Jeff on programming

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AuthorTopic: Jeff on programming
Law Bringer
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For those who haven't checked out what's new, Jeff writes on programming. Since some of you are working on reading his code for Blades of Exile it seems appropriate.

Congratulations Jeff on getting paid to state the obvious. Of course they didn't teach this when I learned programming almost 30 years ago and it still doesn't seem to be.
Posts: 4643 | Registered: Friday, February 10 2006 08:00
Law Bringer
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quote:
Of course they didn't teach this when I learned programming almost 30 years ago and it still doesn't seem to be.
Huh?

We were taught how to comment properly. We weren't taught about #define, because it doesn't exist in Java. We did, however, get drilled about using comprehensive variable and function names (neither too long nor too short) and error handling (which Java does do more conveniently).

Our software engineering course covered pretty much all of this...

Edit:

But the labels on this picture really made me laugh.

IMAGE(http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-clear-code/figure1.jpg)

[ Thursday, May 31, 2007 03:48: Message edited by: Dr. Johann Georg Faust ]

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EncyclopaediaArchivesMembersRSS [Topic / Forum] • BlogPolarisNaNoWriMo
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.
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Guardian
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By Aran:
quote:
Huh?
I don't think that Randomizer is primarily a programmer. No offense, but experience has taught me that engineers and their ilk have lousy code maintainance skills (admittedly, there's more to their jobs than programming, but still...).

And commenting each line of code isn't a bad idea... when you're writing in an assembly language.

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Posts: 1509 | Registered: Tuesday, January 10 2006 08:00
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It's only later I discovered documenting every single SDF and such is a must. When I first started coding for BoA, I didn't document anything. When I probably was about a quarter into WtRM (that expression sounds really odd... Is it correct English?), I started documenting SDFs and other stuff. In TNS, I document every tiny detail; I learned my lesson.

So, if I had read this article before I started coding for BoA, it would have spared me some time and hassle.

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quote:
Originally written by Thralni:

When I probably was about a quarter into WtRM (that expression sounds really odd... Is it correct English?)
Yes, or you could say the full length version which would be.

quote:
When I probably was about a quarter of the way into WtRM


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WWtNSD?
Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
Guardian
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quote:
Originally written by Dr. Johann Georg Faust:

We were taught how to comment properly. We weren't taught about #define, because it doesn't exist in Java. We did, however, get drilled about using comprehensive variable and function names (neither too long nor too short) and error handling (which Java does do more conveniently). IMAGE(http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-clear-code/figure1.jpg)[/QB]
I'm jealous. You actually got to learn something in Java. My teacher basically just said read the book and figure it out on your own. Hell, I completely stopped trying to read the chapters after Ch 3 and just copied down examples and experimented with pieces of them 'til I got the stuff to work in my programs. Comments on the examples in the book were the only reason I was able to BS my way through the class.
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Off With Their Heads
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IMAGE(http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-clear-code/figure3.jpg)
OH NOES

Er, in other news, this article makes me wonder how intelligent my comments on my BoA scripts are. They're usually non-existent, and when they do exist (as in the HLPM), they're pretty much stating the obvious.

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Shaper
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IMAGE(http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-clear-code/figure3.jpg)

Now THAT looks like fun! :P

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Posts: 2686 | Registered: Friday, September 8 2006 07:00
Law Bringer
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Owned? Unless aliens that reach the bottom of the field alive (without touching my ship) hurt me somehow (or the "laser pew pew" reloads really slowly or takes like 5 shots to take one down), I'm pretty sure I could get out of that wave with 3 ships left.

[ Thursday, May 31, 2007 12:09: Message edited by: Dr. Johann Georg Faust ]

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EncyclopaediaArchivesMembersRSS [Topic / Forum] • BlogPolarisNaNoWriMo
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Infiltrator
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quote:
Originally written by Thralni:

When I probably was about a quarter into WtRM (that expression sounds really odd... Is it correct English?)
I think "When I was probably about a quarter into WtRM" sounds more natural.

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5.0.1.0.0.0.0.1.0...
Posts: 508 | Registered: Thursday, May 29 2003 07:00
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"Congratulations Jeff on getting paid to state the obvious."

Word.

