Suggestions From The Game Programmers

[Hack]

I am going to add a "Please Read Before You Post" thread to the Games CodeBank section and I would like to hear from you folks on what you think I should put in there.

CVMichael has already made an excellent suggestion that posters should put the language in which the submission is written in the thread title.

What other suggestions do you think folks posting in the Game CodeBank should follow when making a contribution?

[damasterjo]

The CodeBank is a place where you can post your favorite working code examples, code snippets, ActiveX controls, and tutorials. Please keep in mind that the Codebank forum is specifically for sharing code and so if you have questions that are not directly related to a CodeBank entry, please ask them in the Classic Visual Basic or other forums.

When you post something here, please follow these few simple guidelines.
Include a clear subject line on your submission.
The subject line should contain enough information so that someone else can get a general idea of what it is about without having to read the post. Please try to follow an "xxx - yyyyyyyyy" format where

xxx = Language (VB, VB.Net, C++, <any others> )
yyy = Description

In the body of the post please state what the code does,
Describe anything special about using the code or incorporating it into an application, and
If appropriate include a usage example.

Please see this post or any of the posts by me or Jamie for examples.

In order to avoid duplicating something that is already in the Codebank, please do a search before posting.

If you have any suggestions for how we can improve the CodeBank, please post your suggestion in Forum Feedback.

[NoteMe]

Make the post a screen shot or more from the game....not everyone can run the game, and it is always nice to have screenshots.

I.e:
http://vbforums.com/showthread.php?p...07#post1900207

-System resourses
-pre requests (ie DX 9, or Glut, GTK and so on)




- ØØ -

[Jacob Roman]

If this gets big enough, there will probably soon be a FAQ's Game section.

[Hack]

If this gets big enough, there will probably soon be a FAQ's Game section.

Well, you are the guys and gals that spend the most time in the Gaming Section. If you see the same question(s) over and over again, I would send a PM to si_the_geek. He is in charge of our FAQ section. If there is enough material, we could add a Games section to that.

For me, I just want to gather some thoughts from you folks so I can put together a meaningful "Please Read This First" thread that will be beneficial for anyone wishing to post in the Games CodeBank.

So far, I've gotten some very good suggestions from CVMichael, NoteMe and damasterjo.

When I do create it, it will be a single post thread that I'll make a sticky and close. I'm going to close it because I don't want it to get so long that no one will read it. However, after I've made it, if someone thinks of something else, all they would need to do is send their idea to me an a PM and I'll include it.

[geroldsh]

Maybe indicate what can be uploaded. I tried to upload a Yahtzee game, but after going through the rope I was informed that the project was to big for this forum. If that was stated up front, I would not have wasted my time. For some reason, there seams to be dead threads in the game code section, if a user removes the attachment thread, then the entire thread should be removed. Again, I wasted a lot of time reading a thread only to be disappointed when I could not download the code/game. so basically, if an attachment is included, it should stay. Posting the language used is excellent, but also there should be a button to click to indicate what the code is: snippet, example, project, exe, and so on. Also, if third party source is needed. I hate downloading code only to discover that I can't run it because something is missing.

[Jacob Roman]

I'm sure the source files don't add up to 1.8 megs, but if you got an mp3 playing in its background, then it's not needed for demo purposes, and you should be able to upload it. The exe is also not needed. I know how big .NET exes can get.

[NoteMe]

When I do create it, it will be a single post thread that I'll make a sticky and close. I'm going to close it because I don't want it to get so long that no one will read it. However, after I've made it, if someone thinks of something else, all they would need to do is send their idea to me an a PM and I'll include it.

Read throught the FAQ that I made when Electroman was in charge here too, just in case I missed something. I belive in you. You are usualy on top of things, so I guess you can handle it....



- ØØ -

[Hack]

Read throught the FAQ that I made when Electroman was in charge here too, just in case I missed something. I belive in you. You are usualy on top of things, so I guess you can handle it....



- ØØ -

What I think I'll do is take all of these suggestions, put that thread together, and the put a link it in back to your FAQ section in here. That way, we will still have only one FAQ section to update/maintain.

And Thanks!

[NoteMe]

Sounds like a good idea. Good work hack.

[Hack]

The CodeBank Games section really is for the benefit of folks who enjoy creating games. I'm just the caretaker who comes in and mops the floors and mows the lawn every now and again, so I would like to ask you all this.

I started putting together the "Please read this first" thread, and want to start it off with stating what the CodeBank - Games section is NOT.

The first one is easy: 1. Is it not a place to post a question you have regarding issues you are having with the game you are working on. [Insert Link back to this section here] is the section for questions about game development.

Number 2 stopped me as I'm not sure if it is true. I was going to say:

2. This is not the place to post completed games. [Insert link back to demo section here]

My question is, is this correct? Should completed games be allowed in the CodeBank or should they go in the demo section only?

[NoteMe]

To be honest I am not sure what it should be. It was not me who asked for the new code bank, so those who did should probably have a better answer. Because it was me who made Electroman ask Brad/Marty for a demo section. The reason I did so was that we kept getting threads saying: "So what have you done before, show us your games" threads, and I was tired of searching for all the games and add links to them. Then some missunderstanding must have happend between me->ELectroman->Brad somewere since I was not a mod back then. So I couldn't give my 2 cents in the mod section. So the Brad created the new demo section and put up a sticky. Electroman didn't like it, deleted it and changed the meaning of the section. Even if both me and Brad agreed that it was for source for full games. When I became a mod, I brought it up again with Electroman, but that was when his machine crashed, and he hasn't been much online after that. So after Electromans rules, the demo section is for both source and exes, full or not full games. Hence not much need for a code bank section.

But then again, it is probably not too late to change that now. And say that exes is not allowed without source, and the demo section is for game demos and full games, and not for coding techinques and Fx.

That is at least my 2 cents about the situation right now. So then you can write something like: "This is not the place for game demos or full blown games, but for coding techniques related to games, like shaders, space partitioning, physics and so on." I guess you can rephrase that with better english then I can..


PS: Sorry for not answering before now, but I stayed at work for 16 hours yesterday, so didn't have much time for VBF the last few hours...


- ØØ -

[~teh_pwn3rz~]

Wossy keeping you up all night is he Note?

[NoteMe]

The british servers are keeping me up all night...I still didn't get his e-mail...wasn't home before 11pm yesterday....




- ØØ -

[Hack]

I didn't realize all of the history of the demo section. Thanks for that.

That is at least my 2 cents about the situation right now. So then you can write something like: "This is not the place for game demos or full blown games, but for coding techniques related to games, like shaders, space partitioning, physics and so on." I guess you can rephrase that with better english then I can..

This works for me, and I'll just add the link back to the demo as I was planning on before

PS: Sorry for not answering before now, but I stayed at work for 16 hours yesterday, so didn't have much time for VBF the last few hours...

No problem. I've had quite a few of those myself.

[Hack]

It is posted. Take a look and tell me what you all think.

[NoteMe]

It looks pretty good to me Keep up the good work.


- ØØ -

[penagate]

How about putting the note about attachments into the Please Read sticky? Would be a bit neater with just one sticky to read.

[Hack]

How about putting the note about attachments into the Please Read sticky? Would be a bit neater with just one sticky to read.

This isn't a bad idea, but the attachments policy thread is a thread by itself in all of the other CodeBank sections so for consistency sake, I think it should be a standalone there as well.