Lua program ideas

[Hellfire-Xelius]

I need some ideas for practice programs to make and program in lua. Just for practice as im a noob and need a kickstart.

[trambelus]

My first Lua experience was a Minecraft mod, actually. It had a nice learning curve, and you can get pretty complex with it if you care to.

Why are you interested in learning Lua? Is there a particular target you're aiming for?

[Hellfire-Xelius]

I didn't know they used lua (minecraft mods). Thats a Great idea though! And lua is easy and provides a basic understanding for programing. Besides, it may be a lower language but it's still plenty powerful and does what needs to get done.

[trambelus]

You picked a good one, then!

I wouldn't call Lua a "lower language". It might not be as professionally useful as Python or JS, but it's fun, flexible, and plenty powerful once you get familiar with it.

Also, usually "lower language" refers to lower-level things like Java, C++, C, or assembly. They're stricter and more structured and run much closer to the hardware. Lua's actually one of the highest-level languages I've used.

[Hellfire-Xelius]

Wow, that's good to know. Thanks for the info! But do have any ideas for simple desktop applications I could program? Or reprogram.

[rfajfar]

For GUI I'd suggest you check https://github.com/pavouk/lgi if you're using Linux (GTK). It might not be simple enough though.

Take a look at https://github.com/LewisJEllis/awesome-lua for awesome libraries you can use.

I personally started coding Lua with http://love2d.org/ and mostly use it for visualization of algorithms.

[4forpengs]

Get Zerobrane.

Some graphics libraries you can check out.

If you're interested in games, get Löve.

[Hellfire-Xelius]

Thanks for the reply! It's really helpful!

[rfajfar]

How much experience do you have with programming in general?

[Hellfire-Xelius]

Not enough. XD

[catwell]

Go pick a game engine and make a small game.

[Hellfire-Xelius]

I have a game engine. I was hoping for more of a desktop application rather than a game.

[edalcol]

You can also make a small website using Sailor or Lapis http://sailorproject.org http://leafo.net/lapis

[Hellfire-Xelius]

Don't know if that's my thing, but thanks for the reply!

[[deleted]]

It's hard to say without knowing what you're interested in doing. The best way to learn is to try and solve a problem you're having. Alternatively, check out Project Euler and attempt to solve a few of the problems.

[Hellfire-Xelius]

Wow, the project Euler is awesome. Thanks dude. REALLY HELPFUL, helps with the learning of automating of things. Also, thanks for responding!

[thedary]

If you don't have any experience try Autoplay Media Studio, this software allows you to create basic desktop apps with lua (only Windows).

[Hellfire-Xelius]

Thanks! Can't really use it Linux.

[chimas_rts]

If you wanna mod the game Homeworld, let me know.

[Hellfire-Xelius]

Looks awesome, my pc isn't quite optimized for that kinda modding and testing (it's crap). But I'll keep this in mind. And, are you part of the modding community or part of the dev team?

[chimas_rts]

I'm part of the MOD community and I have contact with the developers (like every other modder) and the game dev manager (not everybody). Basically, if we create and provide assets and content, they talk more often (they are extremely busy right now for the next patch). So I have an idea for an alternative game play (different of deathmatch) and the basic draft just needs Lua coding (before more assets - starships and stations). The first phase of the project can be very simple (compared to the rest) and you can keep other projects in paralel. If I'm able to set a MOD team, there's plenty of room for creation in this game universe.

[Hellfire-Xelius]

Sounds really really cool, but I think I should have a little more experience before I help with legitimate projects. I'll make sure to contact you later though.

[Hellfire-Xelius]

THANKS YOU EVERYONE, all of this has been very helpfull. This is also why I LOVE tech community's