Looking for software?

[VictorVonDoom]

I am looking for software like quickbasic for programming tables (random tables d100 tables for RPG's) , ...; I don't need programs who have al ready done that...
Do you know something differend? I have XP at this moment

[Simon]

Your choices are pretty much wide open. Most modern programming languages have RAD editors (visual design tools).

You have VisualC, VisualC++, VisualBasic, Eclipse (Java), JBuilder (Java), VisualAge (Java), and even some of the scripting languages like JavaScript, Flash (Macromedia), and others. I'm not sure of what design tools are available for QuickBasic....it's more or less a dead language that has been "end of life'd" by Microsoft (they're not releasing any more updates or patches to the language).

Your best bet is to pick a language that you are interested in learning. I always recommend that people learn to develop "raw" code....learn to do it without the visual editor.

Using a visual editor is easy....but if you actually want to learn to program, you're going to (at some point) have to get down to the actual code. Knowing how to do things from the ground up in code can be a very beneficial skill.

[VictorVonDoom]

and...?? where can i get them cheap? How much will it cost me? I am only interested in a simple program language just like Quickbasic 3.5 ...

What is a visual editor?
I am not interested in c-language or assembler or any language in that direction

[Simon]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
and...?? where can i get them cheap? How much will it cost me? I am only interested in a simple program language just like Quickbasic 3.5 ...

What is a visual editor?
I am not interested in c-language or assembler or any language in that direction
Ah...so you want to program, but you don't want to do anything complex?

You can get Java for free from Sun. But it's a full-fledged programming language, with a rich library.

You can get visual editors and RAD tools for Java for free. The Eclipse Project (www.eclipse.org) has produced one of the best IDE's on the market....and it's open source and free.

C/C++ visual editors/RAD tools tend to be pricy. I'm not a C/C++ coder, so I'm not sure if there are any out there freely available that are any good.

QBasic is available from Microsoft. I believe that QBasic is free....I'm not sure if QuickBasic is free or a licensed application. Your best bet is to check with Microsoft.

VisualBasic is also a Microsoft product. It is not free.

Macromedia's Flash is not free (the player is free, the compiler is not). You can get it from Macromedia.

If you want to get into coding, that's great, but you're going to need to do some research on your own to find out what is the best language for you.....the simpler languages will all be limited in their scope/capabilities. The "richer" languages will be much broader in the capabilities, but will also (necessarily) be more difficult to learn.

[Fuzzy Gnome]

There's also Python. It's free from python.org, and I've also seen it bundled with Windows XP and Red Hat Linux 9, though i don't know if it comes standard with those OS's. And it's named after Monty Python which makes it a gamer language automatically :p

[VictorVonDoom]

but python is c-language , isn't ? C-language was one i had a long while ago and i had terrible headaces about it...

I also found Tablesmith but i don't know "how far" this program goes: does it work only on d6's or can you modify dices too? Suppose a d20 table?

[Fuzzy Gnome]

Python's meant to be easier than C but IMO it's more like C than BASIC.

[RPMiller]

If you have M$ Office you have VBA, but you can't compile it.
You can get an Educational Version of VB, C#, etc. for about $99.
VB would be the closest to QuickBASIC.
Otherwise go with one of the others mentioned above.

[lemming]

Well, I'm a Perl fanatic, but it's not the most intuitive if you're not a programmer. Though it's got wonder support via community.

[Barton]

If you had PASCAL in a high school or collage class, Borland Delphi would be a good choice. It has a good visual editor and has a cheap educational version, check it out.
Delphi is not the most popular language but it is a good RAD, runs faster than V.Basic (with much less support file headaches), and is structured.

[VictorVonDoom]

what is RAD?
what is Visual in Visual basic?

[Simon]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
what is RAD?
what is Visual in Visual basic?
RAD = Rapid Application Development. Basically just a visual editor for a language which will (purportedly) allow you to develop an application as quickly as possible. In my experience, very few of them live up to their name, because developers tend to learn the RAD rather than the language itself and then get bogged down when they (eventually) have to resort to actual code. This is why I <b>always</b> recommend that people learn the language itself (just using a straight text-editor) before they start using any RAD environment.

