User blog:GenLawrence/A Talk With an Ex-Developer

Note: I censored some things due to privacy of both myself and Andrew Kelts. What I saidOn Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 9:21 PM, Lawrence Daggerpaine wrote: Hello, I am Lawrence Daggerpaine (not my real name), an avid player of Pirates Online, an ametuer game programmer, and video maker. I saw your site of (insert website here), and I was quite intrigued. When I become old enough, I wish to become a game programmer, preferably for the Disney Interactive Media Group. I watched your videos, and put them together into one video and am planning on putting it onto YouTube, with your permission. It's not up yet, and I won't put it up if you do mind, but I wish to show people what the programmers of Disney do to make the game. Also, I would like to ask if you had any tips for a self teaching 15 year old student of game programming. If you don't, or are too busy to write back, that's fine. I know how busy you guys are with stuff, like Ship Customization, the Brig, and the countless other projects you'e working on. Thanks, and Fair Winds Lawrence Daggerpaine@a> What he saidHey Lawrence, I don't mind if you put them on YouTube just as long as you do not include any links to my site. I'm no longer on the Pirates Online project and I'd rather not have a million Pirates fans banging down my door for questions about the game that I'm not able to answer (don't worry, one or two here or there is fine). As for how to learn, I do have some suggestions: 1) Learn math. Lots of math. All the math you can. The better your understanding of mathematics & physics, the better you're going to be as a game programmer. Take your math classes serious, especially Geometry, Trigonometry and Algebra. When you get into college you'll want to take Discrete Math, Statistics, Calculus, etc. 2) Learn C++. If you know C++ inside and out, you'll be able to pick up any other programming language with minimal problems. I started learning C++ when I was 16, so it's totally possible. 3) Get Unity 3D ( http://www.unity3d.com ). Unity is a game engine that is free to download and use for either PC or Mac. It has all of the features that you would expect in a AAA game engine (physics, collisions, etc.). Download that and then go through the tutorials on their website and in the Asset Store to start learning. Unity uses the JavaScript and C# programming languages. If you're just starting programming then stick with JavaScript, it's far easier for beginners. 4) Start small. Don't make your first project be a game like Call of Duty; you'll just get burned out. Make your first game be like the original Donkey Kong or something like that. Remaking old 8-bit arcade games make for great learning projects that will challenge and teach while having a playable product at the end. Best of luck, I wish you well in your endeavors. Fair winds! Andy Kelts

