#visual studio code tutorial for beginners

[iamprogrammerz]

How I configure VSCode for Everything ☞ http://dev.edupioneer.net/37721a83e7 #vscode #visualstudiocode #visualstudio #Codequs #Моrioh

[14dayswithyou]

How cutiesai made 14 Days With You

I've received quite a few requests in the past asking how I made 14DWY, what resources I used, how I organised my lore, etc. — so I figured I'd make one big post and share it with everyone else as well! It features a buuunch of helpful stuff I wish I'd known when I first made 14DWY, so hopefully this will help others too!

⚠ This is all copied & pasted from a Discord post I made back in early 2024! I'll also be adding to it over time, so feel free to check back every so often! ^^

What engine do I use?

14DWY uses the Ren'Py engine!

There are two preinstalled games (called "Tutorial" and "The Question") that give you a basic rundown on how to use the program!!

Zeil Learning's video called "Ren'py Tutorial For Beginners" is also a good place to start for those who have no idea where to begin with Ren'Py!

I also really recommend these Ren'Py resources:

Lemma Soft Forums

Ren'Py Discord server

Ren'Py subreddit

Zeil Learnings, ElaineDoesCoding, Visual Novel Design, and Ess Ren'Py Tutorials on YouTube (for the visual learners, like me >:3)

Searching through the "Ren'Py" tag on itch.io for community-made assets and resources (make sure to give credit if you use someone's assets)!

Feniks and Wattson also offer some really helpful stuff!!

Not Ren'Py related, but helpful for creating a VN:

Obsidian and Notion for note-taking, planning, and worldbuilding

Visual Studio Code and Atom (comes preinstalled with Ren'Py iirc?) for coding

Pixabay and Pexels for royalty-free assets and stock photos

DOVA-SYNDROME, Wingless Seraph, and Yuli Audio Craft for music

Clip Studio Paint (paid) and Krita (free) for drawing

Toyhou.se to store your littol guys (If you need an invite code, I have over 300 to give away ^^ Send in an ask to @cutiesigh if you'd like one!)

An itch.io account to upload your game for free and share it with others

General tips to keep in mind:

Make games for fun, not for fame! Too often, I see new developers create VNs with "trending tropes" because they see how well it does and want the same level of popularity. As harsh as it sounds, this only makes your game feel hollow and superficial, and players will notice.

When using Ren'Py, it's better to have multiple .rpy files rather than putting everything into a single large file. It makes organising and finding things easier, and if something gets corrupted... at least you won't lose everything!

Plan as much as you can in advance, but leave room to adapt and implement new ideas.

Start small and slowly expand over time. Don't start with an overly ambitious project, as it can be disheartening when you put all this effort into something only for it to not gain any traction.

Be grateful for your earliest supporters, as they're the ones who will lift your project off the ground!!

This is a personal preference, but I recommend starting off with Itch as your main distribution platform. Most storefronts take a cut from your donations and revenue, and sites like Steam require a $100 fee just to publish your game on their platform. Itch is free, and you can even toggle off revenue sharing in your profile settings! (I like to keep it at 10% though because I'm grateful for everything the site provides ♡)

If you ever need help with Ren'Py, you're always welcome to join the 14DWY Discord server and ping me in the help channel!

[bunnydevs]

Hiii! Really sorry if you've been asked this already (if so, could you kindly direct me to that post, please?) but how does one get into coding? I've had several attempts but it's all too overwhelming and I don't want to invest money into it yet. Nice blog!

Hiiya !! Please don't apologize ~ I love sharing and getting asks◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜. So there's a few things you should understanding about code/programming.

The first is that you don't need to spend money to get started by any means. If this is just a hobby for you please don't worry about money. I do recommend using a laptop or computer rather than a phone. However if you only have a phone, it can work in a pinch. It's just.. much slower and more difficult if i'm being quite honest.

Now we can get into the nitty gritty ! You need to identify what kinda stuff you wanna build and why. That's important for development roadmaps. As an example: building a game using free resources online will have a completely different language used than building a neocities site. BUT, here's my recommendations.

-> start small : html + css is a great way to get started for beginners. This is all it takes to build a cute site on neocities. It may not necessarily function (e.g. clicking a button won't make a popup appear) but it helps you wrap your mind around how things work.