The Visual in VisualBasic refers to the RAD environment that is used. VisualBasic uses graphical tools for creating code.

[Barton]

Dsimond got it right about RAD, the visual enviroment does little to teach you how to program, it just makes some (not all) tasks easier.

[Barton]

Sorry for spelling your screen name wrong DSIMON.

[VictorVonDoom]

Suppose I, an autistic guy with limited program skills (some pascal - hated it , some limited of Cobol - hated it too, basic - loved it , C - too difficult) , would ask try to pick a choice between the software offered what should i pick?

[Barton]

If you hated Pascal then do not chose Delphi, maybe you should check out Borland's Java language. Check out Borland's web site.

[Simon]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
Suppose I, an autistic guy with limited program skills (some pascal - hated it , some limited of Cobol - hated it too, basic - loved it , C - too difficult) , would ask try to pick a choice between the software offered what should i pick?
It's not so much about the language as it is the programmer.

If you have difficulties programming (whether through autism, or just your general thought process -- programming requires a very unique mental problem-solving process), then perhaps programming simply isn't for you. Programmers are very rare....it's why there are so few of them in the market.

Basic isn't really what I would even call programming. The language is so limited as to make it nearly worthless. It's a good learning tool, but it's not much in the way of real languages.

Java is my language of choice simply because it was designed to be "hackable"....you can churn out code very quickly, taking advantage of its rich libraries and the debugging process is very simple. It has it's limitations, but those are (by and large) surmountable if you know the language well enough.

C/C++ is still the king of the programming world. It's very similar to Java but more complex.

VisualBasic is strong simply because of Microsoft. It's very easy, but also very limited.

There are any number of other languages out there to choose from (many of which have been mentioned in this thread)....which one is right for you is something that only you can decide.

The answer may well be "none". You may just not be suited for programming. There's nothing wrong with that.....it actually puts you with the majority of the population....but you need to recognize it or you'll be miserable as you continually pound your head into the wall trying to write good code.

[VictorVonDoom]

website?

hmm please continue advising me on this last question "what should i pick?"

PS I tried yesterday to program in Qbasic again and i was lost in it...and i liked it somuch ...:(

sheesh D. shouldn't you at least advise me on a friendlier note?
it is just for me not for publication

[Simon]

Originally posted by Barton
If you hated Pascal then do not chose Delphi, maybe you should check out Borland's Java language. Check out Borland's web site.
Err...Borland doesn't produce the Java language...that's Sun. (www.java.sun.com).

Borland produces JBuilder, which is a decent RAD tool for Java. Actually, it's a pretty danged good tool, if you like that sort of thing.

It's also very expensive for a decent version, however (in excess of $3K).

The Eclipse Project (www.eclipse.org) I've found to actually be better than any other IDE on the market....truly phenomenal work. And it's FREE. Always a good thing in my book ;)

[VictorVonDoom]

What do i need to install the elipse one? What files do i need?

[Simon]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
What do i need to install the elipse one? What files do i need?
Victor, no offense, but if you need someone to hold your hand and walk you through installing an app, then programming just isn't for you. Get some initiative and go out to the sites mentioned.

Go to www.eclipse.org. Click "downloads". Pick a site (doesn't matter which one, really), and pick a version. 2.1.1 is the most recent build....and seems pretty stable.

[Simon]

By the way, Eclipse will do you little good until you know Java....for that, I'd recommend grabbing a good book (there are any number of them out there).

[VictorVonDoom]

maybe i need somebody holding a hand ... did nobody ever read my sig before? there is why? How do you learned programming? Somebody had hold your hand also to guide it thru it...Is there in the application not a build in wizard or something? because i don't have a book yet ...maybe i go to see if they got "Java for dummies" :)

[Simon]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
maybe i need somebody holding a hand ... did nobody ever read my sig before? there is why?
That's fine...I'm not faulting you for having autism. Nor am I faulting you for being interested in programming.

However, if you can't figure out how to download/install an IDE, then I would venture that programming simply isn't for you.

In the same way that I would say that someone who had been in an accident and lost the use of their legs may not be well-suited for a career in mountaineering.

It's nothing against the individual, it's just the reality of the situation.

