Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Welcome to Code Hell

Why the hell did I do my combat system that way?



With the way it was before, I was using about three different methods to do things I could use with just if-then logic. I dunno why I was doing it that way other than the idea that I was maybe only thinking one step at a time.

Building a game is a precarious thing. It's already 1500 some-odd lines (a lot are printouts, and stuff like that, but there's also some stuff that goes into the guts of the program) and I really don't feel like I've done that much at all with it, yet.

It doesn't help that my first draft of the game was something that meant one little change required a lot of stuff. The applications we write in CS are just quick and dirty little things that teach a lot about one little aspect of the language, but not necessarily how it all meshes too well. I had to learn that the hard way when I started on the game. The way I had learned coding up to that point would make anything semi-big unmaintainable.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking my computer science course. It's nothing too advanced because its a first-year program but its nothing to laugh about either because it is an AP course. I'm just saying that my limited experience, trying to work on a big project has actually been a good thing. I've gotten my head around classes and objects a little before the need to do so was required (something I'm glad happened before I got my Gridworld assignment, or i'd have been lost) and am looking at applying new concepts I learn to the game.

The irony of it is its a text-based RPG. Right now its just singleplayer but i might make it into a MUD if its any good. The ironic thing is I don't play MUDS, really. Because they're just so dang complex that its hard to understand, or i feel lost, not having a map, and stuff.

However I think its largely due to the fact that I never could quite immerse yself into them, not that MUDs were bad. But with my game I can make it how I want, and strip away the complex learning curve (all those bajillion commands) and hopefully add depth.

Maybe.

All else fails I'll just work on it to learn CS.

But I have so many ideas for the thing, where I want to take it... And it's just a baby right now. Maybe when it's matured a bit it'll be something awesome.

1 comment:

"Zand" said...

It surprised you that you're exhausted?
Maybe lack of sleep is part of the problem? :P

-hugs-