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This is sort of a funny piece - when I saw "C++ adventure game" I was expecting maybe an ASCII crawler or maybe a simple Box2D rogue-like. The resulting game f

This is sort of a funny piece - when I saw "C++ adventure game" I was expecting maybe an ASCII crawler or maybe a simple Box2D rogue-like. The resulting game from the article is a very, very simple text adventure, with what looks like 3 different leaf nodes. A great way for someone to learn control flow and variable management, but it does beg the question, why C++? And further, why AI? If someone approached and said "Joe - I want to learn more about programming, and eventually make my own game", I don't think I'd tell them to start with a C++ text adventure. Whatever spark they were feeling in the moment would be sufficiently stomped when they notice the first step in the tutorial is to create a Makefile. Keep in mind they also introduce the concept of variables and if statements. This tutorial's aimed at total beginners! "Joe, what's a Makefile?" "Well..."

lelanthran 3y ago
> "Joe, what's a Makefile?" "Well..." "It's this thing you might need for a different C++ project. For this project, one source file is enough" IOW, for someone who wants to write a tiny program, and wants to do it in C++, a Makefile is pointless.
- joenot443 3y ago
  Yeah, I totally agree. I think for learners, whatever can tighten the feedback loop of code->build->error->fix is usually what will keep someone interested.
sugaroverflow 3y ago
Hiiiiiiii, GitLab team member and author of the blog post here. Both excited and terrified to be on HN, honestly - what a honor! * Totally agree that the Makefile was a high bar of entry right at the beginning. Since we're working with a single source file, I just opened an MR to update the blog post to compile it directly in the terminal [1]. Do you think this approach would make it more beginner-friendly? * My fondness for C++ might've steered the direction of the project a bit! I considered a 2D platformer at first, but felt that I/o centric approach would be easier for a beginner. I could always rebuild the text adventure into a 2D platformer - would make for an interesting follow-up post. I hadn't thought of an ASCII crawler at all, so thank you for that idea! * Lately, everyone's been using AI assisted code as a helping hand, especially in simpler projects like this one where it's likely to provide helpful suggestions. The integration was an attempt to, of course, promote our Code Suggestions feature ;), and also showcase how AI can function something like copy pasting code from a tutorial by providing you with code you can use. * As for the complexity, I was debating between writing this for beginners vs an intermediate audience and asked myself things like "Can I assume that this person who knows what conditionals like while or for loops are?". After some peer reviews, it became a very introductory C++ lesson. Striking the right balance can be tricky. I'm hoping to get into more complex code in future parts, but first I really need to introduce functions because the code needs it haha. Thanks for your valuable feedback and things to think on, super appreciated! :) [1]https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/merge_requests/128745 https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/merge_request...
dnsmichi 3y ago
> Whatever spark they were feeling in the moment would be sufficiently stomped when they notice the first step in the tutorial is to create a Makefile. Keep in mind they also introduce the concept of variables and if statements. This tutorial's aimed at total beginners! Thanks for your great feedback. I suggested using a Makefile during blog post review [0], to avoid explaining gcc compiler flags, and have a single command with `make build` available for future, repeated compilation steps. I did not expect this to be an entry barrier, and will reconsider suggesting makefiles in the future. Thanks again. [0] https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/merge_requests/128536#note_1521593150 https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/merge_request... (GitLab team member here)

lelanthran 3y ago

> "Joe, what's a Makefile?" "Well..." "It's this thing you might need for a different C++ project. For this project, one source file is enough" IOW, for someone who wants to write a tiny program, and wants to do it in C++, a Makefile is pointless.

joenot443 3y ago
Yeah, I totally agree. I think for learners, whatever can tighten the feedback loop of code->build->error->fix is usually what will keep someone interested.

sugaroverflow 3y ago

Hiiiiiiii, GitLab team member and author of the blog post here. Both excited and terrified to be on HN, honestly - what a honor! * Totally agree that the Makefile was a high bar of entry right at the beginning. Since we're working with a single source file, I just opened an MR to update the blog post to compile it directly in the terminal [1]. Do you think this approach would make it more beginner-friendly? * My fondness for C++ might've steered the direction of the project a bit! I considered a 2D platformer at first, but felt that I/o centric approach would be easier for a beginner. I could always rebuild the text adventure into a 2D platformer - would make for an interesting follow-up post. I hadn't thought of an ASCII crawler at all, so thank you for that idea! * Lately, everyone's been using AI assisted code as a helping hand, especially in simpler projects like this one where it's likely to provide helpful suggestions. The integration was an attempt to, of course, promote our Code Suggestions feature ;), and also showcase how AI can function something like copy pasting code from a tutorial by providing you with code you can use. * As for the complexity, I was debating between writing this for beginners vs an intermediate audience and asked myself things like "Can I assume that this person who knows what conditionals like while or for loops are?". After some peer reviews, it became a very introductory C++ lesson. Striking the right balance can be tricky. I'm hoping to get into more complex code in future parts, but first I really need to introduce functions because the code needs it haha. Thanks for your valuable feedback and things to think on, super appreciated! :) [1]https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/merge_requests/128745 https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/merge_request...

dnsmichi 3y ago

> Whatever spark they were feeling in the moment would be sufficiently stomped when they notice the first step in the tutorial is to create a Makefile. Keep in mind they also introduce the concept of variables and if statements. This tutorial's aimed at total beginners! Thanks for your great feedback. I suggested using a Makefile during blog post review [0], to avoid explaining gcc compiler flags, and have a single command with `make build` available for future, repeated compilation steps. I did not expect this to be an entry barrier, and will reconsider suggesting makefiles in the future. Thanks again. [0] https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/merge_requests/128536#note_1521593150 https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/merge_request... (GitLab team member here)