[VictorVonDoom]

I will figure it out !! no offense taken anyway...

sorry of been rude sometimes...it is the nature of this beast (a bit of mistrust in people , a bit of need for guidance,...)

[Chuk]

If you want to start with Java (which is both flexible and easy, without being limited like VB), try Sun's Java site. They have an excellent tutorial which will hold your hand: http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/

It is a "real" programming language, and not quite as easy to get started in as something like QuickBasic. The tutorial is really nice, though.

[Simon]

Eclipse is an application (just like any other). The instructions for getting it are posted above.

Again, you will need to know Java in order to use Eclipse. To learn Java, either take a course in it or grab a book. There are any number of great books for learning Java on the market....just pick one which you like.

[VictorVonDoom]

same java as depicted on the java site ?

[Simon]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
same java as depicted on the java site ?
Yes, there is only one Java. There are different versions, but Eclipse supports the most recent of them.

Sun maintains the language specification....other companies (and individuals) create add-in libraries which you can take advantage of. Eclipse is actually IBM's "ad" for their SWT toolkit....a fairly intriguing GUI library which is meant to be a replacement for Swing.

[Chuk]

Originally posted by dsimon
Yes, there is only one Java.

Unless you count Microsoft Java as seen in Visual J++, but the less said about that, the better.

[VictorVonDoom]

Ok what i want to do is the following :

I missed in HERO some tables for generating powers. The computer must roll them for me from a list of the ones in the manual (Fred) or the Until Book. If you add the examples supplied in the FRED book then i should have quite a list
I found on the Greenronin site a few days ago a thread about a list of generating tables for their game MM.
So now you know where i need it for

The general idea is this

1-6 Elemental control (powers from UNTIL book)
7-8 Matter Control (Body control, ...)
9-11 Energy control / attacks
12-15 Mentalscience
16-20 Chrono Science (Time, Misc, Dim, Teleport, ...)


I wanted to take one step above rolling some d20 and d10 and checking a table

[Simon]

It doesn't matter what you need it for. It matters whether you have the proper mindset for programming. The majority of folks out there do not. Nothing wrong with them....heck, they're the majority...if anything, there's something seriously wrong with us programmers.

I (personally) don't like the concept and feel that it goes against the very principle of the Hero System (full flexibility in character creation). What you're looking to do is something which is really only applicable to deterministic systems. As Killer Shrike mentioned in another thread, if you want to randomly generate a character in the Hero System, you might as well just tack up the pages from USPD and start throwing darts at it.

What you've outlined above is just a general concept. The details are what will determine the complexity of the project.....how do you want to input the available powers, power constructs, modifiers, etc? How do you want the user to interface with your application? What do you want the output to be? That type of thing. The answers to all of these questions will have a heavy impact on the complexity of what you're looking to do.

In the long run, you may well be better off just investing in some darts.

[VictorVonDoom]

It is same idea of throwing darts or pick a page at random with some dice = number of pages in the book

I can expand later on the other games and ...
I can also add modifiers, adders, and make a fulfledged character builder out itx. Try to see how he rolls a character instead of making my own.. (some things are solid like allocation of points in the statistics but powers must be random).
so i might learn the hero system too on a different way.

i made one for MSH (i don't know where it is so i would send it you ) once and it worked because the system allowed it. Because it gives you those tables here i need to invent them my own...
If the computer picks 3 powers from that list and it suits me fine then i go with the computer advice otherwise let him reroll..so i wouldn't do it myself by starring myself blind at a page of powers

[Simon]

Sounds like the Hero System isn't for you.

Creating a character is more than saying "he has an Energy Blast". You need to define everything about that Energy Blast....from the strength (he has a 12d6 Energy Blast), to the Modifier (he has a 12d6 Energy Blast, No Range Modifier, Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END)), to the special effects (he has "Laser Vision": 12d6 Energy Blast, No Range Modifier, Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END)).

The Hero System is designed to be flexible. You can make pretty much anything you want, but you need to know what you want to make.

What you're talking about would only work if you had a pre-defined list of Powers (with Modifiers and SFX). This is why people have been telling you to just use USPD and pick powers at random from it (that's what the USPD is). It will produce complete and utter crap, but you may have some fun on your own, if that's the type of thing that you enjoy.

