Where Does One Begin?

[Mister Newbie]

I have no programming experience. I want to learn Python so I can make
simple, 2D games. Where should I start? Can you recommend a good book?

Thank you.

[hg]

Re: Where Does One Begin?

Mister Newbie wrote:

I have no programming experience. I want to learn Python so I can make
simple, 2D games. Where should I start? Can you recommend a good book?
>
Thank you.

http://www.diveintopython.org/

[John Nagle]

Re: Where Does One Begin?

Mister Newbie wrote:

I have no programming experience. I want to learn Python so I can make
simple, 2D games. Where should I start? Can you recommend a good book?
>
Thank you.

Blender GameKit.


John Nagle

[Jonathan Curran]

Re: Where Does One Begin?

Hey n00b :)

If you want to start 2d game programming w/python, I would look at the package
pygame. There are some intro. tutorials at
http://www.pygame.org/wiki/tutorials. These should give you a head start.
Besides that, I suggest you scour the web via google to look at the source of
simple 2d games to learn more.

Good places to look at: gamedev.net, allegro.cc, amit's game programming
information

Good luck!

- Jonathan

[Michael]

Re: Where Does One Begin?

Mister Newbie wrote:

I have no programming experience. I want to learn Python so I can make
simple, 2D games. Where should I start? Can you recommend a good book?

If that's your goal, there's a perfect book for you - it's called "Python
for the Absolute Beginner". It focusses on people with no programming
experience, and aims to teach you how to make simple 2D games.

Sounds like a perfect match. Even it's first example program is oriented
around this and it's a simple program that displays a well worn 2 word
phrase known to many a programmer and games player:

----
#!/usr/bin/python

print "GAME OVER!"
----

It's relatively gentle, but builds up towards writing simple games in
pygame.


Michael.

[George Sakkis]

Re: Where Does One Begin?

On Feb 2, 3:39 pm, Mister Newbie <n...@n00b.n00b .n00bwrote:

I have no programming experience. I want to learn Python so I can make
simple, 2D games. Where should I start? Can you recommend a good book?
>
Thank you.

http://www.amazon.com/Game-Programmi.../dp/1584502584

[Eric_Dexter@msn.com]

Re: Where Does One Begin?

On Feb 2, 4:34 pm, John Nagle <n...@animats.c omwrote:

Mister Newbie wrote:

I have no programming experience. I want to learn Python so I can make
simple, 2D games. Where should I start? Can you recommend a good book?

>

Thank you.

>
Blender GameKit.
>
John Nagle

I would mention that blender is a great program but it is complaining
about me having version 2.5 of python and not 2.4 or at least it
claims I don't have python. pygame is probily a good program to start
with as long as you keep in mind that it is possible that up to 50% of
the p.c. laptops may not be able to run it. I don't want you to think
of me as a complainer just a greedy graphics collector. Python-
Allegro this is another intresting one but it requires .net and I
haven't broke into it yet and the docs are pretty lite and it isn't
ready for into stuff yet. I believe that both tkinter and wxwindows
have canvas where you can use dots but that is alot of work for intro
to programming type stuff but is more cross pc than pygame is..

[Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch]

Re: Where Does One Begin?

In <1170485721.683 685.178470@v33g 2000cwv.googleg roups.com>,
Eric_Dexter@msn .com wrote:

pygame is probily a good program to start with as long as you keep in
mind that it is possible that up to 50% of the p.c. laptops may not be
able to run it.

Huh? Care to explain this?

Ciao,
Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch

[Michael]

Re: Where Does One Begin?

George Sakkis wrote:

On Feb 2, 3:39 pm, Mister Newbie <n...@n00b.n00b .n00bwrote:
>

>I have no programming experience. I want to learn Python so I can make
>simple, 2D games. Where should I start? Can you recommend a good book?
>>
>Thank you.

>
http://www.amazon.com/Game-Programmi.../dp/1584502584

It's a nice book, but totally inappropriate in my opinion for someone who
says they have no programming experience.


Michael.

[Michael]

Re: Where Does One Begin?

Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch wrote:

In <1170485721.683 685.178470@v33g 2000cwv.googleg roups.com>,
Eric_Dexter@msn .com wrote:
>

>pygame is probily a good program to start with as long as you keep in
>mind that it is possible that up to 50% of the p.c. laptops may not be
>able to run it.

>
Huh? Care to explain this?

I'd appreciate that being explained as well (also preferably backed up as
well, but I'd be happy with explained :), since I've not actually seen this
problem myself ever, though I've heard about it occasionally, but never
seen it. What causes the problem?

Michael.

[Eric_Dexter@msn.com]

Re: Where Does One Begin?

On Feb 3, 2:16 am, Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch <bj_...@gmx.net wrote:

In <1170485721.683 685.178...@v33g 2000cwv.googleg roups.com>,
>
Eric_Dex...@msn .com wrote:

pygame is probily a good program to start with as long as you keep in
mind that it is possible that up to 50% of the p.c. laptops may not be
able to run it.

>
Huh? Care to explain this?
>
Ciao,
Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch

This is based on the documentation from panda3d explaining why certain
functions do not work on pc lap tops. The trend in tek is smaller
faster exc exc.. based on what they said at the time of thier
documation and I would have to check this certain functions are not
available because of memory of the graphics card??? I am going by
memory and as promised those panda 3d functions do not work but the
program overall is fine. There is no explanation in directpy but the
mentioned using several methods and the method they use in the demo
showing the island does not work but overall it works fine. For
pygame the best I could get on my laptop was the outline of a window I
was never able to get any graphics. There is some assumption based on
what I read in the panda3d stuff that leads me to believe it is
because of a lesser graphics. I could be wrong.. I looked into
wxwindows a little further and have noticed more graphics stuff but
documentation and tutorials for that sort of thing isn't readily
available so hopefully there is a fix of pygame or more docs on
wxwindows (or tkinter) that I can use at some time.

[Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch]

Re: Where Does One Begin?

In <1170535757.121 230.48110@a75g2 000cwd.googlegr oups.com>,
Eric_Dexter@msn .com wrote:

On Feb 3, 2:16 am, Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch <bj_...@gmx.net wrote:

>In <1170485721.683 685.178...@v33g 2000cwv.googleg roups.com>,
>>
>Eric_Dex...@ms n.com wrote:

pygame is probily a good program to start with as long as you keep in
mind that it is possible that up to 50% of the p.c. laptops may not be
able to run it.

>>
>Huh? Care to explain this?

>
This is based on the documentation from panda3d explaining why certain
functions do not work on pc lap tops.

Could you point to such documentation? The search function in the online
docs doesn't know about "laptop".

The trend in tek is smaller faster exc exc.. based on what they said at
the time of thier documation and I would have to check this certain
functions are not available because of memory of the graphics card??? I
am going by memory and as promised those panda 3d functions do not work
but the program overall is fine.

There must be enough memory to display a full screen, obviously,
everything else is done in main memory then. And you are talking about
panda3d functions and not pygame ones. The OP wanted to write simple 2D
games, so it's irrelevant if panda3d doesn't work on some laptops.
Claiming pygame doesn't work on about 50% of the laptops out there based
on these facts is a bit exaggerated.

Ciao,
Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch