Where to start programming?

A lot of people wonder where they should start to learn how to program. I will say that learning to program takes time and patience, Also it is not for ever one. But speaking from my own experince I love it, I mean I am someone who loves to learn things and I can say that programming is one of the things that you can never learn to much of. So where should you start?

Well if you really wanting to become a programmer I would say first see what you want to do, as in game development or soft ware development or even web page development. Once you have gotten what you want to do go get a book on it and start to read and follow around with the language of your choice. Alot can be learned on your own but it takes time and practice just like everything else. Also going to collage and stuyding in the field that you want to be would not hurt either.

I think this is a good starting place to learn how to program is with a language called small basic. Here is a small description of it.

Small Basic is a project that’s aimed at bringing “fun” back to programming. By providing a small and easy to learn programming language in a friendly and inviting development environment, Small Basic makes programming a breeze. Ideal for kids and adults alike, Small Basic helps beginners take the first step into the wonderful world of programming.
Small Basic derives its inspiration from the original BASIC programming language, and is based on the Microsoft .NET platform. It is really small with just 15 keywords and uses minimal concepts to keep the barrier to entry as low as possible.
The Small Basic development environment is simple, yet provides powerful modern environment features like Intellisense™ and instant context sensitive help.
Small Basic allows third-party libraries to be plugged in with ease, making it possible for the community to extend the experience in fun and interesting ways.

If you would like to download or check out the small basic website here is the link Small Basic

So I have been using it for about a couple of months now just to see what it can do, and I am happy with it if you just getting in to programming it is a fun little language to get in to. But dont think you will make a game engine out of this language there or better languages to do that with.

Turn-Based VS. Real Time

One of the most important choices of a designer makes at the start of a project is whether to make a turn based game or a real time one. Each type of base game mechanic provides potential benefits and drawbacks. While turn based games favor more strategic and transparent play, they can feel a little stodgy to players used to action-oriented titles. Real-time games, on the other hand, are more immersive and multiplayer-friendly but can also easily overwhelm new players if not well-paced.

Turn-Based games, of course, descend directly from the board game tradition, predating video games. Indeed, the fanbase for turn-based games still overlaps significantly with the fanbase for board and card games. Real-time (excluding sports), however, were only trutly possible with the advent of computers. Quite a few games – Super Mario Bros., Team Fortress, FIFA, Pac-Man — could only ever conceivably be developed as real-time games.

There are quite a few games that could go either way though, with an understanding that each path comes with its own set of trade-offs. Rouge-like dungeon-crawlers, for example have been made as both turn-based and real-time games. Early versions such as NETHACK, were purely turn based; the game’s clock only moves forward each time the player takes an action. However, Blizzard’s Diablo put the same explore-and-loot formula into a real-time environment and created an experience that was less strategic but more visceral and potentially addictive. Furthermore, without the waiting inherent in a turn-based system, the designers could develop a viable multi player mode.

Nonetheless, Diablo has not supplanted the continuing popularity of turn-based rougelikes, such as PokeMan Mystery Dungeon or Shiren the Wanderer, which maintain thier own tactical charm. Thus, deciding between turn-based and real time is not a question of which system is better or worse, but rather a question of which set of trade-offs best fits the game designer wants to make.