Personally, I think you'd be wasting your time with anything like a "random character generator"....it goes against the concept of the Hero System and will (by definition, for the most part) produce crappy characters that you should never really play.

[VictorVonDoom]

ok i will never play the game but i like the idea but i am missing the randomize tables here so i try to invent them...no offense offert vs herogames. I like the concept but i want to make it flexible for me so i can grasp it... I can let the computer simulate a hero with his powers but then it is up to me to fill in the blanks (modifiers,...) the roll is just a hint ...
I like read RPG books because sometimes there are things that can be randomized..i feel it..
and if it is crappy then i can always reroll it until it is not...that is how this system works...
or my system will work

I must not justify why i want it and then be told that "Herogames is not ment to play that way" ...:(
for me it is not playing the game it is also first reading and learning what it is. If it is impossible to do then i will tell it you also and you might tell me "Told you so..."
but i want to do something i like...
When i roll eq "energy blast" then maybe the computer might ask me how i want it... what power what dice etc etc ...

[Ben Seeman]

Victor,

If you haven't picked up Champions yet, you should because there is a random character generator that starts on page 81. With it you can create almost any type of character at randomly, or you can just use the charts that they have to pick and choose the sets of Powers and Skills that you want to use. It's a good tool to help new players learn how to build characters.

[VictorVonDoom]

i get it in 2 weeks maybe more ...then i can learn a bit of java with a cup of java and do a little java with my little experiement i stated or if i have it i can recreate that one but now i got ... only programs that mean nothing to me ... i have to wait
hmm shame that generator is not on PDF file: it would help me much ...

[Simon]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
i get it in 2 weeks maybe more ...then i can learn a bit of java with a cup of java and do a little java with my little experiement i stated or if i have it i can recreate that one but now i got ... only programs that mean nothing to me ... i have to wait
hmm shame that generator is not on PDF file: it would help me much ...
Errr...that "cup of java" wouldn't happen to be fully-titled "Mr. Bunny's Big Cup o' Java" (by Carleton Egremont III), would it?

If so, it's a VERY funny book, but won't teach you much that is terribly useful.

An example of one of the exercises:
<blockquote>Identify the security risk in the following code:

int i;
while (i<100) {
StealChargeCardNumber();
i++;
}</blockquote>

Or this list of common programming errors:
<ul>
<li>Dividing by infinity</li>
<li>Mistaking the assignment operator for your project leader</li>
<li>Discussin politics, religion, or favorite development tools</li>
<li>Omitting the .java extension from your resume</li>
<li>Calling a no argument constructor when there is no no-argument constructor, a no-no resulting in an argument with the compiler</li>
<li>Failure to check result codes, catch exceptions, or negotiate an aggressive stock option vesting schedule</li>
<li>Use of runtime type checking without a doctor's prescription</li>
<li>Attempting to learn a programming language from a rabbit</li>
<li>C</li>
</ul>

[VictorVonDoom]

you are right about me: java isn't my language ..maybe later
i don't think if it is possible to do what i want ...and how "flexible" the language is to contain the flexibility of HEROGames ..

btw you are right: i read a pdf about the language and it is much difficult for me then i imagined : it reminds me about the headaces and failure i had when i failed my c classes

somebody has a simpeler language or should i stick to my old basic?

[Doug Limmer]

I want to make sure I understand what you're looking for.

You don't want a program which makes and/or rolls tables for you. Instead, you do want to know a good programming language/program to use to make your own.

Is that correct?

Most, if not all, of the programs discussed here are intended for 'serious' programming. They give you lots of tools and such to cover a large array of possible programs you may want to write. They're meant mostly for professionals, who write programs to make money. Lots of options means lots of things to learn, and lots of potential confusion.

(Having said that, I don't write programs for a living, and yet I own more than one programming platform. Go figure.)

Writing a table-roller sounds like an example of what I call a 'toy' program. It doesn't take a lot of programming knowledge, nor is it helped much by fancy programming tools. (Except for the GUI stuff, maybe; I'm not very good at that myself.) You don't need a fancy programming package to make a table-roller; you can write one using a spreadsheet program. In fact, I tried it out last night -- I didn't even need macros or anything, although the 'lookup' and 'randbetween' functions were rather useful.

