I... can't say I have any experience with MUD engines in particular...

... but in theory, it does not seem impossible, or even that difficult?

Basically, just have a preset world space that is cordoned off into strips, bands, and that functions as essentially an overlay layer.

Split it into 24 slices, give each slice an offset from "UTC" ... every time the ... "UTC" of this world rolls over another hour, iterate each local time zone between... sunrise, morning, midday, evening, sunset, night.

Something like that basic framework.

Hell, you could also vary the length of days, of each of those 'lighting condition states' by latitude, with another set of strips, and then use both of them together to come up with some kind of 'season' offset.

To maintain your own sanity, if trying to travel long distances or something, just convert everything to 'UTC' time, then calc travel time, then calc back to local time once you've arrived.

... And be wary of crossing the 'international date line'.

Localized weather is... well, it can be as simple as just having like, another grid splitting up the world into weather regions, and then you have something like a 'climatic zone index' that you assign to each grid square, and each climatic zone has its own lookup table of possible weather states, which have some weight value associated, and then just every hour or 6 hours or day or w/e, you randomly roll for a new weather state.

You could also get much more complicated if you want to simulate things like moving pressure systems that interact with significant terrain elevations, moving humidity patterns, ocean temperature circulation patterns, wind speed, etc...

I... am assuming this is either 2d or just like ascii character based?

For someone like me, who was a bit lost on the meaning of framework, framework here is what you use to build an engine (I thought it's on top of the engine instead)

Also, the beginning of the article is a bit messy and the author jumps around thoughts, but it gets an interesting read, and they even talk about how to actually use AI for benefit instead of for multiplying bugs:

"It's hard for me to talk about it without sounding like a cult member," Hall said sheepishly, when describing how he uses ChatGPT while working in Brutal. But he and Falanghe agreed—using LLMs has made language-based coding an easier task.

Not that much easier, to be clear. They both said that when querying an LLM, they rarely copy and paste whatever code it generates. Instead they ask questions about C# libraries or Vulkan documentation, and the software is able to return high-quality answers. Answers that normally require programmers to sit down for hours to pore over documentation or scour ancient forums to find that one post with the solution (which was probably written in 2014).

"An LLM is essentially tokenizing language, then putting masses of vectors around that to build linkages between those tokens," said Hall. "What could be better than a highly-structured, in fact brutally structured language?" Vulkan and the latest version of C# are very "highly structured, with very clear syntax."

Developers critical of ChatGPT maker OpenAI should be able to replicate this process on open source models like DeepSeek, Falanghe said (though he hasn't tried this himself).

This process doesn't work as well with Unity and Unreal because they're both "highly spatial" as a result of their visual scripting tools. A solution for one game's problem may not work with another because of the different scripted elements. LLMs scouring the web can't produce consistent answers.

It is also the opposite of vibe coding, a method where programmers tell an LLM what they want a system to do and it generates code—and it isn't code completion, where AI tools "predict" what someone is typing and finish the string for them to speed up their workflow. The only thing the LLM does for Brutal developers is speed up access to information, letting them research without watching a 40 minute YouTube video.

Maybe we will finally see no-vibe solutions, like we saw no-code solutions 🌚

Looking forward to your opinions/feedback on this.

Now if only I had the motivation and commitment to create something similar!

Because if you didn't already learn you should ditch Unity, they're polite enough to send you this reminder.

Actually, 2 years ago... I'll get the lube

I mean, it depends on your expectations?

If the game engine is user friendly, like GameMaker for example, then probably a kid could make something pretty simple. I wouldn't expect a kid to know how to program something from scratch or for Pico-8 or something.

Yes

Kids are smart and simple games are not that hard to make

@entwine@programming.dev l just made this post : https://thebrainbin.org/m/iiiiiiitttttttttttt@programming.dev/p/313355/What-can-be-taught-to-kids-using-turbowarp-desktop-To

Do you have any idea about this ???

I built a dumb little spaceship game in, like 7th or 8th grade, which was over 20 years ago. I used a game-making learner program I found through Nintendo Power magazine. Game making resources and have only gotten better and more numerous since then.

