Ambitious Rogue-like Project. But...

[JackBread]

...I'm a newbie to coding. I have this ambitious thought for a rogue-like. It will have similarities to Dwarf Fortress, but I'm not going that far. As I said, I am a newbie to coding besides some experience with Game Maker. I was using this tutorial, but it stopped right after rendering a room and hasn't been updated since 2007, though the author is still active and is planning to continue. I wanted to know if there is any tutorial to coding a rogue-like in C++ or Game Maker(which I doubt exists). I have tried a general C++ coding tutorial, but after a part about integers, it just started not making sense to me.

...After writing that... I seem pretty hopeless at coding C++. 

Thanks in advanced.

EDIT: I am also willing to switch programming languages if another is easier. Also, just for the reference, my Game Maker is registered.

[PaulBlay]

 There's a lot of stuff in RogueBasin, but it isn't very organized.

[Krice]

I have tried a general C++ coding tutorial, but after a part about integers, it just started not making sense to me.

It takes some time to learn a real programming language. The important thing is just learn and not give up right away when something doesn't "make sense". Start with simple programs which use some single feature of the language and/or algorithm. Don't read tutorials (they usually suck), get a real book.

[Anvilfolk]

Or start with a friendlier language, like Java if you're still trying to go for something somewhat heavy-weight. There's also Python, for example, which has a great looooong "tutorial" in book shape at www.diveintopython.org or something like that. It's a really high-level language, so it is supposedly easier, but much slower.

[JackBread]

I've looked through Rogue Basin, but I didn't find much help.

I have tried a general C++ coding tutorial, but after a part about integers, it just started not making sense to me.

It takes some time to learn a real programming language. The important thing is just learn and not give up right away when something doesn't "make sense". Start with simple programs which use some single feature of the language and/or algorithm. Don't read tutorials (they usually suck), get a real book.

I know the basics of C++ and understand that it takes quite a while to learn but... there is no but...
Also, I would try a book, but I don't have any money and there is no nearby bookstore I could walk to(my mom would have to take me places, but she doesn't usually).

Or start with a friendlier language, like Java if you're still trying to go for something somewhat heavy-weight. There's also Python, for example, which has a great looooong "tutorial" in book shape at www.diveintopython.org or something like that. It's a really high-level language, so it is supposedly easier, but much slower.

I'll check that out.

[Vanguard]

Like Anvilfold said, java is a bit friendlier, and it has enough similarities with C++ that most of what you know should carry over.

It doesn't require you to manage a few things that C++ does, and while as far as I know it usually doesn't run as efficiently as C++ code, for roguelikes this is rarely a major issue.  As an added bonus, your code should run on just about any type of computer.

Edit:

I've also found a few free resources for learning java that you may be interested in.

Sun's tutorial is good for learning the basics, and can be found here:
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/getStarted/index.html

The 3rd edition of Thinking in Java by Bruce Eckel is available as a free download here:
http://www.mindview.net/Books/TIJ/

I thought it was a pretty good resource, and it was generous of him to offer it as a download like that.

[PaulBlay]

I've looked through Rogue Basin, but I didn't find much help.

I would recommend looking at the pages in the Library category.  Libraries suited to roguelike development are a good way of getting the speed advantage of C/C++ while making it easier to produce useful programs. 

There's other good stuff in there somewhere, but it's hard to work out what and where. 

[corremn]

If you have gamemaker experience, just make it in gamemaker. It is essentially a 2d grid based game.  You can use bitmaps or whatever for ascii/graphical tiles.  After all spelunky was written in game maker.  Learning to code in order to write a game will be hard, especially a  roguelike because roguelikes tend to have shifting goals and just get more and more complex.  Good luck.

P.S Roguelikes are not easy to make at all. They just appear that way.

[PaulBlay]

After all spelunky was written in game maker. 

As was Triangle Wizard.

[JackBread]

I will use GameMaker, then.

Thanks for all your help, everyone.

[Anvilfolk]

Awww, but I can't help you then Heheheh!

Best of luck Start off small, you'll probably end up doing a few rewrites, but that's normal. You'll have a better idea of what you need when you do them

[Slash]

This scenario is older than you know. I prefer counting from the emergence of one integral anomaly to the emergence of the next, in which case this is the three hundredth version.

Be ready to scrap your first roguelike projects in favor of gaining the needed skills. Don't embark into your ultimate roguelike project until you are ready, else you will be trapped into an infinite refactoring cycle (or you may eventually achieve it, but after lots of unneeded pain). Reuse the useful parts of your code, but never get into creating a generic roguelike engine. Start simple, release often. Favor working releases over polished code accumulating dust in your hard drive.

[Nahjor]

Be ready to scrap your first roguelike projects in favor of gaining the needed skills. Don't embark into your ultimate roguelike project until you are ready, else you will be trapped into an infinite refactoring cycle (or you may eventually achieve it, but after lots of unneeded pain). Reuse the useful parts of your code, but never get into creating a generic roguelike engine. Start simple, release often. Favor working releases over polished code accumulating dust in your hard drive.

QFT, massively. This is exactly the process that finally led me to releasing something playable.

[ido]

I will use GameMaker, then.

I'm not sure that's the best solution actually.

If your goal is to produce a working game as quickly as possible, then yes - use what you already know.

But learning a "real" programming language is probably quite  a bit more important to you than creating a game quickly, and starting a project and spending a long time programming it is a good way to learn a language (even if you are likely never to finish n your first attempt).

I also still used code I wrote for my earlier failed roguelike in 2006 in newer, smaller(!) projects released this year and last year.

My next game will be bigger in scale and probably use code & concepts from all 3 (in addition to a lot of new stuff of course).

[Vanguard]

Good luck in your project JackBread!

I'm not sure that's the best solution actually.

Don't sell gamemaker short.  I have no experience using it myself, but I know it's capable of producing good stuff, because I've seen games like like Spelunky http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=4017.0 and Iji http://www.remar.se/daniel/iji.php.

With that said, I do recognize that it still will inevitably not have as many capabilities as a real programming language does.