How u code? (And more quests)

- I look in the original Unreal sources. They generally have all the answers to my questions. After that I search for tutorials on pretty much everything & anything to do with Unrealscript.

-I learnt UC by trial and error. Slow method but the one of the best ways to figure things out on your own.

- I don't think I have written much to the Wiki.

- Just Unrealscript on general. My networking skills with Unrealscript is pretty much non-existent.

CorDharel said:

look in the unreal sources for it? (e.g. in a mutator) or do you

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Virtually everything I know about UnrealScript comes from perusing UnrealScript source code; mostly the sources that come with the game, but I'm generally interested in how people solve certain problems and frequently take a look into other people's source code even without a direct need.

look in forums like this BUF one?

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Mostly to read and post my thoughts in other people's threads. Sometimes other people's threads raise interesting questions or solutions though, so by just reading there's already a lot to be learned.

How long does UC exist?

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Since the creation of the original Unreal, I suppose; that'd be sometime around 1998 (earlier if you count internal development).

It's "UnrealScript," by the way, not "UC."

Actually it's called "UnrealScript." That's not such a humongous word that it warrants an abbreviation.

Coders are generally supposed to be experienced and fast typists, so spending 0.8 seconds to type "UnrealScript" as opposed to 0.2 seconds to type "UC" shouldn't be too much for a bit of added aesthetics and clarity.

I guess that's the basic problem... to many people earnestly think that using some sort of jargon makes them sound "1337" (actually just what 1337-speak itself is). I prefer to go for clarity.

Depending on what I want to code I often look into the original code to find out the best place to hook my new thing into. Hooking new stuff in the existing code will set a lot of limits on what you can do. Everything is possible, just the way to put it in there is limited.
I've learned everything I know from the Unreal Script reference by Tim Sweeny and looking in the existing code. I often use trial and error to find the best way to do something. UnrealScript is just another language for me.
I don't have much programming questions, but I do check out the forums to see what people are up to, and to see how people solved the issues. I don't look much into code others made, unless they did something cool and pretty unique. Most of the code written isn't unique what so ever, it's just the same thing over and over again. So it's quite useless to hide your code, the only result of stripping your code is prevent people from learning or even fixing your code.
I contribute to the wiki where/when I can. Don't hold back when you want to contribute something. Even if you don't think it's correct, just add it others will fix it when it's needed. Sometimes a start of something is all it need for others to complete it.

If you want to be taken seriously in the coding community don't use 1337 speak or JeffK speak.
Just normal english extended with the jargon.

El_Muerte_[TDS] said:

If you want to be taken seriously in the coding community don't use 1337 speak or JeffK speak.
Just normal english extended with the jargon.

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Yeah, jargon should embelish/extend not replace/substitute.

I'm very much a beginnger at Uscript, but batch exporting most of the UT source code to browse has been the biggest help, just looking how the whole class thing works and fiddling about bit by bit with small chunks of code.

A good start for me was simply playing with default variables, you can change a lot of stuff just by subclassing something like a weapon/pick-up and changing the default properties.

Ah well, cool thread by the way, interesting reading seeing how other people got into coding/modding and how long they've been at it.

Using the web (ie : BeyondUnreal, official Atari-forums, anything Unreal-related) & 'The Source' is the only way you'll ever learn Uscript.

That and simply tinkering & hacking is the only way to do it.
Always try to see what someone else made, unless you really want to re-invent the wheel.

I´ve startet for some time. But at this time i hadn´t anything about programming. I´ve read the documentation from the unreal tech site, and wrote the example and was crushed. So I´ve give up for some time. Came back and tried again. In the rest of the time I´ve collect some experience with other programming languages, but i was either confused by all this OOP. UnrealScript gives you well explained examples for using OOP, but i don´t understand totally until I startet to learn Java. From that time on, many things in UnrealScript became very clear to me.

The most time when I write in UnrealScript, I do it like the rest. Try and error. It is a good way to find out how thinks work. But its quit slow as above allready mentioned.
I also use the wiki and this forum either the ina board. But the most time I spend with UnrealScript is used by reading the existing code from epic

I've learned mostly through disecting UT[99] / Unreal1, and trying to tweak bigger and bigger systems, before making anything of my own.

As for now, if I want to 'code' something, usually I can just open up a document, pick the subclass, and type away; on rare occasion I may look to the wiki for some syntax issues though.

Using jargon instead of proper words makes you a bigger newbie in the end, because all it really shows is that your trying to sound bigger than you really are. Besides, not all of us understand l33t speech, I don't for one... but I can code.

1337 has its place, but I prefer to use it as either an occasional adjective, or as some sort of hidden joke; aka an easter egg.

And for ye N00bs who don't get what the 1337 culture is all about, a good way to get hooked is to go over and visit megatokyo

Okay, firstly, UC is a wierd way of abbreviating UnrealScript. I'd stick with either typing out UnrealScript or abbreviating with UScript.


I usually code by looking at some close approximation of what I want to do. Usually this means staring at obscure classes, looking for the four lines that do what I want.

I then reproduce a version of those lines, watch the errors pile up, and then go to the forum to complain.

I've learned what I know about UnrealScript from random and sporradic attempts at making mutators and mods. Often times I'm unsuccessful, but I usually produce all manner of nifty mutators in my wake (to test an idea, I make a cheapass mutator that sorta does what I want). My FatGuns mutator was a lot of fun, too bad I lost it in my last reformat.

The only real thing I've contributed to the Wiki was solving a few-month-old bit-shift-operator question. The bit shifter or inverter or something wasn't working "properly", so I wrote a short lesson on binary math and "Two's Compliment" showing that, in fact, the operator was working correctly. That was last spring sometime.

I don't know what I'm good at, but I know I'm bad at states. I can't wrap my head around them well enough to use the effectively. That and a lot of the more complicated weapon classes, some of those really confuse me. Especially when they instantiate hand objects and the like. I really should look at them again, after having taken a formal OOP class.

- look in the unreal sources for it? (e.g. in a mutator) or do you

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Yes. working with original source is a great help while developing new classes for me.

- look in forums like this BUF one?

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Forums are a great help also, cause there are many people with more experience they may help you.

- know everything about UC and dont need any help?

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Knowbody know everything

- How did you learn UC?

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Trial and Error......slow, but now i know more....and spoke with skilled people who helped me, when i had a question.

Greatz
BlackHornet

CorDharel said:

Looking @ mr Evil-Devil

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Currently there are no users who have questions. So there is no need to post something there. maybe when i´ve finished my basics tutorial. But that will take some more time

@UC vs UScript: I mention it should be called UC. Because the UCC could be read as UnrealScriptCompiler. So why don´t calling UnrealScript UC. It is just an assignment to UCC

UCC = Unreal Commandline Client
UC = Unreal(Script) Class

UCC is just a commandline launcher to start:
- compiler
- server
- master server (UT)
- package compression
- package decompression
- etc...