starting off

[Joey]

ok, the only real language i know is agi. now im really going to try and get into a language. i have numerous books on c++, but do you think i should learn qbasic first? i read on a tutorial that many programmers learn qbasic first. i did a bit with qbasic last weekend, and it seems kinda easy. so do you think i should learn qbasic first, and once i can make a decent game with it, move onto c++? i know i have asked many questions on which language to learn, but i really never committed myself. i feel ready to commit myself and learn the language, and schools over, so i have all summer (like 2 months) to learn a language. so do you think i should learn this first?

[Joey]

now im thinking maybe visual basic 6? thats easier than c++, so maybe i should do that first, since you can make games with it and stuff. what do you think? is visual basic 6 like qbasic? im going to the library in a little and am going to take a book out on it and see how it is. just let me know what you reccommend.

[Andrew_Baker]

You shouldn't try to learn the easiest language. You should learn the one that will help you most. I started out with BASIC on a TRS-80. When I started learning PASCAL, I had to force myself to unlearn everything I assumed when writing in BASIC. This was a real hassle for me, and I sort of wish I'd started out learning PASCAL or C, instead.

[Perica]

..

[Eero Ränik]

Get yourself a copy of CeeBot... Learn programming while playing games! ::) It has syntax very similar to C# and C++.

[Joey]

well i bought a book on vb6, and it seems pretty easy right now. they said once you learn a visual language, it wont be as hard to learn another visual language. so i can learn visual basic 6, then visual c++ cause i have it. and in my opinion i think maybe i should start with vb6, but im not really sure. all i want to do is make games basically. i think im gonna learn vb6 first, then c++ like i thought i would. unless somebody REALLY doesnt think i should learn vb6.

[Tim]

Visual Basic and Visual C++ are completely different. I don't think there is any knowledge you can transfer between them, except maybe general programming knowledge (i.e. knowing what variables, functions, etc. are).

I don't see any problem with learning VB before C++. I don't see any real reason to do so, except that it's a gentler and more shallow learning curve.

[Andrew_Baker]

In response to that, Joey already has a working grasp of AGI, so he knows what variables, flags, and functions are.

[Eero Ränik]

Hmm, if he has already enough knowledge with AGI, why can't he just stick to C++ right now, they are similar languages... Basic makes things only harder.

[Tim]

Basic teaches you some pretty bad programming habits. I've never seen AGI, but if it's as good as you say, I'd recommend that Joey go straight to C++.

[Joey]

well if someone by the name of TOM! would help me with that bug in my book, i could learn c++!!!! ::) he said he would help me but he hasnt. i send him the code and he hasnt fixed it like he said he would. and this was months ago. i already posted it on the board, and no one here could fix it either. ::) ill just continue with vb until the answer is solved i guess. i basically just want to make games.

[Tim]

What bug is this?

I'm sure plenty of people either learned C++ without the book you have, or ignored the supposed bug and learned anyway.

[Joey]

i did the code in the book that supposed to put the sides on a box, and the sides didnt go on it. i finished the part, and it still didnt show up. im just gonna do vb6 cause i like it so far. if i dont like it later, ill just go to c++. can you make FPS games with vb6? ;D

[Tim]

Forget that code, and move on. I remember trying to test that code, and it doesn't even compile under Windows.

[beyondsociety]

Start with C and then move onto C++. I started with qbasic and then went on to C and it was hard to switch because I was always used to doing things in qbasic. I leventually learned C and went on to learn assembly language, html and now I'm trying to learn forth.

Stick with it and read alot of books and tutorials, don't be suprised if you spent hours on the computer. Many of times I had to get a different book of find a diffferent website just in order to understand the language I was trying to learn.