That's how I started. When I was 10 years old, I discovered game maker and accidentally gained a lifelong passion for programming.

not the computer wizkid, but the average one

I can assure you that 10 year old me was below average with computers. It's a miracle I managed to figure out how to install gamemaker at all. The only thing that matters is interest, passion, and determination. If the child doesn't have those things, they probably won't succeed, and you probably can't force them to, which is fine. It doesn't mean they won't become a software engineer in the future, just that they won't do it at an early age. I know engineers who started learning programming in college, and are way smarter than me even though I had almost a decade head start.

EDIT: btw, I don't know if I'd recommend gamemaker today. When I started with it, it was simple and specifically aimed at learning. Today, it's trying to be a full-blown commercial game engine and it has gotten pretty complex. Another option might be Godot, but I'd strongly recommend against it. Godot is way too complex for someone's first game engine. Some people like Scratch, but IMO it's pretty lame and feels more like a homework assignment.

Some possible alternatives (haven't used them myself):

• https://www.construct.net/en
• https://gdevelop.io/
• https://www.rpgmakerweb.com/

Or just search for "no code game engine" in your favorite search engine. There are probably tons of those today.

An underrated place to start is with Doom modding. The various ports of Doom engines have grown to have surprizingly rich feature sets these days, and a lot of indie games have been getting made in these engines. It's easy to get into because you can get started pretty much right away by making mods for existing games.

So for example, you could download the free game FreeDoom, get the UZDoom engine to play it on, the map maker Ultimate Doom Builder to make maps for FreeDoom, SLADE for the other aspects of editing, and then finally the ZDoom wiki should be able to point you toward everything you'll want to learn to be able to make whatever you'd like.

So you can start learning and producing content very quickly by making maps, learn and develop those maps into more extensive mods, eventually learn and develop those mods so far they become "total conversions" - meaning that it's still technically a mod, and still would depend on the Freedoom game you're building on, but has grown extensively enough to replace all assets; and then finally it is possible to convert that total conversion into a full fledged standalone game.

And of course once you have enough experience with this, you can develop standalone games right from the start of a project.

This is a good thing to keep in mind. Liking games != liking to make games, but starting early can definitely help build a skillset that makes the latter easier

It can be! The docs can be accessed in-engine with a ctrl+click on a piece of code

@GammaGames@beehaw.org and the best thing is that it can be used offline perfectly........

@CameronDev@programming.dev

I know nothing about software or game development.

I think it would depend on how old, how motivated and how interested the kid is. Never in history has there ever been a time when we've had this much free resource immediately available to us. My cousin started his son on learning game development at about 11 or 12. He learned coding, used online resources and video courses and pretty much self-taught in the way any student would learn in a programming course. He's making simple Android games and he's been happy jumping on the deep and and doing it "properly".

Of course, just... temper the expectations of what the means. A kid can probably do tic tac toe, chess, that kind of stuff.

"Real video games" take a lot of work and I would be super impressed if a "normal" kid who just "sort of likes playing" video games could bring up the dedication for learning and problem solving it needs.

It's like asking if a kid can learn to be a really good painter or musician. Sure. They can. It just takes a lot of practice.

Oh I think godot’s editor is good yes, its language is structured similarly to Python and it has an easy to use input system. It’s much easier if you’re used to reading docs or googling, but gdquest has a cool interactive app for learning to program from zero experience

https://gdquest.itch.io/learn-godot-gdscript

Yes with enough time and effort. But beware: they become a "wiz" during the pursuit of that goal. Game hacking/modding/making are usually the kid gateway drugs to an IT career.

Tho this isn't always the case. They could focus on game making in the artistic direction, utilizing existing tools and engines without too much deep knowledge

I'm not familiar with it so I may be wrong but Derek Yu (creator of spelunky) mentions in an interview Gamemaker or something named like that which he used to make games without knowing too much

It could be worse, you could have to sit through those meetings AND not be a developer 😅

But yeah, they are boring if not properly done (and I've seen them done properly once).

@CameronDev@programming.dev you've mentioned something really fascinating out there..... Unity.......

The kids can actually explore a whole new world through this........

When they made their first games they were around 7 or 8.

@GammaGames@beehaw.org no, l meant the Godot's editor you were talking about........

@CameronDev@programming.dev

@bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de really ?? How old are they ???