We have finally moved away from 3d modeling and now are making 3d games in Unity. I have completed one tutorial called Roll-A-Ball, and am working on another to build a third-person platform. The one I’m currently working on has a lot of programming. I have been exposed to programming for many years, but still, struggle when I’m not following a tutorial. To prepare myself for our game project, I research how to get better at programming. I found an article called 8 Ways to Become a Better Coder. I learned that once you get the code to work, you shouldn't stop and move on. You should keep going and make it better. Something that I found interesting was that they suggested that you try and prove yourself wrong instead of right. I feel that I am guilty of just trying to prove myself right, so I miss all the errors. I should be looking for my mistakes instead of just moving on. I felt that this article had some good tips, but I needed more to fully understand how to improve. I found another article called Be a better programmer in 6 easy steps. It had some of the same ones as the other one but also had some interesting tips. One of the ones I found most interesting was step four. Step four was to write the code three times. They say it is like a novel and how you have a rough draft, revision, and the final draft. It seems obvious, but practicing can help improve your skill. One step that really caught my eye was the first step: use the Feynman Technique. I had never heard of that technique before or that there were techniques. They also mentioned not being afraid to mess things up. I feel that sometimes I am afraid to mess up because then I don't know how to fix it. I learned good information from both of the articles that will be put to use when making my game. How to be a better programmer:
Works Cited
Short, Eva. “Be a Better Programmer in 6 Easy Steps.” Silicon Republic, 31 Jan. 2018, www.siliconrepublic.com/advice/better-programmer-6-steps. Staff, Creative Bloq. “10 Tips for Better Photoshop Textures.” Creative Bloq, Creative Bloq ART AND DESIGN INSPIRATION, 28 Mar. 2013, www.creativebloq.com/10-tips-better-photoshop-textures-3133109.
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While working on the project, I noticed that Chloe was having some trouble programming. She was trying to figure out if it was better to use many if else statements or a switch. I couldn't help, because I have forgotten everything from last year in programming and wasn't very good at it in the first place. I had no idea why and how to use the switch or else statements. To find out more, I researched switch vs if-else statements. I found an article on GeeksforGeeks called switch vs if else. According to the article, determining which to use is based on what your testing and how easy it is to read. The article also gave a list of tips to check that will help you determine which is better. The first is to check the expression that you are testing for. Switch statements are used for expressions with a single value or a string object. The if-else statement is used for condition or value ranges. The second tip is to know if you want to do multi-way branching or not because switch statements are better for that. The third tip is to figure out if you have boolean values. If-else statements are better for boolean values, while switch statements are better for data values that are already put in place. The fourth time is to determine whether or not you want your code to run fast or slow. Switch statements are sometimes faster than if-else statements; however, it really depends on the number of cases involved. The last tip is to remember that precision is in readability. Switches are cleaner than if-else statements and it is easier to avoid errors with them. According to the article, you should pick whatever gives you a clearer and more attainable design. Tips to remember:
Works Cited “Switch vs If Else.” GeeksforGeeks, 20 May 2017, www.geeksforgeeks.org/switch-vs-else/. While working on the flappy bird tutorial, I noticed that we used the rigidbody2D component many times. I’ve mentioned Rigidbodies briefly in my colliders post, but thought it would be more beneficial to further learn the specifics of the Rigidbody2D component, since we used it the most. It is important to learn about each part of the rigidbody, so you can properly use it.
I went to the Unity documentation and found an article specifically on Rigidbody 2D called Rigidbody 2D. I learned that many of the concepts in the regular Rigidbody component are found in the Rigidbody2D component. The component takes over the Transform component and reprograms it based off of what is defined in the Rigidbody component. Any Collider2D added to the GameObject that has your Rigidbody attached will be connected to the Rigidbody2D. According to the article, if you need to move your collider, you need to move the Rigidbody 2D. The reason for this is because it makes sure your collision detection is good and give you the best performance. A good thing to know is that all the Collider2D is added to your Rigidbody won’t collide with each other. As I previously mentioned there are 3 body types for the Rigidbody2D: kinematic, dynamic, and static. Each type defines the movement behavior and interaction with the collider 2D. Any Collider2D attached will receive the body type of the Rigidbody2D it is attached to. You need a collider for the Rigidbody 2D to collide with another Rigidbody 2D. Rigidbody2D:
Technologies, Unity. “Rigidbody 2D.” Unity - Scripting API: Physics.Raycast, docs.unity3d.com/Manual/class-Rigidbody2D.html. Spring break was great and all, but now I have to get back in the school mood. Before break I had just started the tutorials to make a 2D ufo game in Unity. The skills learned in the tutorials will help in the future and for the final project where we make a game all by ourselves. One topic that was covered in the tutorials was colliders. Colliders are very important to understand if you want your game objects to interact. I had a little trouble, so I researched colliders so that I could refresh before class and make sure I understood them.
I researched colliders and found an article in the Unity documentation called Colliders. According to the article, colliders are invisible. The components of a collider determine the shape of an object. I learned that their are different types of primitive colliders for 3D and 2D. For 2D, there are two different colliders, the Circle Collider 2D and the Box Collider 2D. For 3D, there are three different colliders: Capsule, Sphere, and Box. Colliders have different configurations of their rigidbodies that determine how it interacts with an object. They are rigidbody, static, and kinematic rigidbody colliders. The static rigidbody collider doesn’t have a rigidbody, while the rigidbody collider has a non kinematic rigidbody. The Kinematic rigidbody collider has a kinematic rigidbody attached. Knowing the how the colliders interact is very important. Colliders:
Works Cited “Colliders.” Unity - Manual: Colliders, docs.unity3d.com/Manual/CollidersOverview.html. So, in class I have finally finished the programming tutorials and it got me thinking about whether or not I should look into getting a job in programming. But before I decide I wanted to know the pay that I could get versus other careers in the game design field. I want a job that both pays well and that I enjoy. I decided to research possible careers in programming and the pay I could receive.
I found an article called Computer Programmer Salary that had a lot of information. They had six different sections all about salary that helped me understand the money situation better. I learned that the average wage of a programmer in the US as a whole is $38.39. That is way above the minimum wage. According to the site, if you want a high paying programming, the best places to live are Seattle, New Mexico, California, and the District of Columbia. So, if I want to earn a lot of money, I might need to move to California. It is good to learn that most of the jobs are full time at 79% versus part time at 21%. I also learned that when just starting out, that the pay is about $22/hour and the salary is about $46K a year. Compared to other technology careers, programmers make 60% less a year than the other careers and rank at 79 of all careers, which is something to think about. Another thing I learned is that North Carolina is ranked #11 out of all 50 states for salary. The real question to decide is whether I want a career that I like or one that pays very well. Programming money
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AuthorI'm a student at Durham School of the Arts, and currently in the Game Art Design pathway. I like playing the Sims 4, playing with dogs, and riding horses. This blog will reflect my learning and discoveries. Archives
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