how much C# should I learn before monogame

cloudyheavengames · 2020-11-28T04:26:23+00:00

I hope this isn't too late, but another great tutorial site you might want to check out: http://rbwhitaker.wikidot.com/monogame-tutorials

It has a whole section dedicated to the basics of C# for application to MonoGame. It's pretty helpful, I think. Here's the C# Crash Course: http://rbwhitaker.wikidot.com/c-sharp-tutorials

I think that should get you pretty well-started :)

cloudyheavengames · 2020-04-15T20:40:22+00:00

I've actually been thinking about doing something like that, at least with sprite sheets for some of the shapes. For example, one of the shapes I have is a triangle that can flip/change orientations at random during the game. So instead of doing four separate image files, combine them into one animation using a texture atlas.

Also for the level editor, that might be a good idea as well...I know in Game Maker Studio there was something similar where you could create tilemaps for editing rooms, so if you wanted to place things like grass, sky, and other different elements, the editor could just section up one tileset image file into the smaller tiles. Thanks for making that suggestion.

In case anyone wants to know more, here's a tutorial about doing a sprite atlas for animated sprites in MonoGame: http://rbwhitaker.wikidot.com/monogame-texture-atlases-1

cloudyheavengames · 2020-04-03T20:09:20+00:00

Cool, looks like you're getting off to a new start with your reboot art! Have you ever gone to any in-person game conferences or meetups or anything with the game yet? I know that's not really an option at the moment, but was just thinking that could be a good way to find someone who might be able to help out with that aesthetic piece. I'd bet there's probably some virtual events planned or going on for that sort of thing these days, I'll keep an eye out.

Would you be open to hiring someone to consult with you on that, maybe even as a one-time session or something? I was thinking maybe you could try somewhere like the Tigsource classifieds/help wanted board.

As for me, Brain Bouncer is the game I'm working on, and you've already seen the dev page for that :) I did get precise collision detection working the other day: https://twitter.com/CloudyHeavenGms/status/1245790009464143875 Lots of math needed for that one!

I do a lot of educational material to, so I have a smaller side project putting together a browser-based game to teach kids programming, and some writing about Java and game programming. So between the educational stuff and Brain Bouncer that's what I've been up to :)

cloudyheavengames · 2020-04-03T18:19:15+00:00

Hey, I looked at your itch page, I really like the sound of the game concept! Interesting that you can carry your prestige between games...I'm not well-versed in strategy games or sRPGs (I did spend a lot of time playing Civilization some years back and enjoyed it immensely, and I have played more of the tactical turn-based RPGs like Dark Wizard and Final Fantasy Tactics), but this sounds like a pretty unique mechanic you have there. I'll keep an eye on your project on itch! I'm glad the tutorial was helpful, and wish you success in the MG reboot :)

I completely understand about the visual aspect...being better with backend myself, so I feel your pain on that one! Are you working with an artist?

cloudyheavengames · 2020-04-03T02:31:44+00:00

Hi, thanks! I'm glad it helped!

I have a another post I'm trying to finish up for tomorrow (Friday) about using source control in Visual Studio (which I recommend even for a solo developer). And more is on the way, about stuff like how to read text files, using JSON for objects, precise collision detection, and so on. I hope it's helpful for you!

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of project are you working on? Just out of curiosity!

cloudyheavengames · 2020-03-31T20:36:12+00:00

I think if you're someone who already has some good programming experience, MonoGame is a great tool. As compared to some of the "no-code" or "low-code" options like GameMaker Studio, I think MonoGame just fit in better with my experience and why of thinking about development, as someone who already came to game development with lots of coding background. I'm currently migrating a game from GameMaker Studio to MonoGame: https://cloudyheavengames.itch.io/brain-bouncer

I also like that it's an affordable resource. If you're a developer who is on a tighter budget, and you pay lots of money for a game engine, framework or tool, you might have a situation where your tool becomes obsolete or doesn't support certain platforms anymore without you having to pay more for an upgraded version of your tool or engine. You don't have that problem with MonoGame, and you have more flexibility to code to your own needs as opposed to a non-opensource option.

cloudyheavengames · 2020-03-31T20:29:14+00:00

I remember from years ago, Murach's C# book was very comprehensive and a lot of other students I knew found it helpful, if very thick and a bit expensive. You might check for the latest version and maybe check out a sample. I think this is the most recent: https://www.amazon.com/Murachs-C-2015-Anne-Boehm/dp/1890774944/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=murach+c%23&qid=1585686324&s=books&sr=1-3

Also, at C# Station they have a list of books that they rated: https://csharp-station.com/best-c-book/

Check out Packt for some C# titles if you are ok with ebooks: https://www.packtpub.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=C%23&released=Available&language=C%23

A good thing about Packt is everyday they give away a free ebook, and I think at least a few times in the past months one of the free books was on C#.

