Where to start for programming?


Snoa

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Heyo, Ive been wanting to make a program that could run on Pandora. It's basically going to be a Parody of Gang Garrison 2 (which in turn is a parody of Team Fortress 2) And will be a 16-bit 2d sidescrolling shooter that has multiplayer and server-hosting capabilities, all solely for the pandora. (maybe a different program for pc to do server stuff though). Now, I have VERY basic experience with C++, but what programming language is best for this sort of stuff? Best for pandora? Is my idea even pheasable? I mean I know GG2 isnt portable to Pandora but I believe that's only because it was made in a game maker that doesnt support Pandora or something, and that's why I want to remake it.
 
gang garrison 2 is open-source and there's a cross-platform reimplementation of game maker (enigma + lateralgm)


you might be able to just port gg2 / enigma to the pandora
 
I suggest to use C, or perhaps C++.


You can get help from some other coder (such as me) if you get stuck with it.


There is a C/C++ dev PND on the repo, it works well for compiling direct on the Pandora.


Enable the sshd service, and use ssh to connect in to Pandora.


Don't use python / pygame, it runs slow on Pandora for some unknown reason


(perhaps the python build was not optimized for OMAP3 / too much floating math).


Check the wiki for some more advice about development.


Several developers hang out in IRC.
 
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Just install your OS to an SD card and install ("opkg install foobar") any compiler for any language you want. I'd recommend C or C++ with SDL.
 
gang garrison 2 is open-source and there's a cross-platform reimplementation of game maker (enigma + lateralgm)


you might be able to just port gg2 / enigma to the pandora

Note, though, that ENIGMA is incomplete, so it might not work.

Don't use python / pygame, it runs slow on Pandora for some unknown reason


(perhaps the python build was not optimized for OMAP3 / too much floating math).

Not true. Python does just as good on the Pandora as any regular PC (relating to overall power of the device; obviously, full desktop PCs tend to be a lot more powerful). You can't be as lazy or fancy as with C++, but the Pandora is perfectly capable of playing a simple 2D Python/Pygame game at full speed.


I don't know how complicated this game needs to be, but if you don't need a constant barrage of animations all the time, I think you can make it work. I personally think it would be quite a fun exercise. Of course, if you don't think it would be a fun exercise, you would probably be better off using C++.
 
gang garrison 2 is open-source and there's a cross-platform reimplementation of game maker (enigma + lateralgm)


you might be able to just port gg2 / enigma to the pandora

Note, though, that ENIGMA is incomplete, so it might not work.

Don't use python / pygame, it runs slow on Pandora for some unknown reason


(perhaps the python build was not optimized for OMAP3 / too much floating math).

Not true. Python does just as good on the Pandora as any regular PC (relating to overall power of the device; obviously, full desktop PCs tend to be a lot more powerful). You can't be as lazy or fancy as with C++, but the Pandora is perfectly capable of playing a simple 2D Python/Pygame game at full speed.


I don't know how complicated this game needs to be, but if you don't need a constant barrage of animations all the time, I think you can make it work. I personally think it would be quite a fun exercise. Of course, if you don't think it would be a fun exercise, you would probably be better off using C++.
A fun exercise to use Pygame? And the animations for the sprites wont be complicated at all. It's mainly the bullet animations and the fire/smoke/gib animations Im worried about. Im also worried about controls, how to aim a crosshair on a 2d game with analog sticks mostly. And I dont even know where to BEGIN with server stuff. But Im not even there yet.
 
Is this going to be your first game project? If so, I would seriously recommend starting with a much smaller project - maybe something like Tetris, or maybe even just a cardgame like solitaire
 
A fun exercise to use Pygame? And the animations for the sprites wont be complicated at all. It's mainly the bullet animations and the fire/smoke/gib animations Im worried about.

It's not so much the amount of animations, but how much stuff on the screen moves at one time. That and the number of sprites active at any one time are the main bottlenecks (unless you use hardware surfaces, in which case only the number of sprites will be a significant bottleneck). For a platformer, this could be a challenge, mostly because there tends to be a large room with hundreds of objects, and there also tends to be a background that scrolls as you move. Anyway, I think it's going to be a fun challenge, and I also really like Python, which is why I'm doing my next game in Python even though it's not just a platformer, but a puzzle platformer (where moving things like enemies absolutely must continue to move off-screen). But it's something to keep in mind.

Im also worried about controls, how to aim a crosshair on a 2d game with analog sticks mostly.

Instead of a crosshair, push on the right nub to shoot in the direction the nub points to, like Super Geometry Dust. So to shoot up, push the nub upwards. If you need precision, do this to aim instead and press a button (like R) to shoot.
 
Is this going to be your first game project? If so, I would seriously recommend starting with a much smaller project - maybe something like Tetris, or maybe even just a cardgame like solitaire
Yeah it will be. And I was thinking the same thing, maybe doing Bejeweled or chess etc. Or just non-game related programs in general.
 
A fun exercise to use Pygame? And the animations for the sprites wont be complicated at all. It's mainly the bullet animations and the fire/smoke/gib animations Im worried about.

It's not so much the amount of animations, but how much stuff on the screen moves at one time. That and the number of sprites active at any one time are the main bottlenecks (unless you use hardware surfaces, in which case only the number of sprites will be a significant bottleneck). For a platformer, this could be a challenge, mostly because there tends to be a large room with hundreds of objects, and there also tends to be a background that scrolls as you move. Anyway, I think it's going to be a fun challenge, and I also really like Python, which is why I'm doing my next game in Python even though it's not just a platformer, but a puzzle platformer (where moving things like enemies absolutely must continue to move off-screen). But it's something to keep in mind.

Im also worried about controls, how to aim a crosshair on a 2d game with analog sticks mostly.

Instead of a crosshair, push on the right nub to shoot in the direction the nub points to, like Super Geometry Dust. So to shoot up, push the nub upwards. If you need precision, do this to aim instead and press a button (like R) to shoot.
Yeah, I was thinking something like the latter, R to shoot, L to switch between primary and secondary weps, or maybe it'll be an alt-fire.
 
Oh I wasn't thinking of AI, more of a 2 player game. But the program would have to know what moves are/aren't allowed, special moves that can only be used once a game, time limits, point keeping, and so on.
 
2 player chess would be a nice choice, and you're not having to worry about framerates too. It'll also give you a platform to try some network code should you wish to do netplay
 
Yepyep. Sooo I've got a lot of different people saying different things here. Someone suggested GLBasic but I reaaallly want to do all of this in C++ as it's the only language I have ANY experience with, plus my best friend knows it pretty well so he could always help me out. So in that case I need C++ with SDL?
 
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