FrostyCat
Redemption Seeker
With GMS 2.3 breaking existing tutorials to various degrees, I think now is a good time for the GMC to review the way it onboards newcomers.
Let's face it, the current "watch random YouTube videos" patchwork approach just isn't working. Novices are completely directionless and not learning the basic skills they need to be independent developers, and the resulting frustration for both them and GMC responders reflects badly on GM as a whole. As a result, I'm proposing a new community-wide curriculum consisting of GMS 2.3 ports of existing tutorials, with guided emphasis on reusable GML skills. Future newcomers can start with this curriculum instead of bouncing aimlessly from video to video, and in about 6-8 months, become an independent developer with published products and a complete grasp of GML.
The curriculum will come in week-long units (16 at the moment, but exact number negotiable), each with:
The Tentative Curriculum (items without links need to be created or filled with a GMS 2.3-compatible tutorial):
If you have any suggestions/recommendations for units in the curriculum or the way it is organized, please feel free to respond.
Let's face it, the current "watch random YouTube videos" patchwork approach just isn't working. Novices are completely directionless and not learning the basic skills they need to be independent developers, and the resulting frustration for both them and GMC responders reflects badly on GM as a whole. As a result, I'm proposing a new community-wide curriculum consisting of GMS 2.3 ports of existing tutorials, with guided emphasis on reusable GML skills. Future newcomers can start with this curriculum instead of bouncing aimlessly from video to video, and in about 6-8 months, become an independent developer with published products and a complete grasp of GML.
The curriculum will come in week-long units (16 at the moment, but exact number negotiable), each with:
- Up to one "make X game" tutorial (some may have none and be basics-only)
- Several supporting tutorials covering reusable, basic skills
- Brief independent exercises to go with each tutorial
- Suggestions for independent practice using skills and/or material developed during the unit
- Creating new tutorials for skills not already covered
- Editing/updating/adapting tutorials to work with GMS 2.3
- Writing exercises for tutorials
- Developing themed practice exercises for units
The Tentative Curriculum (items without links need to be created or filled with a GMS 2.3-compatible tutorial):
Unit 1: Basic Usage 1
- Installing GMS 2
- Click the ball
- samspade's GML basics
- How to use the Manual
- Using source control
- Individual practice
- Space Rocks 1-5 (GMS 2.3 errata needed)
- How to read error messages
- Elementary 2D plane geometry
- How to use tutorials / You are the programmer
- Individual practice
- Basic Inventory system (GMS 2.3 errata needed)
- Arrays and structs
- How to trace and debug
- Basic looping patterns
- Individual practice
- Breakout (GMS 2.3 errata needed)
- Level editors and file handling
- Primer to data structures
- JSON data modelling
- Individual practice
- Endless Runner (GMS 2.3 errata needed)
- Bullet Patterns and Geometry
- Particle systems
- Individual practice
- Tower Defence (GMS 2.3 errata needed)
- Object Variables
- Parenting
- Individual practice
- Platformer (GMS 2.3 errata needed)
- Collision masks
- Cameras
- Primer to tiling
- Stopping unwanted repetition with flags
- Individual practice
- Primer to UI frameworks
- Creating interactive menus
- 9-patches
- Individual practice
- Tweening
- Lighting
- Individual Practice
- Masking and Blend Modes
- Shaders
- Individual Practice
- Sound instances
- Common sound effects
- 3D sound
- Individual Practice
- Procedural generation
- Maze generation
- Individual practice
- Connect 4 with GML OOP
- Input proxies
- OOP design patterns for GML
- Individual practice
- Creating asset packages
- Writing GML extensions
- Preparing for and participating in a jam
- Multi-user source control
- Individual practice
- Delta timing
- Networking
- 3D graphics
- HTML5 export restrictions and workarounds
- ... (suggestions/recommendations here)
- Individual practice