-> tutorial hell : nearly everyone goes through this at some point. This is a phase in which you watch + follow tons of tutorials but if a blank document is in front of you.... you understand nothing. Avoid this by : ..leaving comments within your code ..trying to build something yourself first and then using a tutorial ..watch the tutorial, take notes, then try to do it yourself

"But how do I actually start?"

If you're going the neocities route to begin...

step one: download visual studio code + sign up for neocities step two: follow any html course online (i used codecademy) step three: look for website inspo (like carrds on pinterest etc) and design your website in figma (or use someone elses base) step four: create a folder labeled "neocities site" and inside that folder create two more. one labeled "img" and another labeled "misc assets" step five: open visual studio code and paste an html boilerplate in, then start typing.

this sets an organized way to manage assets like icons, gifs, color palettes etc in your visual studio. it will help you massively to stay organized. you will run into many many roadblocks which is completely normal.

Check out by studystack here! I definitely recommend keeping something like w3 schools open in a tab so you can navigate through and look up tutorials. There's also LOTS of resources on codepen, github, etc. If you use something like that, I highly recommend you leave notes in your code so that you don't get lost and you learn about what you're putting down.

And I'll also be making a few little tutorial posts + note posts soon.

Other resources include: harvard's free cs50 course cs50's intro to game development @izzycodes (she has SO many resource posts !!)

I hope you have a wonderful day, please feel free to send asks with any other questions or notes you've got !! You TOTALLY have this.

[sofia-d-asb]

Switching to Twine - Sample code to get you quickly started

This is a quick guide for authors who'd like to switch to Twine but feel that the task is too daunting. It isn't. Twine is simple to use.

Disclaimer: I am not at all a Twine expert. If I can get it running, so can you :)

• First, download Twine here. Scroll down until you see a list of files, select the one that would work for your OS (Win, Mac, Linux, Web).

• Next, you should download Visual Studio Code. You'll use this to type your code and copy it into Twine.

• Read this beginner's guide (at least everything about passages).

• Bookmark SugarCube's documentation.

• Watch Yi Weng's tutorials.

• And download my sample code file. This has code for creating choices, changing stats, setting the MC's name, and other things. You're free to use the code in it. No need to credit me.

• Check out Twine Templates available on itch.io:

Character's pages by Albie (the stats bar from the sample game above are from here)

Template by brushmen that emulates CS (haven't used it but seems great)

Template by Vanhya

Template by a.w. morgan

There are many more, but these should get you started.

Hit me up if you have questions!

[jambeegoatson]

Step-by-Step Guide to Coding for Beginners

Coding is a valuable skill in today's digital world, and it's never too late to start learning. Whether you're looking to switch careers, build websites, or create apps, coding is a great place to start. This guide will help you get started on your coding journey, covering the basics of coding and providing a roadmap for further learning.

What is coding, and why is it important?

Coding is the process of writing instructions for computers to follow. It's the language that computers use to communicate with each other and with humans. Coding is important because it's a fundamental part of the technology that drives our daily lives. From websites and apps to software and automation, coding plays a crucial role in nearly every aspect of our digital world.

What do you need to get started?

To start coding, you'll need a few things: a computer, an internet connection, and a text editor. A text editor is a program that allows you to write and save code. There are many free text editors available, including Sublime Text, Visual Studio Code, and Notepad++.

Once you have your tools set up, it's time to start learning!

Getting started with coding

The first step in your coding journey is to learn a programming language and learn what are do's and don'ts of coding. There are many programming languages to choose from, but some of the most popular and widely used include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and Java. HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is used to create the structure of websites. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is used to add styling and design to HTML pages. JavaScript is used to create interactive elements on websites. Python is a versatile programming language that can be used for a wide range of tasks, from data analysis to machine learning. Java is a popular language for developing Android apps and building enterprise-level applications.

Once you have chosen a programming language, it's time to start learning! There are many resources available to help you get started, including online courses, books, and tutorials. Some popular resources for learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript include Aspire Coding, Codecademy, W3Schools, and Udemy. For learning Python, try Codecademy, Udemy, or Coursera. And for learning Java, check out Udemy, Coursera, or Oracle's Java tutorials.

Practice, practice, practice

The best way to learn coding for beginners is by doing. As you learn the basics of your chosen programming language, start experimenting with small projects. Try creating a simple website, building a calculator app, or writing a program to automate a task. The more you practice, the better you'll get, and you'll soon find that coding becomes second nature.

