Scratch

If you want to get better at Scratch, just practice a lot. Use it often, look at advanced projects and try to understand them. Maybe learn how to trim your scripts down a bit. Learn all of the tricks to Scratch and explore the program. There's no question that the program is very limited, and it doesn't have infinite possibilities, but it still has quite a large number of ways you can use it. Try all sorts of projects. You'll get the hang of it eventually.

Thanks. But actually, Scratch Version 2 is coming out soon, and I'm wondering if it'll have the same type of system as this version. Maybe spending a lot of time learning Scratch Version 1.4 is a bad idea if Version 2 is nothing like it...

Will it be the same block stacking and snapping system? I heard it'll be in flash, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll drop their puzzle piece type of programming.

In that case, it would still be the same as it is now for the most part, so Helltank, you should start examining Scratch closer soon.

helltank wrote:

I'm ten and I thought I knew Scratch pretty well, but then I saw Archmage's tutorial and I realized that the real Scratch Projects were way out of my depth. How do I get better at Scratch?

Well, like anything, Scratch takes practice. You really just have to experiment with some of it's features to learn more. I've been using Scratch right from the beginning, Scratch 1.0. I actually didn't know what variables were, so I never used them. So, like I said, just experiment and you'll get it.

Hang out in the All About Scratch forum. Post every time you need help with a description of the problem and a link to your uploaded project. But also read other people's posts about their problems. We solve every problem about 5o different ways and usually very quickly!

Download projects, find ones you like, run them till you are familiar with what they do, then look at the script. Look especially for shorter scripts with variable names that make sense like Health, scrollX, Timer, etc instead of crazy weird stuff that looks indecipherable.
Then save the project under a slightly different name (maybe add "My Mod" at the end.) The first copy will be a backup in case you trash the Mod copy. Go open up the Mod copy's script and look for some interesting variable to change slightly.
After you change it, re-run the application and see what effect your change had. Even dynamic (changing) variables usually get set at the beginning of some script block. If health usually gets set to 100, what does starting it at 200 do? Does it mess up other routines like the health level indicator sprite, picking up powerups, etc? Find a bullets top speed setting and double it. Yeah, it looks cool going faster but does the collision detection routine still work right or is it flying right 'through' some sprites and walls?

Don't try to do the next Epic Game of the Century today. Concentrate on doing smaller, working and finished projects rather than getting lost and frustrated in a bigger project to the point of giving up. An Epic program is basically just a well-thought out collection of small working projects used as routines    So concentrate on projects that do some smaller part of a big project that you would someday like to do.
Me, I love game programing. So if you look through my projects, you will find a lot of mini projects that demonstrate everything from scrolling, random dungeon generation in a pseudo-3d environment, collision detection, high score sorting, costume flipping, Pong type bouncing, etc etc. I admit that one of my first projects was the dreaded "Epic" game (RPG Battlefield) but honestly, going back now, the code I wrote makes me squirm, lol. I would have to completely re-write it to continue it now or I wouldn't be happy at all.
And the thing about games is regardless of the format/language you are programing in, practically ALL games use the same kind of sprite movement, collision detection, trigger variables, costume swapping, etc routines so by learning them easily in Scratch, you are more fully prepared to do them in another format later. For instance, I write some pretty cool stuff using a free macro program called AutoHotkey. Like for the Facebook Graffiti app I made my own stay-on-tip window that lets you save color swatches, trace images into the Graffiti draw window, draw straight lines, do bezier type-curves, all kinds of stuff! One of my very first pictures made it to the #1 spot in the Weekly Top Graffiti list because people were amazed by what my macro could do, even though most had no clue how I did it. So again, what you learn here doesn't just die someday when/if you leave Scratch. 

Learn how to debug your Scratch scripts! This is a MUST because literally every project you write, you will have to fix it as you develop it. And the better/longer the project, the more debugging you must do. Find out how to use single-stepping to watch and see which lies of your script are running and which are being skipped. Learn to insert small blocks like "say Hello" followed by "wait until Q key pressed"
This will let you halt a script anywhere you want so you use it to see if a routine is being triggered to start. If the sprite never says "Hello" and pauses, your bug is somewhere earlier in the script loop.