Though I question the obviousness of any of it. It's very much a "my own painful experience" piece. A lot of people learn to code, like me, out in the wild, these techniques don't just teleport into your head. They must be found out the hard way.

Thanks to this thread for so far not engaging in any Slashdot-style nitpickery. ("You used #define instead of const in omglol n00b.")

- Jeff Vogel

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Posts: 960 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2001 07:00
Law Bringer
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I learnt programming from the engineering department, but spent years updating other people's programs.

"Comments? We don't need no stinking comments."

Trying to figure out what Fortran variables do (only 6 characters allowed) when you are taught to use generic terms is frustrating since the comment section at the beginning to define all terms is never there.

Exams were try to figure out what porgramming mistake occurs in each section of code.

Jeff -

Any chance that will see the Alien game?
Posts: 4643 | Registered: Friday, February 10 2006 08:00
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"Jeff -

Any chance that will see the Alien game?"

It's totally vaporware, I think. I haven't see it in any stores. But there's a wikipedia page that might have a release date or something.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_invaders

- Jeff Vogel

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Vaporware? But I'm sure I've see---

Oh wait, never mind.

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Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.
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Space Invaders is practically a game programmers' rite of passage. Hello World, then Space Invaders. That's how it's done.

—Alorael, who thinks Breakout is also on the list. Maybe Asteroids for the ambitious.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Shock Trooper
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I did Space Invaders AND Asteroids.

I like Jeff's writing style. Reading that article makes me want to go and work on something just for kicks.

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One of these words is mispelled.
Posts: 284 | Registered: Tuesday, January 31 2006 08:00
Law Bringer
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quote:
Originally written by Upon Fire:

Space Invaders is practically a game programmers' rite of passage. Hello World, then Space Invaders. That's how it's done.

—Alorael, who thinks Breakout is also on the list. Maybe Asteroids for the ambitious.

Asteroids more ambitious than Space Invaders? Sure, you have to implement steering in two dimensions rather than one, and things like momentum and inertia. But on the other hand, floating rocks need no artificial intelligence.

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EncyclopaediaArchivesMembersRSS [Topic / Forum] • BlogPolarisNaNoWriMo
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.
I have a love of woodwind instruments.
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It don't take no Deep Blue to march back and forth pissing dollars.

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Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00
Law Bringer
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True dat.

I just have some kind of irrational awe of computer programs using tactics, even if it's completely primitive.

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EncyclopaediaArchivesMembersRSS [Topic / Forum] • BlogPolarisNaNoWriMo
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.
I have a love of woodwind instruments.
Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00
Law Bringer
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Space Invaders aliens have no tactics. In most variations they fire at random. In some they make a token effort at aiming towards you, but it's still at a randomly determined time and on a trajectory that's a simple matter of finding lengths and widths.

—Alorael, who thinks Asteroids navigation and random rock generation is slightly more difficult to produce. Not much more, but slightly. Asteroids requires some graphics, though, so you have to either learn to use sprites or become a master of various drawing functions.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Agent
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quote:
This article does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. (help, get involved!)
quote:
References

1. ^ a b Taito men talk legendary games. Edge. Future. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
2. ^ a b c Kevin Bowen. The Gamespy Hall of Fame. GameSpy.com. GameSpy.
3. ^ Giles Richards. A life through video games. The Observer. Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
4. ^ Williams, Kevin (2003-02-05). Arcade Fantastic (Part 1). Retrieved on 2006-11-20.
5. ^ Space Invaders - Tips. The Ultimate Space Invaders Shrine. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.


Makes me wonder how Wikipedia manages itself. I was rather insulted that they called their waco siege article "weasel worded"

IBM? I haven't seen one of those in ages.

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WWJD?
Posts: 1384 | Registered: Tuesday, February 6 2007 08:00
Raven v. Writing Desk
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Why were you insulted? I mean, unless you wrote the article...

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Agent
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No, I didn't create that article. I was insulted because I use that article in a lot of debates concerning the government, and it isn't as credible if it claims to be "weasel worded."

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WWJD?
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Canned
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I want to play Kill Bad Aliens.

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My brother tried to type something here. I just erased it.
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Agent
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I've seen my little brother playing something eerily similar to that before. Yet, Jeff's last post has a self-explanatory link, It happens to be called Space Invaders.

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WWJD?
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