Take your learning to the next level

Once you have a solid understanding of the basics, it's time to take your learning to the next level. Consider taking an online course or enrolling in a bootcamp to learn more advanced concepts and skills. You can also participate in coding challenges and hackathons to put your skills to the test and learn from other coders.

Final thoughts

Coding is a valuable skill that can open up a world of opportunities. Whether you're looking to switch careers, build websites, or create apps, coding is a great place to start. With this guide and the resources available, you'll be well on your way to becoming a coding pro. Remember to practice regularly, take advantage of online resources, and never stop learning!

[vendetta-if]

hello! I'm pretty new to ChoiceScript and was wondering what programs do you use?

Hey 👋 I mainly use Visual Studio Code with ChoiceScript extension installed because I just like how functions and variables there have different colors that are easier to distinguish compared to CSIDE.

But I also do use CSIDE to run the Quicktest and Randomtest. Also, to fix some indents/tabbing errors.

I think for beginners, the best program to use is perhaps CSIDE because I think they also have some simple tutorials available on their program? I personally haven’t tried those tutorials yet, and against better judgment, I started programming using VSCode right away because I was not aware of CSIDE’s existence 😅 So, yeah, maybe if you’re a beginner, you want to try checking out CSIDE 😄

[tanukigirl83]

how did you start learning to make games?

honestly? that's a really good question. i've been making games as a hobby for a while now (ever since i was a kid, really) and i think the interest got started then. i started with game maker (back before it was ever game maker studio), but there are much better places to start such as gdevelop, scratch, godot, or any of the free game engines. some things i recommend that i did way back when (and still do now):

there are a lot of tutorials out there on the internet for whatever engine you decide to use (and they are great!), but don't be afraid to experiment with the tutorials a little bit to see what makes everything tick

try recreating games that you like! (I had a lot of 2D platformer clones since I was such a huge platformer fan)

you don't need any programming experience to get into making games. most engines have a visual scripting system or a super simple script language, and although coding is one of my special interests i got my start with game maker's drag and drop programming. i hear that unreal has a really good system (blueprints) and i think unity has its own built-in visual scripting system, along with dozens of game engines that are made for beginners

don't be afraid to share your games - between your friends, on itch, whatever

game dev is a really fun hobby, and it's something that i love dearly! i can't recommend the godot engine enough (it's decently simple and there are a lot of tutorials for it out there), but there's so much you can do. and if you do get into making games, please share them with me! i want to see what you make :)

[maddgicalgirl]

Paracosm Resources <3

Need help bringing your paracosm to life? Try these free resources!

⚠️ Updates always pending! Suggestions always welcome! Feel free to message me any tips or questions <3 ⚠️

(Cont. below cut, or with real time updates on this google doc!)

Art Programs

FireAlpaca - 2D Art Program, Animation. Where I make most of my digital art, and paint the frames for my animations :) It is free to use, and easy to learn and use! It can make basic animations as well, such as gifs. It requires download.

Krita - 2D Art Program. Professional, free digital paint software :) I have not used it before, though I have heard good things.

GIMP - 2D Art Program, Photo Manipulation. It's free to use, but I do not like it/recommend it highly. But! If FireAlpaca and Krita don't float your stoat, try Gimp! For 2D art, but also able to emulate Photoshop to a degree ^^

Inkscape - 2D Art Program. Free to use digital illustration software. Makes 2D art :)

Of course, who can forget classics like good old MS Paint, and the new and exciting 3D MS Paint, which can both be used to create some really neat things! Classic MS Paint is available here in browser form! If you need that. I just think it's neat!

Art AI

Petalica Paint - Coloring Software. An in browser, watercolor manga style coloring software, which can (almost) effortlessly color in any of your line art pieces! I've played around with it for my Thorn illustration style piece, and enjoyed it! It is free to use, and can take user input to make the colorations more precise.

ArtBreeder - 3D Realism Software. Using Artbreeder, you can create lifelike images of your paras, planets, or potentially even fursona, using the intricate AI they let you work with for free! A premium version exists, but most functions are fully usable without - though I recommend donating ^^ You can randomly generate, or prune and shape what you make until its perfect! Slow to use and get the hang of, but very worth it! Artbreeder is also pioneering an intriguing animation software to go alongside their product! Browser based.

3D Software

Blender - 3D Modeling, Animation. The best (in my opinion) free 3D modelling software.