I am 39 years old and I am still learning and programing new stuff literally every day. The people I see posting about not having ideas should hang out in Show and Tell and the All About Scratch forums more often because I always have more ideas than I have time for.

Scratches weakness is actually its strength. It was designed to bring younger people into programing and through its drag and drop scripting with instantly viewable results and at this it excels. Therefore we always have a ton of new programmers here which is great! But you are also gonna find more people whose skills are still developing and who say things like about how Scratch is weak or it can't do something. Usually they just don't know how yet. I LOVE seeing "you can't do that in Scratch" posts because what better challenge than to figure out something like that? And I've nailed a few!

Anyway, I hope these tips help someone out. Above all, I say make use of the All About Scratch forum. It is free, live 24/7 help by coding ninjas who are here out of love of programing. Does it really get any better than that?
What the heck, lastly here are some of my personal tips for forums. Learn and obey the rules and courtesies of whatever forums you are at. Always be kind and thank people even if you disagree. Otherwise you will feel silly someday when you change your mind, lol. Not to mention looking like an idiot. People love it when you participate so if you want more responses, give more responses. If you don't get the responses you want, don't get mad and give up or get nasty. Just say something like "Well thanks to everyone so far but this isn't working for me. How or whom should I ask instead?" Now just read The Tao of Pooh, learn to flow like water around all obstacles in a natural fashion rather than beating yourself against them and I think that pretty much covers most of the important stuff in life! Lol, just kidding, thanks for being patient, you will need that!

Last edited by Locomule (2010-07-21 12:04:19)

Practice a lot, stay on Scratch, and just keep trying to push yourself to do more!

I always used to think I was pretty good at Scratch, but looking back at my older projects I realize I wasn't all I thought I was    So I pushed myself to do a bit more advanced, a bit better, and ended up making a perfect Pathfinding AI within a day.

Don't go embarking on projects that will take you several months without having a clearly defined plan in mind, and keep to projects that will interest you for a while.

Know how to do what you're doing! Nothing is worse than getting halfway through a project and then realizing you lack the knowledge of how to do a particular part and having to give up the project altogether 

Thanks for your help everyone! Windowsapple, I'll be glad to join forces! Oh, and coolstuff, what's a pathfinding AI? Archmage, the tutorial about scrolling stumped me. The amount of costumes needed is way beyond my grasp. I now have a programming plan: I'll start off making small apps for OSes, then make my own OS, then make games, scrolling games, and so on. I hope to make the next Scape! (in maybe 2012 at most...)

helltank wrote:

Thanks for your help everyone! Windowsapple, I'll be glad to join forces! Oh, and coolstuff, what's a pathfinding AI? Archmage, the tutorial about scrolling stumped me. The amount of costumes needed is way beyond my grasp. I now have a programming plan: I'll start off making small apps for OSes, then make my own OS, then make games, scrolling games, and so on. I hope to make the next Scape! (in maybe 2012 at most...)

I would be glad to join forces.

Locomule wrote:

People who are good at anything are simply people who kept going where others gave up. Which I guess means that personal success is measured by the failure of others.. remember to thank them on your way to the top?? Lol.

Actually, success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.

What a breath of fresh air this was!    quite possibly the most wisdom I've ever seen collected in single thread on this forum!

Must be true what they say about it coming with age! 

I totally agree with you guys - don't over-stretch yourself to begin with - just play around and explore what Scratch can and cannot do - think of some simple programming problems and solve them using Scratch - pretty soon you'll be moving on to more complex programs and producing projects that will amaze your friends!

...and unlike the real IT world, there are loads of people on here who can offer help and advice when you get stuck!

Hey everyone! With the help of Mr Determination and Sir Perseverance, I've managed to create a scrolling game! I'm working on my OS right now... the major setback being the app shop- how do I make the app appear at the right place when I import it?