own productions. My background is 10+ years of software development, with last 2 years spent on the iOS development (Objective-C and CoronaSDK). With my current experience in Corona I can quickly develop for iOS and Android systems. And this is something that I'm probably gonna do with several of the game ideas I have, at least for the prototype part. But - I'm wondering if it's not a bad idea to focus on those 2 systems only. After all there are other mobile platforms, there are PCs, Macs and Linux boxes... All of them having gamers using them. I was wondering if it wasn't a good idea to try some other SDK, giving me more flexibility when it comes to platform-independance. There's Unity3D (I think I can develop a 2D game in it though), there's MoAI from what I checked. I see a few options, not sure which one is best as I have little experience in this field (publishing own games): Stick with CoronaSDK for the whole time, release for iOS and Android platforms, screw other mobile devices and PCs, Use Corona for prototyping, then when the idea goes more into the "production" phase rewrite it in MoAI or Unity3D for more platforms support, Start with one of those 2 SDKs right now (which means the prototype phase will be delayed a bit, but after that I can jump right into real coding). Any clues here, what to do?

    Read the article

  • How to implement behavior in a component-based game architecture?

    - by ghostonline
    I am starting to implement player and enemy AI in a game, but I am confused about how to best implement this in a component-based game architecture. Say I have a following player character that can be stationary, running and swinging a sword. A player can transit to the swing sword state from both the stationary and running state, but then the swing must be completed before the player can resume standing or running around. During the swing, the player cannot walk around. As I see it, I have two implementation approaches: Create a single AI-component containing all player logic (either decoupled from the actual component or embedded as a PlayerAIComponent). I can easily how to enforce the state restrictions without creating coupling between individual components making up the player entity. However, the AI-component cannot be broken up. If I have, for example, an enemy that can only stand and walk around or only walks around and occasionally swing a sword, I have to create new AI-components. Break the behavior up in components, each identifying a specific state. I then get a StandComponent, WalkComponent and SwingComponent. To enforce the transition rules, I have to couple each component. SwingComponent must disable StandComponent and WalkComponent for the duration of the swing. When I have an enemy that only stands around, swinging a sword occasionally, I have to make sure SwingComponent only disables WalkComponent if it is present. Although this allows for better mix-and-matching components, it can lead to a maintainability nightmare as each time a dependency is added, the existing components must be updated to play nicely with the new requirements the dependency places on the character. The ideal situation would be that a designer can build new enemies/players by dragging components into a container, without having to touch a single line of engine or script code. Although I am not sure script coding can be avoided, I want to keep it as simple as possible. Summing it all up: Should I lob all AI logic into one component or break up each logic state into separate components to create entity variants more easily?

    Read the article

  • One-way platform collision

    - by TheBroodian
    I hate asking questions that are specific to my own code like this, but I've run into a pesky roadblock and could use some help getting around it. I'm coding floating platforms into my game that will allow a player to jump onto them from underneath, but then will not allow players to fall through them once they are on top, which require some custom collision detection code. The code I have written so far isn't working, the character passes through it on the way up, and on the way down, stops for a moment on the platform, and then falls right through it. Here is the code to handle collisions with floating platforms: protected void HandleFloatingPlatforms(Vector2 moveAmount) { //if character is traveling downward. if (moveAmount.Y > 0) { Rectangle afterMoveRect = collisionRectangle; afterMoveRect.Offset((int)moveAmount.X, (int)moveAmount.Y); foreach (World_Objects.GameObject platform in gameplayScreen.Entities) { if (platform is World_Objects.Inanimate_Objects.FloatingPlatform) { //wideProximityArea is just a rectangle surrounding the collision //box of an entity to check for nearby entities. if (wideProximityArea.Intersects(platform.CollisionRectangle) || wideProximityArea.Contains(platform.CollisionRectangle)) { if (afterMoveRect.Intersects(platform.CollisionRectangle)) { //This, in my mind would denote that after the character is moved, its feet have fallen below the top of the platform, but before he had moved its feet were above it... if (collisionRectangle.Bottom <= platform.CollisionRectangle.Top) { if (afterMoveRect.Bottom > platform.CollisionRectangle.Top) { //And then after detecting that he has fallen through the platform, reposition him on top of it... worldLocation.Y = platform.CollisionRectangle.Y - frameHeight; hasCollidedVertically = true; } } } } } } } } In case you are curious, the parameter moveAmount is found through this code: elapsed = (float)gameTime.ElapsedGameTime.TotalSeconds; float totalX = 0; float totalY = 0; foreach (Vector2 vector in velocities) { totalX += vector.X; totalY += vector.Y; } velocities.Clear(); velocity.X = totalX; velocity.Y = totalY; velocity.Y = Math.Min(velocity.Y, 1000); Vector2 moveAmount = velocity * elapsed;

