Should I Try Modding?

[migulao]

NOTE: I out this in general discussion because I don't really have anything to add to the modding sub forum, like mods, or asking for help, so I thought that it would be more fitting if it was in general discussion.

 

 

Hai.

 

So, i've seen a rise in modding in PZ, and I kind of wanna be a part of it.

 

Eventually, I want to start my own indie game company, and I've already got a little idea for a 3D           Hack 'n' Slash, but unfortunately, I barely know anything about code, except for the little I remember from a few 10 minute online classes, but I still think it's better to start learning young.

 

I've looked at the code people post when other ones ask for help, and it looks relatively simple. It gave me a little incentive to actually try to start a mod, but I have no idea where to start, or what to do in the first place, OR if I should even try modding in the first place, so I wanted to ask:

 

What do you guys think would be the best place for a kid who has little to no experience (except the code that I saw in the modding help threads) to start coding?

[Svarog]

I'd start by making simple mods that modify existing code, make a new item, mod some lua variables. It'll help you understand the basics with time try to write some code of your own from start once you get a grasp of what does what. That's how I've made a few mods for myself.

I also generally avoid updating mods and try to fix\update them myself (Example: I updated NecroForge item list for myself a while back before official update rolled out because I'm damn impatient and I try to make some older mods work for Build 30 because I like what they do). A very good way to learn and usually, it's much more simple than it looks.

If you wan't something in the game, try to add it yourself first, if it's too complex, search for a mod, download it, look at how it's made and try to copy it.

Coding is only hard when you look at all those funny looking symbols and letters for the first few times

[Austin]

Before I got big in programming I began working with private servers for a game. Eventually I began to make my own games after I worked up from the private servers. What i'm saying is yes you should definitely try modding here on PZ, but only if you enjoy it.

 

The where to start is a whole other question. I began by just reading code from other mods to kind of see where to start. It's relatively easy to begin modding on PZ. Especially when adding new weapons, items, and food. So I would start with that. Eventually you could try working with UI and other stuff with PZ just through experience. 

 

Here's a link to RoboMat's tutorials. He's much better at this than I am and i'm sure you'll learn more from him.

 

http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/61-robomats-modding-tutorials-updated-12112013/

[Keepbro]

Always work to just outside of the range of your capabilities. The idea is that you push yourself just a little further each time and bring yourself more out of your comfort zone until you learn what you need to know. Then you start over and push a little further. 

 

When you make a AAA title singlehanded and are making millions please think kindly of me.

[migulao]

The day I become a AAA Game maker is the day I become a selfish, game-unpolishing, greedy twat.

And if that day ever comes. I will jump off of a blimp.

[RoboMat]

I barely know anything about code

The first step is to learn something about code. If you don't know the basics you won't get far. It's like trying to learn a foreign language, by going to that country and just listening to people. You might understand some words here and there after a while but you probably won't be able to hold a conversation, because you don't know anything about their sentence structure.

Lua is a quite simple language when it comes to syntax (the difficult part is coming up with design patterns etc. that won't fall apart later on, but that's nothing to care about yet). It is a good language to start with imo. Especially since it has a good online documentation. Read through that and make sure you understand it. For example try to understand why:

local foo = {};bar = foo;change(bar);

isn't the same thing as:

local foo = 10;bar = foo;change(bar);

and has totally different side effects etc. (spoiler: tables are mutable). You can learn this by following tutorials and of course you can learn this by looking at code (here you also will learn that just like everybody has their own way of pronouncing and articulating, every programmer has his own way of writing code).

Then when you have a basic knowledge of the syntax and the language itself try changing some of the examples and predict their outcome before running them. If the outcome is different than what you expected you should try to understand WHY it is different. You will make mistakes - It's part of the process and it will always be a part of programming. The important part is finding the mistakes and fixing them.

So to answer you question: Should I try modding? Yes, but not yet.

[Svarog]

The day I become a AAA Game maker is the day I become a selfish, game-unpolishing, greedy twat.

And if that day ever comes. I will jump off of a blimp.

Triple A game devs are usually not bad, more often than not it's the publishers that are complete corporate aholes that rush everything because $. 

[Cdr.Keen]

I started programming with HTML/PHP. I wrote my own homepage, clanpage, fanpage ... . After that i started with visual basic adv and coded some kind of "flash" games. After that i continued with flash/shockwave with various web scripts and started c++ .