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John's avatar
John
Honored Guest
12 years ago

Coding questions from a future developer

Hello there,
Not sure if this is the correct section to ask this, but here it goes.
I was looking forward for developing with Unity/Oculus SDK for quite a while now, I already have basic knowledge of C# and Java (I can do Unity, but I'd have to go through all the guidelines).
So I am wondering, as a 15 years old boy, would starting to learn C++ to start developing Oculus games be a good idea? Or should I step into another script language before heading to oculus straightforward?
I'm not really good at 'tutorials', I usually learn by testing everything I do, yet I don't own an Oculus Rift and wondering if I should start C++ from now or wait for one.
Thanks guys!

10 Replies

  • Duckaz's avatar
    Duckaz
    Honored Guest
    I started the exact same way you did! I would just have a go at c++ because you should be able to pick up the concept of it fairly quickly, it does however take a bit of time and effort. But if you don't seem to be able to get your head around it then maybe you should get really familiar with unity, and use your skills in c# and make some ripper games :D
    (Don't know if thats the right advice but meh)

    Good luck dude
  • John's avatar
    John
    Honored Guest
    Good to see that I'm not the only one that has this issue.
    Thanks for the advice; I'm not 'great' at C#/Java, therefore I'm still looking for some help at each thing I try to create. (I learned Java when I was 13, so I usually get back to what I know)
    Is there any cheap live tutor anyone knows? Which can develop with Unity/C++ and link it to the Oculus Rift, I'm too young for university and cannot understand well by tutorials.
    Thanks again guys!
  • Duckaz's avatar
    Duckaz
    Honored Guest
    To be honest you probably don't even need a tutor. If I was you I would take a look at some YouTube videos on stuff you want to do in unity, because it is very likely that someone has tried what your doing before. You should also have a read of the unity forums, because there are some really smart people on there that are really good at helping others. And if you don't understand a method on how they do it then maybe research a bit harder for an easier way. I can give you some basic help with c# if you wish, just send me a PM on this site and ill try my best to help.
  • If u want to use Unity, then C++ is pretty useless (unless u license the source code). You can only script in JS, C# and Boo in Unity. However if your deadset on C++, then get working with UDK. While UDK now only supports UnrealScript, it will be completely discarded when Unreal Engine 4 comes out. In Unreal Engine 4 / UDK, you will 'script' in C++ (However this might still be more then a year away...).

    Then again C++ knowledge is always usefull ;)
  • There are lots of good books on programming, it's a great way to learn.

    Just figure out what you want to do. If you just want to get some 3D demos together quick, then certainly Unity is your best option. C# works well in Unity, and is good to know. Unity is very easy for a beginner, much quicker than any other option out there.

    Learning C++ is great if you are looking at a career programming in the gaming industry. While engines may come and go, C++ has been around for a while and doesn't look like its going out of style any time soon. So it's definitely a good skill to have, but it takes many years to learn properly.
  • ganzuul's avatar
    ganzuul
    Honored Guest
    "cybereality" wrote:
    There are lots of good books on programming, it's a great way to learn.

    Lots of bad ones too, but I found Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example to be most excellent. The folks in the C++ channel on Freenode have more good recommendations.
  • As a general recommendation for learning to write good and manageable code in the long-run, I recommend reading "How To Design Programs". It's free online, has a fully integrated IDE and interpreter, and the book actually teaches the language (Racket, a form of LISP/Scheme) through the development of simple games. More importantly, the book is not about teaching you a language, it's about teaching you how to design a program (and believe me, when you start working with multiple layers of abstraction and making your own libraries, you want good design practices).

    http://htdp.org/

    That's a general "learning to program" recommendation thing though. Definitely something I recommend reading as you tinker and play around in Unity or UDK. You can absolutely read up on C# and get going in Unity pretty quick.
  • John's avatar
    John
    Honored Guest
    Hey guys, since I cannot afford an Oculus at this time, I'll be heading through the development sequence of normal to basic games.

    Nevertheless, thanks for the awesome tips you guys gave me, I've finished C++ Basics and starting to fork off some UnityScript (Which is pretty similar to C#, Javascript, Gs2 and like that).
    Just out of curiosity, is anyone willing to help real time with Unity? As in communicate via Skype or similar? I'm really in need of a good tutor which has some free time to teach quick Unity basics.
    Therefore I cannot continue to read tutorials because these stuff are really hard to comprehend at first glance, and the other way around I would need somebody that already has an idea of the Oculus.

    My request might've been a bit selfish, but I'm truly aiming to become better at my age. Thanks again for the advice guys, keep up the good work!
  • obzen's avatar
    obzen
    Expert Protege
    C++ is the industry standard for video games. But you can get by without it. Unity is pretty popular as a development platform, Minecraft is Java, ect... So you don't necessarily have too, unless you want to join a console / big-budget developer.