Triumph of the Will

Well, there's no way to describe what is soon to occur better than Leo just has. This blog is going to be a great place to see our progress.

Now down to business.

Right now, I have some basic knowledge about computer programming. I understand the rudimentary concepts, such as variables, methods, statements, etc. The logic of programming is also fairly simple to follow, though it is often the most complicated portion - especially when writing an algorithm from scratch. But this, like any other thing, just gets easier and is perfected only through practice, which I intend to do alot of. I recently took an introductory programming class that utilized Python. It was great fun and taught me a lot of things, mainly that learning the foundation of a programming language is just like learning an actual Human language. Fortunately, I also learned the differences in power between language.

For example, Python is not a compiled language. It is an interpreted language. Basically, the code is run in that instance of time and nothing more. These are popular because it's easy to transfer text from computer to computer. However, it isn't nearly as powerful as a compiled language. With a compiler, such as those you'll find in Java, will optimize your code for you, making it run more efficiently. The bonus you get with Java is the fact that it is not only a compiled language but an interpreted language as well, through its use of a Virtual Server that comes with the Java Compiler. So, you get the robustness of a compiled language with the portability of an interpreted language.

Currently, I've learned the most using Java. I'm still shaky on alot of things, and the logic behind certain things still escape my grasp, but I can definitely use my knowledge in this language in order to explore other languages. What this brings me to is the Unreal Development Kit (UDK). This is the free version of the Unreal 3 Engine. It has a wonderful level editor and uses UnrealScript, which is apparently similar to Java in that it is a high level scripting language AND object oriented as well. So, just messing around with it is a learning experience in and of itself.

So, now the UDK is currently my main focus. I want to dive right into it and see what kinds of things can be done with it. I've already started looking into some tutorials on how to use the level editor. I think that a good path to proceed would be to begin with learning the ins-and-outs of that portion of the UDK, messing around with pre-made levels/games already supplied with the program. Then, I can work my way through the scripting language in a manner that suits me.

Here's to a wonderfully nerdy summer!