Is this true?

General
1

While I was going through the wiki for no apparent reason, I stumbled across this:

What projects should I start with?*

The experts recommend you start with well known and fairly simple games like Pacman or Tetris, which will teach you lots of things you need to know. As you get more skilled, you will be able to design your own games.

I would not agree with any of this, especially for pacman. You would have to create AI, Which even the experts have trouble with. As for Tetris, You would have to make tables, which beginners usally have trouble with, calculating the different colors to see if you can break any, and other things. So who would of gave those suggestions?

Thanks,

Prynok.

2

I agree these are difficult, and a good starting project would be a simple calculator with limited calculations. Imho

3

@Prynok They seem difficult, but stick at it and you will get there. Pacman is a great all rounder for game functions, you really do learn a lot making a project like that!

4

My first project was Pushball: physics, graphics, data saving, almost no touch problems and… fun!

5

I think that advice originally was not aimed at complete beginners but at people who wanted to make their own games. It was basically suggesting they should learn the basics of game design before trying to create something of their own.

I think it’s valid advice, although of course complete beginners have to start with much simpler games than Pacman.

6

Pacman’s “ai” is so simple anyone can duplicate it easily. You dont need any pathfinding algorithm - its a very simple state machine (actually one for each ghost, slightly different from each other)

7

Actually, I looked at Pacman a while back and it’s surprisingly complicated, there are all sorts of little rules.

8

This is what I would recommend. Start with Pacman see how far you get. Then the decision is:
Do you need to learn the Codea API?
Do you need to learn about controlling game states?
or just learn to program.
…etc.

Everybody is different. I just plodded along for several months a few hours a day… Then poof. It all clicked. I did graphics for years(self taught programming) and let me quote the collective form members, “Programming is hard.”

9

@Thwapp I know it is, but I think it might be intimidating to new players, and they might give up since you would think the beginner project would be easier.

10

IMHO:

  1. start with getting a sprite on the screen. requires knowledge of loading an images and sprites
  2. then detetect touching the screen (learn TOUCH STATES states)
  3. detect touching the sprite. hint bounds hit test… just look in the forum and you
    shall find

Now from here you should have 10 things you think will be cool to program. Then the evil thoughts about programming a super Cool, million dollar selling game seeps in and confuses your initial ambition of … just how to detech the touch on the sprite you just created? :slight_smile:

11

Check out http://gameinternals.com/post/2072558330/understanding-pac-man-ghost-behavior

12

@Ignatz that’s what I meant by you can learn a lot. Obviously it is a complicated game at the end, but actually working through and creating the game in the end isn’t as hard as you thought when you look back on it. I think it all depends on the hunger you have to learn and push through with endless searching and finding the correct algorithms for what you want.