It sounds like a full-fledged programming environment may be overkill for what you're looking for. Unless you're actually planning to write programs and sell them, it may be more than you need.

Unfortunately, I don't know if anyone is making a 'casual' programming environment (like QBasic was) these days. All the ones I can think of require a fairly complicated/sophisticated set-up. I'd be happy to learn of one myself; it's a lot of bother to start up (say) Forte for Java just to write one simple program.

[Simon]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
you are right about me: java isn't my language ..maybe later
i don't think if it is possible to do what i want ...and how "flexible" the language is to contain the flexibility of HEROGames ..

btw you are right: i read a pdf about the language and it is much difficult for me then i imagined : it reminds me about the headaces and failure i had when i failed my c classes

somebody has a simpeler language or should i stick to my old basic?
The language is entirely "flexible" enough to contain the rules of Hero Games....trust me, I've got just a bit of experience with that.

I still think that your problem is in the main concept of what you want to do. It won't help you learn the system....it will only help you make bad characters that have no continuity. If you want to learn the system, then <i>learn the system</i>. I mean, for chrissakes, you're talking about learning a freakin' programming language in order to write a program so that you can have some help learning the rules of an RPG! Just learn the RPG already. It's far less complex than a programming language.

And before you bring it up again, yes, I'm aware that you have autism. If having autism means that you can't learn the rules of the Hero System, then don't play the Hero System....that's easy. I suspect that this is not the case, however.

So, grab FREd, get a friend or two, and start playing.

If there's no one in your area interested in playing, then get into an online game.

[VictorVonDoom]

1) i don't play Fred
2) I try to comprehend the rules
3) autisme is a barrier that doesn't allow me making a lot of friends
4) Autisme is called in some books "a mind of a computer"

explications:
1) I don't play fred because of 3) also i like comics in general and i looked at something i wanted in the old MSH system (random tables, ...). The flexibilty of the system makes me hard to understand because there is so much input and for me that is a lot for me

2)I only try to understand the rules therefore i need to device a system that suits me..not you not your nearest friend not your collegea ... just me. There for i need something to classify stuff in. Autisme classify stuff in stashes and in maps like a directory of a computer. For me the stashes and maps are randomized tables (i know THAT)

3) I don't have friends. My closest friend is my computer
I only visit forums to see what is behind the theories in the books : more examples, extra info, tolerance for non-gamers

4) If you would read a book about autisme you would know that sometimes people refere to people with autisme, people with a computerbrain. So what i need is a language to help me.If Java can't help...what then?

[Simon]

Get over yourself. You're autistic. We get it. Trust me, we understand.

If your autism prevents you from learning/using a programming language, then <i>don't try to solve a problem by writing a program</i>. If your autism prevents you from understanding the Hero System (which is somewhat complex), then don't play/learn the Hero System. That's easy.

If you're looking to do anything more than a simple "pick a random set of pre-defined Powers from this list" then you're going to need a programming language which is "rich" in its abilities. Something like Java. You're going to be going through a lot of code and a lot of headaches. You're going to have to program in what are "legal" Modifiers to place on what Powers. You're going to have to know how one Modifier may affect the cost of another (frex, applying AOE to a Power with Autofire). <b>You're going to need to know the rules of the system very well in order to do it right</b>. So you're pretty much SOL on that one.

If all you're looking for is something to pick a set of Powers at random, then go with the suggestion that has been made many times already: buy a copy of USPD and start playing darts.

Alternately, buy a copy of USPD and enter the powers into an excel spreadsheet.

You will learn nothing about the system other than how NOT to make a character.

There is a quick guide in Champions (as Ben mentioned) which will help you make "generic" characters...but this is of little more help.

If you want to learn the system, then get reading. when you have specific questions, ask them.

Better yet, play the game a bit. If there is no one near you that you can convince to play, then go online and get into a PBEM or play by post game.

[VictorVonDoom]

ps you are trying to respond on a message i changed ...funny isn't it. now you see how an autistic mind works...read it again it tells you more what i am...

