Total Noob Programming (Pls don't throw food at me)

[Manningham]

The Getting Started modding thread is fantastic!  But I feel like I'm even more noobish than the target audience of the most basic links/tutorials there, so I post my questions here.

 

I've started the Kahn Academy Java tutorials, but I gather that modding Don't Starve requires knowledge of the .lua programming language as well.  I'm able and eager to put plenty of effort into learning programming languages, but there are so many!  Which languages do you think are most beneficial to modding (Don't Starve and more generally) and, down the road, developing games?

 

As a teacher, I've had quasi-educational gaming concepts running through my head for years and Don't Starve appears to be a wonderful platform for one of them, especially considering KLEI's community involvement and modding support.

 

Thanks!

[StarvedPigs]

I'd love to say boo and throw tomatoes but I don't know much of modding

[debugman18]

The Getting Started modding thread is fantastic!  But I feel like I'm even more noobish than the target audience of the most basic links/tutorials there, so I post my questions here.

 

I've started the Kahn Academy Java tutorials, but I gather that modding Don't Starve requires knowledge of the .lua programming language as well.  I'm able and eager to put plenty of effort into learning programming languages, but there are so many!  Which languages do you think are most beneficial to modding (Don't Starve and more generally) and, down the road, developing games?

 

As a teacher, I've had quasi-educational gaming concepts running through my head for years and Don't Starve appears to be a wonderful platform for one of them, especially considering KLEI's community involvement and modding support.

 

Thanks!

 

No Java here!

 

Lua is the language of modding here, and many places. The language depends on the game being modded. Although, learning a language (any, really), will make it easier to learn other languages, although they don't really translate back and forth particularly well. Going from one language to another, you'll have to learn different forms of syntax, different tools that exist within each language, and then if you're going to be modding a game (such as this one) you'll have to learn its API, which will make your life much easier, since you won't have to recreate the wheel too often.

 

I'm not guru, I'm far from proficient in any language, but in my opinion the best way to learn a language is to jump right in. Trial and error is not the easiest way, but it sticks. I knew exactly zero Lua before I began modding Don't Starve. (I know a good deal now, although I wouldn't be able to get a job doing it. ) Combine that with some research and reading (which I'm afraid I don't do enough of, when it comes to programming) and you'll be well on your way to understanding what makes Don't Starve (or any other game you mod for) tick.

 

Luckily for modders here, the game itself is almost completely visible to us. All you need to be able to do is read Lua.

 

As for developing games, don't let somebody else make the decision for you. You should work with a language you enjoy and know for personal projects, unless you just want to go into other languages for the learning experiences. They all have various advantages and disadvantages, but those can be overcome for the most part. Personally, I'm afraid of C and it's variations because I have a love/hate relationship with garbage collection. So, for the time being, I'm sticking to Lua and Java.

Edited April 16, 2014 by debugman18

[Manningham]

Thanks debug!  Alright then, .lua seems like the place to start.  I'm going to spend some time today reading up on various programming languages to try and sort out their strengths and weaknesses as well.. if anyone's done this and has a resource they'd like to share, that would be awesome too

[simplex]

The Getting Started modding thread is fantastic!  But I feel like I'm even more noobish than the target audience of the most basic links/tutorials there, so I post my questions here.

 

I've started the Kahn Academy Java tutorials, but I gather that modding Don't Starve requires knowledge of the .lua programming language as well.  I'm able and eager to put plenty of effort into learning programming languages, but there are so many!  Which languages do you think are most beneficial to modding (Don't Starve and more generally) and, down the road, developing games?

 

As a teacher, I've had quasi-educational gaming concepts running through my head for years and Don't Starve appears to be a wonderful platform for one of them, especially considering KLEI's community involvement and modding support.

 

Thanks!

You won't find a "best" programming language, because there is no such thing. Choosing a language is a matter of preference in the ways you prefer to express yourself when solving problems (which is what programming is about, taking a problem and writing a way to obtain a solution). Some languages are more abstract, allowing more concise and powerful means of expression at the expense of greater conceptual complexity, while others are more concrete. Some languages focus more on nouns (object oriented languages) while others focus more on verbs (functional and procedural languages). It's really a matter of taste, or, when working on (or on top of) an existing project, a constraint given by the circumstances. But the best way to define your preferences in programming languages is to pick one and learn it, since without programming experience the differences are very blurry, if at all perceptible. As debugman pointed out, after you learned your first language learning others becomes much easier, so do think of a choice of language as a serious, long term commitment to that language.

Lua is a very simple language, but its simplicity is well designed, not preventing or otherwise limiting the construction of complex, expressive systems. And it's a very strong language in game development, so you can't go wrong there. You can find good tutorials on it, or if you'd prefer the book Programming in Lua, written by the authors of the language, is excellent. The first edition of Programming in Lua (freely available online) is aimed at Lua 5.0, the second at Lua 5.1 and the third at Lua 5.2, the latest Lua version so far. Don't Starve uses Lua 5.1, but the differences between 5.0 and 5.1 are not so large to the point the first edition of the book is no longer relevant.

[InaneDugong]

Don't Starve uses Lua 5.1, but the differences between 5.0 and 5.1 are not so large to the point the first edition of the book is no longer relevant.

 

Dammit, I just bought the wrong book then. ;-;

 

Siiighhhss, I'll find a download for 2nd Ed and buy it later. Damn ambiguity.

 

 

@OP: I'm in the same boat as you and I've - personally - decided to stick with LUA for I have a perfect platform here (in Don't Starve) to learn on and from. I considered C since it seems most commonly related to LUA, but I'm going to be realistic here for myself: I'm more likely to get more out of LUA because of Don't Starve and my desire to mod before moving onto anything else, than I am learning the theory side of another language where I can't think of any practical applications that won't completely deprive me of my current goals/motivations.

 

But yeah, doesn't really matter where you start since they all share similar logics/wordings (I believe). If you find you need to code in another language down the line, then you can take your theoretical and practical experiences from Don't Starve into the new language - a formidable foundation to come from, for sure.

 

Best of luck!