MagicaVoxel - 3D Pixel Art. Free to use! Could be interesting :)

MikuMikuDance - 3D Rigging. Anime style rigging and animation software, free to use, and certified internet artefact! Has stood the test of time, and is still used and loved today. Can support ports of many kinds of assets, including, I believe, those from Blender, and of course those that are downloaded. DA has a bunch of old MMD communities you can raid for assets!

Animaze - Face Rigger. Use 3D models and a webcam to watch your paras talk! Models can be made in Blender, downloaded online, or even from CHARAT V, CHARAT GENESIS sister app!

Character Creators

CHARAT GENESIS - 2D Character Creator. Browser based anime style character creator, with multiple crops and poses, and infinitely customizable options. It is legitimately insane. Has a 3D function called CHARAT V which can apparently convert characters made in CHARAT GENESIS into 3D models compatible with Face Rig and Animaze!

V-Katsu - 3D Character Creator. Free on steam! Anime style, intensive character creator, by the same people who made Koikatsu, and Koikatsu Party, two amazingly detailed 3D hentai makers. While V-Katsu is a SFW VTuber maker, if you're looking for NSFW anime content, you could always spend roughly $70 on the full NSFW versions. V-Katsu requires a translation mod (free online as well) which you have to install, or the ability to read Kanji <3 Works with VR tech.

V-Roid Studios - 3D Character Creator. Free on steam! Anime style, fairly in depth character creator, that allows for some degree of digital 3D hand sculpting, particularly with their amazing hair engine, to get your paras looks perfect!

And, of course, Picrew has thousands of character creators of various styles and quality uploaded by the artists who made them! Also, honestly I think we as a society should embrace making dinky chibis in Gacha Life. IDK why everyone is mean to the gacha kids, like we weren't all cringe at some point,

World Design

HomeStyler - 3D and 2D Room Designer. Make a model of an interior for a home or building, using real 1:1 furniture of IRL brands! Apparently this is free to use, though there is a premium version, and  it offers 3D and 2D models.

Map to World - 3D Planet Maker. Turn your fantasy world into a 3D model of the planet. Put maps directly on, or design the surface and textures of your world. Takes a lot of getting used to, but it is AMAZING. Free to use, and browser based!

PlanetMaker - 3D Planet Maker. Make a customized 3D planet! Free to use browser site! I have never used this, but I would love to mess around with it sometime! Allows you to add orbital rings, change textures, and more at the click of a mouse.

If on sale, I also recommend snagging a copy of the Sims, particularly 3 or 4, for character creation and world design. Maybe not the best gameplay without mods, but it's also a load of fun, and very easy to add custom content to! Minecraft also. But you just need Minecraft, in general. Beyond its ability to fairly faithfully recreate structures from your paracosms, it's just Good.

Game Creators

Maybe you wanna turn your paracosm into a cool game idk, just thought I'd put these here!

Construct 3 - 2D Game Creator. Beginner level game making :) Drag-and-drop if/then style programming.

GameSalad - Codeless 2D Game Creator. Drag and drop style/no coding, beginner friendly. Free version available!

Solpeo - 2D Game Creator. HTML5 based game engine for 2D and isometric game development. Some programming knowledge needed. Platforms supported: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer 9+. Free version available.

Stencyl - Codeless 2D Game Creator. Drag and drop style building/no coding skills needed. Has editable templates!

Scratch - 2D Game Creator. Very easy to use and totally free, though relatively basic!

Unity - 3D, 2D, and VR Game Creator. Make games with 3D software. Import your own assets (Blender compatible) or download free options, or buy the rights to models. Works for 3D and 2D games. Free version available, and now works with VR tech!

Unreal Engine - 3D Game Creator. Extremely advanced 3D game developer. Highly customizable. Free to use!

Twine - Text-based Game Creator. Use a map to make a branching paths text-based story game. Free to use.

Squiffy - Text-based Game Creator. have used Squiffy and it can make some really, truly incredible things. Can take a while to pick up, and learn how to use to its full potential. Free to use! Has an online and offline library of player creations you can get inspiration from!

Quest - Text-based Game Creator. I've never used this, but it seems cool! Use it to make interactive text-based DND game adventures in browser.

Ren'Py - Visual Novel Creator. Visual novel engine, that is well acclaimed, and of course, free to use!

Companion AI

Replika - 3D Companion.