    Read the article

  • How to get started in the development industry? [closed]

    - by Peter Fren
    My life is coding. I was born in 1982 and my first computer was an amiga. I started learning Amiga BASIC. To cut a long story short, I know many things about several programming languages. Being unemployed(I achieved the german abitur, should be similar to a high school degree and I studied a few semesters of mechanical engineering in 2002(I learned JAVA back then)) I have no idea how to use this ability. I have never done commissional work, every task I solved was based on my own wishes and desires. I do not know how to write a FSD or PRD or put it into code. So the question is, why should anyone hire me? I specialized in kinect development but all jobs I applied for on odesk and similar were awarded to others without me knowing why. I don't know what I should do with my skills professionally. What do you suggest? As this board has weird rules, tell me where to find answers if this is the wrong place.

    Read the article

  • To sell or give for free

    - by QAH
    Hello everyone! I am currently making a game that I was originally planning to sell. It is a simple 2D arcade style game for the PC. I've seen many indie games become popular and generate revenue from advertisements, but the game itself remains free. I need some advice on whether or not I should sell my game, release it for free with advertisements, or ask for donations and keep the game free. I feel that my game is fun, but of course the graphics aren't tip top because I am a programmer, not an artist. I just take screenshots of 3D models I get from Turbosquid and crop around it to make a sprite. Also, and I could be very wrong about this, it seems that there are more legal issues surrounding selling a game than making it free and generating revenue from advertisement, or asking for donations. If I am wrong, someone please correct me. Also, I am very interested in generating some revenue for my work, but that isn't at the very top of my list. I am in my last year of high school, soon to be going to college, and I am going to major in computer science/software engineering. So I am trying to gain some preliminary experience at home by coding stuff every day. One way of getting this experience is by making this game. So what do you think? What route should I take? What has worked well with other indie games? Thanks in advance.

    Read the article

  • How should I create a mutable, varied jtree with arbitrary/generic category nodes?

    - by Pureferret
    Please note: I don't want coding help here, I'm on Programmers for a reason. I want to improve my program planning/writing skills not (just) my understanding of Java. I'm trying to figure out how to make a tree which has an arbitrary category system, based on the skills listed for this LARP game here. My previous attempt had a bool for whether a skill was also a category. Trying to code around that was messy. Drawing out my tree I noticed that only my 'leaves' were skills and I'd labeled the others as categories. Explanation of tree: The Tree is 'born' with a set of hard coded highest level categories (Weapons, Physical and Mental, Medical etc.). Fro mthis the user needs to be able to add a skill. Ultimately they want to add 'One-handed Sword Specialisation' for instance. To do so you'd ideally click 'add' with Weapons selected and then select One-handed from a combobox, then click add again and enter a name in a text field. Then click add again to add a 'level' or 'tier' first proficiency, then specialisation. Of course if you want to buy a different skill it's completely different, which is what I'm having trouble getting my head around let alone programming in. What is a good system for describing this sort of tree in code? All the other JTree examples I've seen have some predictable pattern, and I don't want to have to code this all in 'literals'. Should I be using abstract classes? Interfaces? How can I make this sort of cluster of objects extensible when I add in other skills not listed above that behave differently? If there is not a good system to use, if there a good process for working out how to do this sort of thing?