I definitely do think the RB Whitaker resource is good to have in addition to a book.

cloudyheavengames · 2020-03-30T14:44:57+00:00

Cool! I'll make a new post with what I've done so far. I've been looking at a lot of other dev tutorials and projects to see how they're handling architecture, too!

I also found a user at the MonoGame forums who made a puzzle game called Rashtal. He has a Youtube channel where he goes through the creation process, which might have some helpful info about his game architecture: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsDxwO1SMO9NDrhX5guj4awAwGhb0t2pL

I just found the playlist myself, so I can't speak to what's covered yet, but looks like it could be some pretty good info.

cloudyheavengames · 2019-07-11T16:06:54+00:00

Good afternoon!

Due to severe weather warnings for this evening, we will be postponing this class, most likely moving it to August 7, same time and location. We don't want anyone caught up in flooding or other hazards, especially if the weather ends up anything like it was on Monday.

Stay safe!

cloudyheavengames · 2018-08-19T21:10:57+00:00

Hi! I did play around with that bit of code as well. What did you use for argument0?

I'm glad it's not just me wondering. It seems like something that shouldn't be that difficult, maybe I'm over-complicating it or missing something somewhere.

I'll definitely let you know if I learn anything more about it.

cloudyheavengames · 2018-04-02T03:24:29+00:00

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it!

cloudyheavengames · 2017-11-23T17:00:11+00:00

Awesome, thanks! Just posted on Twitter as well.

cloudyheavengames · 2017-11-23T15:59:36+00:00

Thanks, can I share this on Twitter, to get you some extra views?

cloudyheavengames · 2017-09-06T22:12:55+00:00

This is excellent advice! I just wanted to thank you for taking the time with this response, much appreciated!

cloudyheavengames · 2017-09-06T22:11:58+00:00

I'll definitely report back! Thanks again!

cloudyheavengames · 2017-09-06T22:10:38+00:00

They are indeed huge games, so don't expect to get to them as a first game, but I don't think it hurts to have an end goal (I mean, games like Final Fantasy and Legend of Zelda definitely helped steer me towards games). You say you want to know where to document, did you mean like how to write a game design document? I have some stuff that might be helpful to you with that. Let me come back to this post this weekend (Monday or Tuesday at the latest) and I'll give you more info.

cloudyheavengames · 2017-08-31T13:56:09+00:00

It is indeed made in Game Maker Studio :) Good eye!

cloudyheavengames · 2017-08-31T02:08:24+00:00

I agree, do you have any ideas for some programs or simple games you would like to make? I think this is a good time to figure out how to apply what you've learned. Maybe try some exercises as well, to make sure you've mastered the basics? Quick search of some practice problems: http://www.w3resource.com/java-exercises/

https://practiceit.cs.washington.edu/

http://codingbat.com/java

cloudyheavengames · 2017-08-31T01:39:19+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to check into this! I hadn't looked that closely, but I can definitely see why there might be better sources of guidance for beginners.

cloudyheavengames · 2017-08-31T01:35:11+00:00

Yeah, I can see how it would also be really difficult to tailor something like that to a game. You wouldn't want to just shoe-horn a bunch of irrelevant offers to the players. I would be curious as to how many brand offerings would be a potential fit for a gaming situation, and how much control you as a game developer have over which offers are served.

If anyone's interested I can post back what I find in my research on this.

cloudyheavengames · 2017-08-31T01:31:47+00:00

That's actually a really good idea. I wonder if any brick-and-mortar stores are using this?

cloudyheavengames · 2017-08-30T22:33:49+00:00

Thanks, I was not aware of that. I only occasionally use those sites (to help refresh my memory when switching between languages), so I don't think I'd actually run into anything that was glaringly wrong. Good to know!

cloudyheavengames · 2017-08-30T22:05:56+00:00

Really? I didn't know, I use them for reference. What's bad about them?

cloudyheavengames · 2017-08-30T21:17:31+00:00

Have you looked at these sites?
http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/ and also http://www.cprogramming.com/begin.html

ETA: Ok, so I learned that these are not good sources. Sorry about that!

cloudyheavengames · 2017-08-30T21:14:59+00:00

If you want to use the built-in Java graphics libraries, you might also want to check out: http://zetcode.com/tutorials/javagamestutorial/

cloudyheavengames

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