Kajiwoto - Chatbot Companion. Customizable, learning AI you can shape into a personality. Communicates via Discord like chat box.

Organization

Toyhou.se - Character Gallery. A customizable library where you can upload all of your paras and characters for the public to view! Free to use, but requires a premium member to invite you!

Refsheet - Character Gallery. I haven't used it before, but I've heard good things, and that it's a suitable alternative to toyhou.se if you can't get an invite!

Notebook.AI - Character Gallery. I haven't used it before, but I've heard good things, and that it's a suitable alternative to toyhou.se if you can't get an invite!

World Anvil - World Building Toolset. Like character galleries, but for worlds and their lore :)

Scabard - World Building Toolset. Aimed at DnD campaigners, but I reckon it'll be useful for many!

YARPS - World Building Toolset. More focused around story and lore than Scabard or World Anvil, and looks beautiful! Still in its prototype stage, however.

Pinterest - Photo Organizer. Look at, collect, and sort images into boards. Personalizes your feed based on that, and is free to use and join! However, unlike their myriad of wonderful recipes, DIY tutorials, and the likes - a lot of the images are uploaded by second parties and not credited, so be careful reuploading anything you find! Also great for finding outfits and art inspo for your paras!

Generators

Fantasy Name Generator - Name Generators. Does what it says on the tin! Generates fantasy names. Is a lovely website, run by a purportedly lovely woman.

Fantasy Map Generator - Map Generator. Randomly generates a fictional map, which you can view in 2D or 3D.

Donjon RPG Generator - Multiple Generators. Can make maps, weapons, items, etc.

Seventh Sanctum - Multiple Generators. One of my favorites from high school! Does all kinds of things - the standard items, spells, and names - but also prompts, backstories, characters, and even comedy generators!

ShindanMaker - Multiple Generators. User created and uploaded, any kind of generator you can imagine, of varying complexity. And when I say any generator? I mean ANY generator.

Audio

Audacity - Record and Edit Audio. What can't Audacity do? I love Audacity to death. At surface level, it records audio. I've used it to record voices for my paras, and get audio for animations and games I've worked on. I cannot recommend it enough. Comprehensive editing, and with some investigation, it can do so, so much more than just record simple dialogue.

FL Studios - Compose. Compose music with an unlimited free trial. Upgrades available for purchase!

Indie Game Music - Royalty Free Music Library. Free to use Indie Game Music. What it says on the box!

AudioJungle - Royalty Free Music and Audio Library. Thousands of free to use audio clips!

Online Piano - Someone could use this, for recording, or just messing around. I've seen plenty of paras who play piano, this could just be used for fun!

Online Guitar - Same reasons as above, but this site looks kinda sketchy. Use at your own risk or reward! Audio

For real, if you ever need music, sound effects, or really any MP3 clips that can be used without infringing on copyright laws, just search 'royalty free' (music/audio/insert thing here) same applies for photos! Make sure the source is reputable, however.

Tutorials

W3Schools - Coding. Learn the basics of coding, for free, online!

Miscellaneous

Debut Video Capture - Screen Recorder. Record game footage and let's plays for free! Professional and home versions. I see a few of our community members have paras who run YouTube channels, and I thought these might help! It could be a nice way to connect your parames. YouTube quality <3

Pixton - Comic Maker. Comic making website. I have no experience with this at all, but some may find it useful!

Picfont - Image Editor. Puts customizable text on an image. I used these for @paraesthetics paracosm header edits <3 It has a premium version (???) but the free version has all functions, but it crashes regularly (honestly seems timed :/) but once you get it down, it's a very quick process, and you won't have to worry about that at all.

Itch.io - Publishing. You can publish your self made games here :)

Korsakow - ??? Described as, "The Future of Storytelling" and is apparently a way to create interactive films. I *just* found out about this, but thought I should include it for someone who may know how to use and appreciate it! Free? Unknown, at the moment.

Tips and Tricks

Animation Done Easy

Our forefather's of internet animation used MS Paint, Windows Movie Maker, and Audacity. All of these, or their equivalents, are free on standard computers. I, personally, use FireAlpaca - which works just as well, if not better, than MS Paint for animation - but takes longer, and definitely lacks that retro feeling. I also use my trackpad to draw and animate everything, so its doable, but probably not totally comfortable, to animate like this for most people :)

⚠️ Updates always pending! Suggestions always welcome! Feel free to message me any tips or questions <3 ⚠️