Autisme don't offer me the problem of learning to program but to play Fred... don't you get it ???

I keep hammering about my "problem" 'until' you succeed in understanding what the issue is

- FRED is only a tool for me
- Programming is a hobby for me
-I need another language
-no JAVA

capish ??

[Simon]

My answer remains the same.

If you want to write a program that will <i>create</i> random powers for you, then you need to know ALL the ins and outs of power creation. All the myriad rules....all the little idiosyncracies....all the errata. Everything. And you will need to do it in a language which is rich enough in its API to allow you to handle the complex logic. Which will be a language like Java, C, C++, possibly (though doubtful) VB. While you might be able to tweak "simpler" languages into doing it, the "tweaking" would be so complex as to eliminate any benefit that you might gain from using the language.

If all you want is to have a list of Powers that you can pick from randomly, then get USPD and some darts and start throwing.

You need to learn the system however you're comfortable learning it. But I"m telling you that what you're looking to do simply does not work.

[VictorVonDoom]

What does it give to you that maybe i can tweak it in another language what you can't do...what does it give that i want to do what nobody wanted to do before...what is wrong with you? Give me a programlanguage without the sales-talk
(about java); Leave the programming and the experimenting for those tables for me but all i need is a tool to do it

[Simon]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
it does for me :)
FIne. Then explain to me how (regardless of what language you use) you intend to write a program which will build legal power constructs (applying the myriad of rules in the Hero System) when you don't understand the rules?

How will you write the code to automatically increase the cost of Autofire to +1 when the ability it is placed on does not use a normal Attack Roll?

I say again: Your idea does not work.

[VictorVonDoom]

for the program must do this:
1) read the book first: so stupid am i not... :)
2) How much points are over after creating a characters's stats?
3) try to check tables
a) roll per table
b) check result
c) tell player what power he selected
d) tell player what modifiers he desires
alfa) what are the modifiers for that power
beta) what are the adders
gamma)what are the pointcost of the power
delta) what level do you desire, gamer?
epsilon) what are the disadvantages of that power?
Phi) Calculate formulea (i need a calculator for that: why not a computerprogram)
Kappa) is this what you desire?
check if powerlevel can be accepted by player
e) show power, powerlevel, dice, to player
f) try for another run until all points are used
this ends powerrandomize tables
do the character yourself on a piece of paper :) for the statistics

[Simon]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
for the program must do this:
1) read the book first: so stupid am i not... :)
2) How much points are over after creating a characters's stats?
3) try to check tables
a) roll per table
b) check result
c) tell player what power he selected
d) tell player what modifiers he desires
alfa) what are the modifiers for that power
beta) what are the adders
gamma)what are the pointcost of the power
delta) what level do you desire, gamer?
epsilon) what are the disadvantages of that power?
Phi) Calculate formulea (i need a calculator for that: why not a computerprogram)
Kappa) is this what you desire?
check if powerlevel can be accepted by player
e) show power, powerlevel, dice, to player
f) try for another run until all points are used
this ends powerrandomize tables
do the character yourself on a piece of paper :) for the statistics
So....what you're saying is that in order to write the program that you hope to use to help you learn the rules, you will first learn the rules. Then you'll learn a new programming language. Then you'll write the program.

All of this instead of just doing the first part of your plan: learn the rules. You cannot write a program to create powers without first knowing how to create powers yourself (extremely well).

Apart from random character generation (which is an utterly worthless idea), HD already does everything that you're looking for. It shows what adders are available for a power, lists the available modifiers, adjust points dynamically based on power definitions, adjusts rolls and Modifier values dynamically based on characterists, power levels, etc.

If you want to do it all on your own you are going to need a feature-rich programming language (Java, C, C++, etc) which you have already stated you don't want. You will also need to know the rules backwards and forwards, which you've stated you don't currently know and apparently have trouble learning without the aid of a program. You will also need to spend about 6 months of time developing the actual code.

Best of luck.

[VictorVonDoom]

but i can fill in the blanks later. How it works is for me to see ... not you. I only make it for me not to publish it...

