New to coding, looking to make my first KSP mod

[Rockhem]

Any tips, like what programs should I get and where should I start? I am quite new to coding,

I have programmed very small programs in java but otherwise i have no experience in coding.

So those are my questions.

[OrbitusII]

Should be in the plugin subforum... But a mod can take care of that!

I'd recommend MonoDevelop, specifically the version that comes bundled with Unity if you can get it. If you're not on OS X or Windows, the Linux version is still recent enough for it to work. In case you are on Linux, you'll have to download MonoDevelop and the C# compiler that goes with it (I don't know why it's not included by default...) and then you can start coding!

If you need any more help then shoot me a PM, I'll help in any way I can.

[Rockhem]

Should be in the plugin subforum... But a mod can take care of that!

I'd recommend MonoDevelop, specifically the version that comes bundled with Unity if you can get it. If you're not on OS X or Windows, the Linux version is still recent enough for it to work. In case you are on Linux, you'll have to download MonoDevelop and the C# compiler that goes with it (I don't know why it's not included by default...) and then you can start coding!

If you need any more help then shoot me a PM, I'll help in any way I can.

The reason it is here because it has been in that subforum for like 24 hours and not one reply, i had to.... and i am completely a noob to coding so what is monodevelop and how do i find it?

[knotbeer]

I have programmed ASP.NET since 2.0 in C# and have written business web apps to Silverlight fun apps for stuff... I have Visual Studio 2012, and got Unity3D but I guess unity is just for getting 3D models in from when you make them. (Most of what i want is to change the cursor or add a pause button on map view for making node adjustments). The little bit of looking around, I feel this is a completely different type of programming than I can seem to grasp. I will be watching this thread, I wonder what I am missing. When I see game development formulas and equations, my mind blows. How the heck do u guys know this stuff?! Lol

[jfx]

The reason it is here because it has been in that subforum for like 24 hours and not one reply, i had to.... and i am completely a noob to coding so what is monodevelop and how do i find it?

If searching the internet for a single keyword is a problem for you ... you gonna have a bad time learning to "code".

[Rockhem]

If searching the internet for a single keyword is a problem for you ... you gonna have a bad time learning to "code".

I mean't finding the one packaged with unity, finding it inside unity.

[OrbitusII]

The reason it is here because it has been in that subforum for like 24 hours and not one reply, i had to.... and i am completely a noob to coding so what is monodevelop and how do i find it?

In that case, you're good.

MonoDevelop is a piece of software that simplifies programming by predicting syntax and methods that you're calling. It's cross-platform and very useful for coding faster than you would without the prediction that the program contains.

It's available here: http://monodevelop.com/

However, I'd recommend getting the version that comes with Unity just to guarantee you have compatibility between versions. You can get it here: http://unity3d.com/

[Rockhem]

In that case, you're good.

MonoDevelop is a piece of software that simplifies programming by predicting syntax and methods that you're calling. It's cross-platform and very useful for coding faster than you would without the prediction that the program contains.

It's available here: http://monodevelop.com/

However, I'd recommend getting the version that comes with Unity just to guarantee you have compatibility between versions. You can get it here: http://unity3d.com/

ok, downloading the latest version of Unity, and so i take this as monodevelop is for C# as eclipse is for java?

Thank you.

[OrbitusII]

ok, downloading the latest version of Unity, and so i take this as monodevelop is for C# as eclipse is for java?

Thank you.

Yes, that's it. If this is your first time with C# but you've used Java for a while then you should check out

as it contains tutorials for making PartModules to use in KSP. It assumes you're using Visual Studio but VS and MonoDevelop are similar enough that doesn't matter. Good luck!

[Rockhem]

Yes, that's it. If this is your first time with C# but you've used Java for a while then you should check out

as it contains tutorials for making PartModules to use in KSP. It assumes you're using Visual Studio but VS and MonoDevelop are similar enough that doesn't matter. Good luck!

I haven't used java for a while, but i have done alittle in java, so i am pretty new to both.

[Rockhem]

Should i use monodevelop or visual studio, i have heard things for both sides.

[numerobis]

Visual Studio, or the latest version of Monodevelop. The version packaged with Unity is rather buggy.

I would recommend downloading the source to one of the plugins that works, figure out how to compile it, and make sure it works. Then figure out how to make it do something slightly different than it currently does, even if that's not particularly useful (example: download MechJeb, make sure you can get your downloaded version to work, then figure out how to make "limit to terminal velocity" actually limit to 50 m/s). The point is just to make sure you are actually changing the right thing. Then you can work out, slowly, how to actually do something interesting.

Making small changes to something that works, and testing often, is the only sane way to get up to speed on how everything works, IMO.

It's a big chunk of things to learn all at once: I'm a senior developer (10+ years experience); it took me a few days to figure out how to convert my formulas into working code for the mechjeb thrust controller. That included getting up to speed on C#, on Unity, on KSP, and on MechJeb. You might want to pick a smaller mod to start working from.

Edited July 30, 2013 by numerobis