Critics and Advises to BlitzMax Tutorial

Started by Midimaster, December 22, 2021, 18:29:18

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Pebender

Nice,

someone who keeps BlitzmaxNG alive....
I started a website for the MAXGUI in german with the old tutorials of Simon Geisseler, I updated the examples so it should work...
Some Example don´t work yet, but i´m working on it, so i have time....
If more people are interessted on the MAXGUI tuts in english from the gamecreators, I can add it on my Site.
the original tuts on gamecreators are not all online, but it is possible to catch all....

regards

bplus

I always wondered about BlitzMax, be fun comparing to QB64 and sb and JB.

First surprise, clicking top, right X in window doesn't close it, fortunately escape does. Also allot of extra files produced in .bmx folder.

OK got my rocket pinned to toolbar and Windows has it associated to .bmx  :)
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Midimaster

Quote from: bplus on December 22, 2021, 21:20:57
...First surprise, clicking top, right X in window doesn't close it, fortunately escape does...

This is Lesson 2! BlitzMax does nothing you did not code! Be curious...
...back from North Pole.

TomToad

1.  You should put in there that on a freshly installed BMX-NG, the first compile can take a while, but subsequent compiles will be much faster.  I've seen a few give up on BlitzMax because "I can't wait 20 minutes every time I make a change to a program."
2. You can use Graphics and Flip more than once in a program.  You can use EndGraphics/Graphics to create a new graphics context (though that would be a bit more advanced subject), and flip will put anything drawn in the backbuffer onto the screen.  You probably meant Flip should only be used once per frame.
------------------------------------------------
8 rabbits equals 1 rabbyte.

Midimaster

#5
Quote from: TomToad on December 22, 2021, 22:56:58
... You can use Graphics and Flip more than once in a program.  You can use EndGraphics/Graphics to create a new graphics context (though that would be a bit more advanced subject), and flip will put anything drawn in the backbuffer onto the screen.  You probably meant Flip should only be used once per frame.

This is my system of "half-truth". Tell a newbie not all the aspects, but only the part he needs to know at the moment . Later he will find out himself, that there are more features and possiblilities.

I'm teaching now since 30 years and I'm very experienced in knowing the typical problems newbies have at the very beginning. And reducing the information to a very minimum help them to survive the first hours.

If you check your adwise you will already find these 4 words, which the user never heard before:

  • EndGraphics ? ? ?

  • Graphics Context ? ? ?

  • Backbuffer ? ? ?

  • Frame ? ? ?

What do you think? Is it expedient to include these words in the first lesson?  You will confuse him and I guarantee you, after further 10 minutes you will say: "ok, i will explain this anytime later..."

Let us write tutorial like we talk to babies:

"This gift comes directly from Santa Claus".

Not the truth but a sufficient explanation for the day.





...back from North Pole.

bplus

Is there something in Help documents that group command words under general functional categories?

I know what I want to do, not fun going through Index of words looking for the right one.
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round157

Quote from: Midimaster on December 22, 2021, 18:29:18

...clean, please post your critic here!

Hi....good BlitzMax tutorials will make a lot of people become users of BlitzMax. Sure.

I am not a QB64 user. The user base of QB64 is so big and I am always surprised by this fact. I believe that the following game development tutorial website is one important factor. The following website is extremely helpful and I think that a lot of people are attracted to learn QB64 because the tutorials on the website are so useful and excellent.

Perhaps the tutorials on the website will inspire you to make your BlitzMax tutorials perfect.
https://qb64sourcecode.com/




Midimaster

#8
Quote from: bplus on December 23, 2021, 01:01:53
Is there something in Help documents that group command words under general functional categories?
...

Yes... there are three possible ways.

1.
If you write a "similar" keyword in the IDE and press F1 twice, this will open the HELP reference sorted by themes. If you now scroll you will find all related commands. At the same time the index on the right side of the IDE jumps into a function category sorted list.

2.
The same if you find a "similar" keyword in the alphabetic Index and double click it, this also open the HELP reference sorted by themes. At the same time the alphabetic index changes into a function category sorted list.

3.
The Tree-View on the left side offers not only an alphabetic list, but you can also open other branches like "Language", "Modules". Scroll to the top. Here the commands are sorted by themes or categories.
...back from North Pole.

zelda64bit

Thank you for the initiative. ;)

Will you explain about object-oriented programming?,Will they be basic tutorials or do you plan to go little by little towards more advanced things?

Midimaster

"Object-oriented Programming" will be definitely part of the tutorial. I see this not as a advanced theme.

The speed of progress depends on the people that participate. And following my system of "half truth" I will not write a single complete all-encompassing chapter about OOP, but divided up into a dozend lessons about single aspects of it. Always in correlation to the level the other lesson reached.
...back from North Pole.

Derron

https://blitzmax.org/docs/en/tutorials/oop_tutorial/

OOP is handled there already - I think in an understandable way at least.


bye
Ron

Midimaster

...back from North Pole.

Hotshot

I had go on some tutorials on BlitzMax NG but I have notice the Error that cause when you forgot put Local Commands for Variable then you wont get Error like this

Code: [Select]
Local X=4
Local Y=3
If X=Y Then
     Print "are equal"
     ' now any stupid reaction:
     X=Y+1
Else
     Print "are not equal"
     ' now any stupid reaction:
    X=Y
Endif
Print "Now X=" + X

Hope that help :)

It is nice to see some people using BlitzMax NG and hopefully more people used it

Midimaster

thanks for the report. I changed it immediately
...back from North Pole.