Mod star control

[gtb2002]

I want to mod star control can someone help me

[oldlaptop]

Unfortunately modifying UQM is not very easy. As of yet the game doesn't easily support simple data 'mods', all currently extant 'mods' are actually *forks* of the UQM code, so you would have to be able to understand and modify the game's source code to do anything. I strongly recommend you learn how to program in some other language (Python is a good choice) *before* trying to do this, for reasons I explain here: http://forum.uqm.stack.nl/index.php?top ... 5#msg70905

[gtb2002]

Well I want to get a job a as a programmer better now than later

[Gekko]

I recommend this gentleman: http://www.computerscienceforeveryone.com/. I personally simply googled "how to write code" when I started, but there are better ways to do it.

[dczanik]

Well I want to get a job a as a programmer better now than later

Do you know C/C++? I'd learn that first. If you want a job as a programmer you should learn how to really program.
If you just want to do it as a hobby (or just make 2D games), you can learn the basics of game programming using something like Multi-Media Fusion.

I'd love to have you help us on UQM-HD, or Project 6014. But we need people who can read the code. The UQM source code has almost zero comments in it. Not for beginners, I'm afraid.

[Gekko]

Well I want to get a job a as a programmer better now than later

Do you know C/C++? I'd learn that first. If you want a job as a programmer you should learn how to really program.

Having done some teaching in programming, I'm afraid I have to disagree. Few people recommend learning C first these days. Python is better for taking baby steps and helping the student learn the ideas of computer executing instructions line-by-line, as well as teaching the basics of functions and algorithms. After that has been understood it's easier to dive in a lower level language.

However, OP asked about modding UQM so a good C tutorial might be good.

[oldlaptop]

I would honestly have to strongly recommend that nobody actually use UQM modding as a first project. Fred Ford clearly knew what he was doing very well when he was putting SC2 together, and knew just how he could get away with violating best practices without causing serious problems (as evidenced by the fact that UQM is constructed in a way that you'd expect it to leak memory like a sieve, but it in fact doesn't). Since brand-new programmers aren't experienced enough to do things this way without causing big problems, UQM is... not a good example.

[PatronGOP]

Well I want to get a job a as a programmer better now than later

Do you know C/C++? I'd learn that first. If you want a job as a programmer you should learn how to really program.

Having done some teaching in programming, I'm afraid I have to disagree. Few people recommend learning C first these days. Python is better for taking baby steps and helping the student learn the ideas of computer executing instructions line-by-line, as well as teaching the basics of functions and algorithms. After that has been understood it's easier to dive in a lower level language.

However, OP asked about modding UQM so a good C tutorial might be good.

I bounced all over the place when I first started learning. Biggest hang up I ran into was in transitioning from weakly typed scripting languages to Strongly typed programing languages. I have no experience in Python but as a learning tool I can recommend processing: http://www.processing.org/

It's strongly typed (which is nice for forming good habits), has a very user friendly IDE, and (since it is really just a core of libraries for JAVA) transitions seamlessly into JAVA when you're ready to take on lower level stuff. Then again, like Gekko said, might be best to learn the language of the product you are trying to MOD. Maybe just look at this other stuff if you find yourself overwhelmed.

[Death 999]

(as evidenced by the fact that UQM is constructed in a way that you'd expect it to leak memory like a sieve, but it in fact doesn't)

Could you elaborate on this?

[oldlaptop]

(as evidenced by the fact that UQM is constructed in a way that you'd expect it to leak memory like a sieve, but it in fact doesn't)

Could you elaborate on this?

The code absolutely lives on pointers, everywhere. Ships in melee (for instance) have important data which is handled through pointers-to-structs-containing-pointers-to-structs that get tossed around like footballs. I'd expect there to be loads of potential memory leaks buried in there if someone non-brilliant had put that together, but there aren't. (The code breaks with good practice in general in all sorts of ways - plenty of global and file scope variables, gotos here and there... and gets away with it.)