some advices needed

(Qualmi) #1

hi there,

how did you all get to manage the w:et source code. did you read any books about game-programming before, are there any internet-sites which explain the code roughly. ive extra learned some c for this, but still the w:et source is some cryptical, huge piece of code. so what would you recommend a very noob programmer to find an anchor for this. maybe i should explain what i want to do. i want to create a little mod for w:et, only for training purposes, and then, after i realized of how the code works i want to go on and create my own little game (sth like mugen, street fighter or sth). so any advices are welcomed and i really would like to know how you all, which once coded for a mod, managed to keep up with that. i mean its obvious that this is not easy and it really disappoints me when i see this huge piece of code wondering if you all got smart from only reading the code or did you got any other sources before like books etc. maybe someone can point me.

regards

qualmi

(darthmob) #2

Interesting question. I always wondered what the best way is to get into a big project.

(ailmanki) #3

you ill need some basics about programming, a good Book about C programming…
Then dive into the code… dive out again… lol
Check out quake3 mods and code… there is alot to discover, many tutorials
Dive again into the et code… and try something out

(nUllSkillZ) #4

There’s a book about modmaking for QIII Arena:
Focus On Mod Programming in Quake III Arena

But it hasn’t helped me that good with my little mods.

In the Windows C++ programming application is a search function that can search the entire project.

(TomTom7777) #5

Besides learning the reserved words of a programming language, or basic programming structures, you need to get a feel for the structure of a program that resides over multiple files. Programming a single .c or .c/.h file pair is not the same as managing a multiple file compilation with different targets. Become familiar with what each file is for and what target needs that file. Also learn how a linker organizes memory use (read the memory map file), and how C uses memory, how variable types differ, and the names for each linker memory section. Learn also to manage the makefiles or project files and linker command files.

Read the code to see if you understand how they named and structured their variables, constants, macros. Then become very familiar with their use of indirection, pointers and structures.

Then see if you can understand why code changes are made/needed. I suggest you review the records for Project:BugFix by Chruker. Can you see what the original bug was, and why the changes fix that bug?

And then start small. Can you compile and link the original ET exactly the same? What is different? Just Date codes? Library files? Once you are satisfied that you can create the original effectively, make a small mod, say a minor weapon mod. And make some coding mistakes until you can easily fix your errors even when the compiler or linker leads you to the wrong line and the wrong error message.

Save your work often. Use a revision control system. Compile, link, build, and test often so you don’t get so far into changing things that you can no longer figure out what went wrong, when and where. Think object like even when not doing OOPs. Comment your work extensively so you will know what you were thinking at each stage. (And so (if you need help) others don’t have to understand an unfamiliar idiomatic programming style lacking comments.)

And Smile :D:stroggbanana:, you can always swear ^%$##@$#@!%!! later when the compiler crashes.

(Nail) #6

and remember SPELLING and PUNCTUATION count big time

(Qualmi) #7

bought a book. its about 1000 sites long :smiley: now i have much to read.

you ill need some basics about programming, a good Book about C programming…
Then dive into the code… dive out again… lol
Check out quake3 mods and code… there is alot to discover, many tutorials
Dive again into the et code… and try something out

oh jea. i feared that. maybe i will understand more if i read 1 line a day :smiley: i think thats a good target for the beginning :slight_smile: and jea. give me the tutorials if you have some. i mean. its cool if ppl exchange links. but i would get angry if i send links and they will not be considered, even if they coverd the theme. thats when i would get angry. be sure that i will read them, if i consider them worthy :smiley:

but for now, i simply wouldnt know where to start or what to search for.

thx nullskillz also for the link. but still i dont understand where the engine is involved in all of this.

and jea nail. spelling costs you time also :stuck_out_tongue:

(Qualmi) #8

bought a book. its about 1000 sites long :smiley: now i have much to read.

you ill need some basics about programming, a good Book about C programming…
Then dive into the code… dive out again… lol
Check out quake3 mods and code… there is alot to discover, many tutorials
Dive again into the et code… and try something out

oh jea. i feared that. maybe i will understand more if i read 1 line a day :smiley: i think thats a good target for the beginning :slight_smile: and jea. give me the tutorials if you have some. i mean. its cool if ppl exchange links. but i would get angry if i send links and they will not be considered, even if they coverd the theme. thats when i would get angry. be sure that i will read them, if i consider them worthy :smiley:

but for now, i simply wouldnt know where to start or what to search for.

thx nullskillz and tomtom also. but still i dont understand where the engine is involved in all of this (loosly bound question).

and jea nail. spelling costs you time also :stuck_out_tongue:

(ailmanki) #9

a lot to find on these links, I suppose there is not much more… although there should be alot more… so much got lost over the years :s
http://quakewiki.net/archives/code3arena/
http://synapse.vgfort.com/quake3.php
http://www.quake3hut.co.uk/q3coding/

(twt_thunder) #10

up to something big??..just currious?

(Qualmi) #11

no. not really. just trying myself :smiley:

@ail: that code3arena rocks…thanks. there should be sth like this for et :confused:

(twt_thunder) #12

trying to make one here:

http://www.wolfenstein-et.com

:smiley: so join in

(Qualmi) #13

cool site. now you need to establish a tutorial section and get some coders for this (if it should really be sth like code3arena). and if it should be a simple mapscripting tutorial i could also help out. just pm me here if you want. you could also add some of your previous tutorials about modding, then i could imagine scarys (now paul :P) tutorial and we would have 3 nice little tutorials. just tell me if you want to establish sth small like this. and if you could hire some of the coders here at the forum and talk them into writng whatever sth about coding in et, than youd be my hero :smiley:

(twt_thunder) #14

well… i can try… just thought it would be ok to have a mod site too :slight_smile: it’s almost all about maps here…

(-SSF-Sage) #15

Just start doing. That works for me with pretty much everything. This way you’ll soon start finding where specific things are. Try doing something small, change clip sizes etc. and go bigger and bigger. There’s a fair amount of things that can be done with the source code without being able to code a single line (just changing values and copy paste). Everything is named with logic and common sense, so use it and you’ll have a good start…

Don’t get scared of a big complex whole thing. You don’t code a game in one go. You start from something small and grow. Then edit what you’ve done. Don’t even expect to know where everything is very soon. Just find out where something is and start finding more. Good luck!

(twt_thunder) #16

http://www.wolfenstein-et.com/tut/tut.htm

found my old tutorial about models ingame and stuff… so first tutorial is on site :smiley: anyone else have a tutorial they wanna share, send it to thunder@wolfenstein-et.com

(system) #17

Heya Thunderpwn,

i tried to register but i get a message telling me :

Your choice of content/mail-list is required ? Dunno what that means but just wanted to let you know.
Maybe i am too dumb to understand or did not see something important but i was sure that i filled out all the fields pretty good :wink:

(twt_thunder) #18

[QUOTE=dutchman;199047]Heya Thunderpwn,

i tried to register but i get a message telling me :

Your choice of content/mail-list is required ? Dunno what that means but just wanted to let you know.
Maybe i am too dumb to understand or did not see something important but i was sure that i filled out all the fields pretty good ;)[/QUOTE]

try now :smiley:

(Qualmi) #19

will also send one in, if thats possible. ill rewrite my former mapscripting tutorial and make it a “general” one, which means i wont present any code, but therefore explain how everything works in general. a starter point for totally scripting newbies as you want. but i guess there wont be anything from me for some weeks. time is rare atm.

(system) #20

aiai capt’n, works fine now :wink: