I'm always forgetting to mention things that should go with previous posts, like during the second part where the GUI project deadline was extended two weeks or something equally ridiculous. Collective will, that. Can't draw a conclusion from one occurrence, though. It could mostly fall on the professor. And then I'm sounding mean and elitist when I'm only looking at the smaller picture, and I'm only a trivial person. Just cease those thoughts and keep learning.
"Find something to drive you along while you learn something". I'm pulling that quote from nowhere in particular, but it sounds like a common piece of advice. A goal, simply enough. The chapters in the book were ordered so you'd be learning about classes following methods and receive a basic intro to GUI following classes. I had just about finished reading chapter five on methods when the professor skips that and the next few to get into arrays in chapter eight. Okay, learning about arrays now...and then something clicked. I want to say I went crazy for the notion at the time. I wanted to try and create an RPG.
(So unique.)
Creating games wasn't some lifelong dream I held. I'd hear about it every now and then when I was younger ("Hey, you like playing games. Why don't you get a job making them when you're all grown up?"), and in return I'd mentally roll my eyes. They made it sound like I was capable of being a one-man team (playing only the larger titles in my younger days I wouldn't be aware such people existed until later). It's not like I was brimming with ideas. I don't have any plans for this to be anything more than a hobby; I'll have to wait and see what happens when I develop more skills. Oh, but I'm always waiting and not doing. Such a bad thing to practice.
So back to the arrays, I was having my little epiphany. "With this power I could store stats for a character!" And so I built it up from that, asking myself what functions one would expect to see and making use of my accumulated knowledge to accomplish the task. As I went further in the book I'd look for ways to apply new concepts to the game. Man, look at that synergy!
After concentrating on it at full force for a short while I'd run into some road bumps soon enough. Like...oh, I don't know, the creative aspect of the project. I felt compelled to engage in creative writing at two instances in my life. One when I was six or eight, creating a book about the kiwi bird, complete with illustrations. Another when I was 14, stopping after 20 or so typed pages for reasons I don't remember, and they're probably gone (I wish they weren't). I might share the kiwi story later, just because.
I have several ideas floating around to see through the general progression of the story, and right now it would be a matter of jumping into the writing and making changes as seen fit. Initiating the writing, simple as that. Shouldn't it be? But here I am facing a number of untouched plans. Habits. Need to learn new habits.
More on the side project (and a few others) will be set aside until a post arises to be dedicated to them.
Classes started this Monday. I planned on finishing the rest of the programming book before then (what a great use of money for the course), but my work ethic isn't up to par yet and I'm left with four chapters to go. All fired up since I'm around students again. There's no telling yet what skill level they're at; I'll have to try my best to leave a good impression on the assignments so I'm not crushed under my sense of worthlessness. Out there in the world I wanted to be no one so badly, but not here in this class. I'm not going to be just an invisible student this time. Not if I can help it.
Small-time problems for small-time people. Downplay everything.
I guess this will be the last part. Left out some interactions but they can go under a different title.
Oh right, and the professor from the previous class gave me an award certificate thing. I think it was more of the "feel-good" type of achievement rather than something special, though. Even though I was the only one in the entire course section to receive it (and two others who took the course above me) there was this huge list of a few dozen people for some math course when I looked at the pamphlet at the party. What's the mantra? Downplay everything (no seriously, I'm pretty sure it's valid this time).
"Find something to drive you along while you learn something". I'm pulling that quote from nowhere in particular, but it sounds like a common piece of advice. A goal, simply enough. The chapters in the book were ordered so you'd be learning about classes following methods and receive a basic intro to GUI following classes. I had just about finished reading chapter five on methods when the professor skips that and the next few to get into arrays in chapter eight. Okay, learning about arrays now...and then something clicked. I want to say I went crazy for the notion at the time. I wanted to try and create an RPG.
(So unique.)
Creating games wasn't some lifelong dream I held. I'd hear about it every now and then when I was younger ("Hey, you like playing games. Why don't you get a job making them when you're all grown up?"), and in return I'd mentally roll my eyes. They made it sound like I was capable of being a one-man team (playing only the larger titles in my younger days I wouldn't be aware such people existed until later). It's not like I was brimming with ideas. I don't have any plans for this to be anything more than a hobby; I'll have to wait and see what happens when I develop more skills. Oh, but I'm always waiting and not doing. Such a bad thing to practice.
So back to the arrays, I was having my little epiphany. "With this power I could store stats for a character!" And so I built it up from that, asking myself what functions one would expect to see and making use of my accumulated knowledge to accomplish the task. As I went further in the book I'd look for ways to apply new concepts to the game. Man, look at that synergy!
After concentrating on it at full force for a short while I'd run into some road bumps soon enough. Like...oh, I don't know, the creative aspect of the project. I felt compelled to engage in creative writing at two instances in my life. One when I was six or eight, creating a book about the kiwi bird, complete with illustrations. Another when I was 14, stopping after 20 or so typed pages for reasons I don't remember, and they're probably gone (I wish they weren't). I might share the kiwi story later, just because.
I have several ideas floating around to see through the general progression of the story, and right now it would be a matter of jumping into the writing and making changes as seen fit. Initiating the writing, simple as that. Shouldn't it be? But here I am facing a number of untouched plans. Habits. Need to learn new habits.
More on the side project (and a few others) will be set aside until a post arises to be dedicated to them.
Classes started this Monday. I planned on finishing the rest of the programming book before then (what a great use of money for the course), but my work ethic isn't up to par yet and I'm left with four chapters to go. All fired up since I'm around students again. There's no telling yet what skill level they're at; I'll have to try my best to leave a good impression on the assignments so I'm not crushed under my sense of worthlessness. Out there in the world I wanted to be no one so badly, but not here in this class. I'm not going to be just an invisible student this time. Not if I can help it.
Small-time problems for small-time people. Downplay everything.
I guess this will be the last part. Left out some interactions but they can go under a different title.
Oh right, and the professor from the previous class gave me an award certificate thing. I think it was more of the "feel-good" type of achievement rather than something special, though. Even though I was the only one in the entire course section to receive it (and two others who took the course above me) there was this huge list of a few dozen people for some math course when I looked at the pamphlet at the party. What's the mantra? Downplay everything (no seriously, I'm pretty sure it's valid this time).
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