Freelance, trading, and C++
It all started when I was 20, way back in 2020. I was sitting in a tree (no, seriously) and thinking about what to do. I was thinking about it and decided to try programming. Honestly, I didn't really think about where to start. I knew that C++ was popular, and why not. And so it went.
Of course, the first thing I did was go to YouTube to watch tutorials. To master the syntax of my first programming language. I knew 2 languages, so there were no restrictions in choosing tutorials. I found this wonderful Russian-speaking vlogger and started mastering the syntax.
I was in no hurry; I did everything slowly and measurably. At that time I was doing freelance work. I did everything, starting with link spam (sorry, it's also called link building) and ending with some accounting work.
I managed to earn very little. My most successful month was September 2020. Then I was able to earn $200. The rest were less. That's why I got a job at a furniture factory. The funny thing is that I didn't earn that much there. About $300 a month.
Progress, I tell you. Crap, you'll answer me. But that's how it is.
OS hopping
So, by the beginning of 2021, thank God and my crooked hands, my Windows crashed. I reinstalled it. First it was version 8.1, then Windows 10. I didn't like them, so I decided to try Linux. And it was quite an experience. Everything was very difficult and unfamiliar. But gradually, step by step, I mastered it, I mean Debian.
By the way, if anyone is interested, here is a list of distro(OS) hopping:
| Windows 7 | ??.??.2014 - ??.10.2020 | I deleted something from the registry, restored it, but decided to try something new |
| Windows 8.1 | ??.10.2020 - ??.11.2020 | I didn't like it, so I decided to try Linux |
| Debian10 | ??.11.2020 - 07.02.2021 | Created and tested a fork bomb on my system |
| Debian10 | 07.02.2021 - 11.07.2021 | For some reason, lightdm couldn't load the XFCE environment |
| Debian10 | 11.07.2021 - 07.09.2021 | New version of Debian |
| Debian11 | 07.09.2021 - 27.01.2022 | Due to poor disk partitioning, I was unable to install new software into the system. |
| Gentoo | 27.01.2022 - 01.02.2022 | Too many compilations. I'm tired of them |
| Arch | 01.02.2022 - 25.03.2022 | Due to hard drive damage... by me |
| Arch | 01.04.2022 - 11.07.2022 | I thought a complete reinstallation would solve the problems with freezes - no |
| Arch | 12.07.2022 - 08.03.2024 | One day the kernel just wouldn't build. I switched to Windows 10 |
| Windows 10 | 08.03.2024 - ??.??.???? | Here, for now |
| ОС | Start - End | A reason |
|---|
What I'm getting at is that this whole mess with the OS inspired me to learn programming further. Terminal applications alone weren't enough for me. I wanted to see PICTURES, moving and alive o(￣┰￣*)ゞ
And since I already know C++, I should probably find a corresponding library. And that's how I came across SFML. I can't name a specific author on YouTube, there were too many of them, and it was a long time ago. I just don't remember.
My first demos and clones of games
In total, I was able to dig up 4 games from those times. It seems like 4 years ago. Only one of them is finished. It is a clone of the game called Pacman.
MSquers
I wanted to write a 2D platformer from scratch. Implement an animation system, procedural level loading, memory management, etc. But I especially wanted to tell a story, a story of war in a fictional galaxy... Nothing came of it, and I abandoned the project, for sure.
This is a main character
This is all I've found. I've failed to recompile the project ;(
PacManClone
This is the only project from that distant era that is truly finished. As they say, from A to Z. A regular PacMan clone in SFML and C++. Here is the game menu
And this is a screenshot from the game
SpaceShooter
Just a linear, endless 2D shooter, where your task is to destroy asteroids flying at you.
SquersFalling
Just falling cubes where you have to click as many as possible.
DI-Engine, custom game engine
Along with developing small demos and clones of games, I started working on my game engine, as it usually happens. And of course it had to be written in OpenGL and C++. Cherno channel had a noticeable influence on me. I learned a lot about the structure and operation of game engines from him.
I have to say that it was a huge waste of my time and effort. Not only that, but I was almost obsessed with it. I enjoyed its development so much so that in a couple of months of development, I was able to do this:
Loading 3D models, text, textures, UI and some physics. I did it all, wrote it all by myself, but then I decided that all external dependencies should be eliminated. I decided to rewrite the SimpleGUI library. It will be fast, I told myself. I have never been so wrong in my life.
Link to the engine source code: https://timthewebmaster.com/media/tools/di-engine/DI_App.zip
Conclusion
I'll probably finish here. Next I'll tell you what I did next, what DIEngine was all about and why I chose Cocos2dx for game development, and what came out of it. By the way, all the source files of the games and programs can be found here: https://timthewebmaster.com/en/tools/?page=1&type=full&is_recent=true&mode=list&tag=sfml&tag=gamedev
