75 lines
3.5 KiB
Plaintext
75 lines
3.5 KiB
Plaintext
From: fatjim at home.com (Jim Meier)
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Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 17:01:32 GMT
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Subject: Productivity and the two language approach
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References: <newscache$bu0saf$a8n$1@news.tne.net.au> <7g94lp$mdu$1@news.worldonline.nl> <newscache$ck80bf$rc4$1@news.tne.net.au> <925677195.13550.0.rover.c3ade4b2@news.demon.nl> <newscache$bvp5bf$ri$1@news.tne.net.au> <925758153.6563.0.muttley.c3ade4b2@news.demon.nl> <newscache$lbl7bf$12p$1@news.tne.net.au>
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Message-ID: <37307A6E.6502B8A3@home.com>
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Content-Length: 3061
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X-UID: 1782
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Tim Auld wrote:
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> I can continue using and learning a language I have a reasonable amount of
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> experience with already, building on my skills and becoming faster at a
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> language that is sure to be useful for a good time to come, and will
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> compliment the work I do at the company I am currently employed at. Start
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> coding straight away with all the APIs I wish to use - OpenGL, Winsock,
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> DirectX, and use a modular AI system I am confident of working well. Know I
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> will have code that will run at respectable speed (provided I don't do any
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> British Museum searching ;). Use tools that I am already familiar with, and
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> use code I've developed previously. Knowing what I'm in for and that
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> there's a reasonable chance of successfully finishing the project while
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> enjoying it.
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But what happens when you want to script or extend your game? I'm working on
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something (very, very vaguely) warcraft-like, and I'm letting everything be
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extensible in python, as well as the entire story engine (other than the trigger
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events themselves.) This means that me and the other guy fiddling with this can
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make new behaviors and storylines without much fuss. Plus, with a good design,
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you can allow your users to do things like define their own behaviors for
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NPCs/units, generate graphs/reports, customize user interfaces, etc, etc,
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etc... My point is that this fits like a glove your desire for a "modular AI
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system I am confident of working well." As for tools you are alread familiar
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with, go ahead and keep using them. The python stuff doesn't need any special
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tools, as far as I've seen!
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> The Python option:
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> --------------------------
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> I'd have to throw a lot of that away and learn it all again. Maybe I would
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> become proficient in Python, and increase my relative productivity, but
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> there would be no guarantee that it would be useful in a work place
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> environment (I can hear all you Python people ready to prove me wrong!).
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>
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> Besides, productivity doesn't really matter when it's a casual project, but
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> enjoyment does (IMHO). I'd rather get straight to the fun part than enduring
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> the frustration of learning another environment.
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(I'll leave it to the c.l.p regulars to get into the workplace part, I wouldn't
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know - just a weekend hack{er})
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You're right - productivity doesn't matter, and enjoyment does. Which is why
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I'd encourage you to learn a new language. In fact, learn many new languages.
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Actually, learn as much of everything as possible. That's what I've always found
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enjoyable! :)
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Seriously, Python takes all of ten minutes to begin coding in, all of an hour to
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link into your C code (can't comment on c++, anyone else?), and c.l.p,
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www.python.org and other resources from there will help you along with the
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rest-- if you regulary read/write/breathe large C++ programs, absorbing this
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material would be like pausing from sucking on a firehose to have a sip from a
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dixie cup. (You can quote that if you're not embarassed about dixie cups. :)
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>
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> Peace brothers :)
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>
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> Tim
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The perfect interjection in a language war!
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-Jim.
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