    Read the article

  • What is a "Technical Programmer"? [closed]

    - by Mike E
    I've noticed in job posting boards a few postings, all from European companies in the games industry, for a "Technical Programmer". The job description in both was similar, having to do with tools development, 3d graphics programming, etc. It seems to be somewhere between a Technical Artist who's more technical than artist or who can code, and a Technical Director but perhaps without the seniority/experience. Information elsewhere on the position is sparse. The title seems redundant and I haven't seen any American companies post jobs by that name exactly. One example is this job posting on gamedev.net which isn't exactly thorough. In case the link dies: Subject: Technical Programmer Frictional Games, the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent and the Penumbra series, are looking for a talented programmer to join the company! You will be working for a small team with a big focus on finding new and innovating solutions. We want you who are not afraid to explore uncharted territory and constantly learn new things. Self-discipline and independence are also important traits as all work will be done from home. Some the things you will work with include: 3D math, rendering, shaders and everything else related. Console development (most likely Xbox 360). Hardware implementations (support for motion controls, etc). All coding is in C++, so great skills in that is imperative. As I mentioned, the job title has appeared from European companies so maybe it goes by another title in America. What other titles might this specialization of programmer go by?

    Read the article

  • What should you do when presented with a horrible design?

    - by plua
    Our firm makes websites. We also design websites. But sometimes our client brings his/her own design. This is often made by an in-house designer, or it is the same design they used for something else. However, sometimes these designs look awful. And I am talking really unprofessional, unbalanced, uncool. But the client really wants this design. I really do not like working with a design that is so awful. It takes away all pleasure in coding. You code. You check the demo. Works great. Looks awful. It's just not fun. And ultimately the client might be happy, but 1) I do not feel proud of the final product and 2) the community sees you 'develop' ugly websites, which is bad for your image. Anybody experiencing this kind of stuff? What do you recommend? I've been thinking: Blocking these clients. If somebody has an 'own' design, ask to see it first. Then somehow politely decline. Drawback: you lose a client. Create a new design. Have our in-house designers work one something really cool. Drawbacks: client would need to pay for this (without asking for it), or it will be declined and the company loses time = money. And it might come as an insult if you propose a new design out of the blue. THEIR designer won't like it for sure. Put a clear disclaimer at the bottom of the site: Website design by XXXXX, Website development by US. Helps for the community-impact (if people pay attention), but not for the uneasy feeling.

    Read the article

  • When is it ever ok to write your own development tools? (editor into IDE)

    - by mario
    So I'm foremost using a text editor for coding. It's a very bare bones editor; provides mostly just syntax highlighting. But on rare occasions I also need to debug something. And that's when I have to resort to an IDE (mostly Netbeans, but got fiddly Eclipse/Aptana working as second fallback). For general use however IDEs feel not workable to me. It's a visual thing, being used to console UIs etc. And switching back and forth between a text editor and an IDE is slightly cumbersome too. That's why I'm considering extending the editor, not really into a full-fledged IDE - but at the very least integrate a debug feature. Since I'm working on PHP, it seems not that much effort. The DBGp allows to externalize a debug handler from the editor, so it's just minor integration work and figuring out how to shoehorn a breakpoint feature into the editor (joe btw). And while I've also got time to do that, I'm wondering if this is really worthwhile. In this case it's not a needed development tool. It's just for convenience. And the cause for doing it is basically just not liking the existing solution. While over time I might extend and adapt this debugger thing, it initially will be as circumstantial as Eclipse. It inevitably starts out as poor development tool. Furthermore there is likely not much reuse. (Okay, this is not an important point. Most such software exists sans much of a use case. And also obviously, similar extensions already exist for emacs and vim, so it cannot be completely pointless.) But what's a general guideline on attempting to conoct custom development tools, particularily if they are not really needed but satisfy personal preferences? (Usability enhancement not certain.)

    Read the article

< Previous Page | 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190  | Next Page >