Suppose this hero is randomized rolled like this
1)Energy blast
2)Absorption
3)Flight

No stats nothing just the basics no modifiers ; those can be added later in a sub-program
The player can fill the blanks later in ...i can see it evolve each time i read a piece further in the book
After i read the energy blast part i know what i can put there so i can define that...same for absorption same for flight same for all other powers
If there are modifiers or adders i put that in a subprogram and link that to the power in question ... later
if there are abuses the computer will warn the players that some powers at some levels are abusive for playing or are too strong for the character or for gameplay
then he might rework/reroll the characters (fun part because each time it is different)
If some powers don't fit the computer will point that out to him or me and say do you which to swap a power for another roll on the table (x)..etc until there is an acceptable hero
(x) he might say that always because the player might see the same thing.
After the character is finished he might suggest the players which powers are linked or would be linkable..or the computer would offer a suggestion

Randomization offers a suggestion not mere then that and later i can take out that power i don't want and pick another from the book

[Ben Seeman]

Hi Victor.

The program that you want to make sounds like it will be of use to you. And that's cool. the only problem is that to write a program like that you're going to need a programming language that is not easy to learn... that is true of all programming languages. I have learned many languages simply by having the desire to create a specific tool, just like you.

What you want to do can be done in any programming language. If you already know a language then you should use that unless you have the desire to learn a new language. If you are unwilling or unable to learn a new language then there is really nothing that anyone here can do for you.

The theory of your program is sound, and it is good that you have a plan for power randomization and character creation, but you are going to need to take the next step to actually put it into code. There have been plenty of suggestions as to which languages you can use, and it's an almost exhaustive list. If you won't or can't learn a new language then you are at an impasse and the program will remain nothing more than a theory.

I've learned quite a few languages by using the Dummies books... they are actually very good books and help teach the basics of any language you desire to learn. I would recommend that you pick a language, buy the Dummies book for it and learn it that way.

For example, if your first question about building your program is "How do I create a list of random powers?" you can simply look in the index of the book for random functions or list data structures and then read the referenced pages. If your next question is "How do I put the information on the screen?" then you can go back to the index and look up output functions.

The books contain all the information you need to learn a language. You just have to go and do it.

I hope this helps.

[VictorVonDoom]

ya but what language? (not C++ or Java)

I am willing to buy the dummie books but where is a list of it?

Is there no language who teaches you the language by pulling down menus or functions?

Listen D & G ,
I find a way how to program that thing i want to do. How hard it gets how painfull it will be of reading the book(s) (yours and the others) But i promise i let you know something if i succeed or not ... If i need some help could you help me to figure it out?

But first the manner in which language: i know i can do it in qbasic...but that is relativily "passe" (french for past) so a new language would suffice and something that doesn't smell or looks like c++ (and java does)

I toast a cup of Java on my endevors and adventures ... in programming

Victor von Doom

[Ben Seeman]

I would recommend Visual Basic... although I've never used it, it seems to be the most simplistic of the available programming languages out there. Also, most programming languages have Help files that list every single command and function you would ever want or need to use, along with examples of how to use them in your code.

[VictorVonDoom]

It isn't cheap ?

[Ben Seeman]

Originally posted by VictorVonDoom
It isn't cheap ?
The Standard Edition will cost you a little over $100 US. You're going to find that any development tool is going to be expensive, and the more expansive the development tool the more expensive it is going to be. That's the tradeoff you have to make and the factors you need to weigh in making your decision.

[VictorVonDoom]

30/07/2003
i will see what i use...or i have to go with a cheap (but heavy language such as what D said) or the more expensive (yet easy language you said) or i would trust on my rusty qbasic skills

01/08/2003 update
asked suplier for price Visual basic
while check it

03/08/2003 update
cost would be by pcworld 35 pounds or 56 us dollars
still no responds from supplier
he asked "you want to program" and he smiled
"it is not like in old school basic" he said
"well as it looks like basic smells like basic and it sounds like basic then why do they call it basic" i replied
"it is like a new language like c++ or ... delphi?" he ended

Final update 06/08/2003
I am a bit desillusioned: price was 150 euro's for Visual basic.net version...I have a choice here: wait until in couple of months to get it then when i can get the money together or i get something "cheaper"
Cheaper = java or something but i tramble on my feet because i only know qbasic and a little bit of C