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Dev in need of help! (New dev)

PostPosted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 11:53 pm
by boykingkilla
Hey everyone, I have a question on developing stuff for Flexible Survival. you see, I never did any coding before and 'm a bit worried about making events, encounters, sexual interaction with NPC's and such.

I would like some help if anyone can give me pointers, I'm using Inform 7.

All help is appreciated! :D

Re: Dev in need of help! (New dev)

PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 12:07 am
by nukuv
I admit, I do better with specific questions.

Re: Dev in need of help! (New dev)

PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 12:56 am
by Darthan
Your question is a little vague as Nuku said, kinda hard to help if we don't know what you need help with. The only advice I can give you is to take a look at some of the existing stuff to see how others are making stuff and use that to help you figure out how things work. At least, that is how I did it.

Re: Dev in need of help! (New dev)

PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 4:13 am
by TigerStripes
With the recent forum reset, we're a little less equipped to help you get started on this right now, but here's so quick tips.
- Check out some examples of stuff/tricks you'd like to do by checking the files in the Code Repository.
- Keep your initial projects simple. I need to emphasize that, as many new devs jumping in want to do large, complex things right away and end up in over their heads or leaving it unfinished. You can always build a more basic version and expand it in the future with more scenes/mechanics/quests.
- Start by making a basic creature using the critter template available. Try to keep the current creature populations in mind when placing it by checking the Current Creature Breakdown post.
- Recommended: Install 'Inform' on your computer and use it for creation/testing.
- Send along your file by either posting it to the forums here or making a GitHub account and installing Git on your PC.

Also, there is little need for events in most areas, so be careful of where you're designing your events for by checking if they need more events or not. You can use the 'bfandi3' or 'bfandi4' debug commands if you're using 'Inform' to run/test the game. I had a posting showing the current event counts for areas, but that's not yet been restored. You might also try building a simple NPC to start, but I recommend a creature first, as it allows you to focus on learning some of the basics of coding within a structured template.

Re: Dev in need of help! (New dev)

PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:00 am
by Wahn
Welcome to the Dev side of FS then. As was already said above, best start out with something simple like a creature or an extra sex scene for something, then work up to things. Why don't you just post what ideas you have here, and we can tell you if they collide with anything and make suggestions.

A few well-meant comments:
- Please do use a spellchecker on all files. (for example, the Dominator stuff by Zero had to be deactivated since it is just packed with typos, errors and some of the sentences make no sense)
- If you are gonna poke around in another's files, it's best to ask for permission and guidelines, at least from the currently active crew (Stripes, BlueBishop, GentlemanB, Blaydrex, anyone else I've forgot and of course myself). The older stuff is more or less fair game, but still it's best to let everyone know what you want to do as not to collide with someone else for whatever it is.