I have no idea how to code but would like to learn. I want to learn C#. Where did you guys learn to program using C#?
Youtube has several good folks who have taken the time to do tutorials on not only C# in general, but also Unity in particular. Brackeys has a C# beginners tutorial on thier channel, though it’s only partially complete. I haven’t searched for C# tuts in particular, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were many more.
I bought a .Net book on C# and read it (2007 is when I did that).
Then I wrote little programs, slowly increasing the scope of them as I wrote them.
At the same time I branched out to other languages. Namely: Java, Actionscript 3 (it was popular at the time), C++, javascript, and PHP. Just learning cursory stuff, stretching my legs around languages to see what was different and what was similar. It helped me in recognizing concepts vs language syntax. “Oh, so this is the syntax to do the same thing in this other language”.
Joined forums. Forums were probably the biggest help. Thing I always noticed is that it’s hard to construct your own hurdles to tackle… you can’t write your own test. So instead I hung out on forums and tried to answer questions that I didn’t necessarily know the answer to. Even if someone already answered the problem, I might try to come up with an alternate solution, or not even read that answer to see if I can solve it myself and compare. Of course, google being a very useful tool. I wouldn’t google for answers to the problem, I’d google for concepts that would apply to the question.
That’s when I picked up freelance gigs, which focused my skills more on C#, Java, javascript, and AS3 (as they were what I got hired for most often).
It wasn’t until after that, that I started toying with Unity. Primarily because Unity wasn’t a thing yet. The C# was for playing with XNA, which is kind of not a thing anymore (monogame I guess is still standing, though its 3D leaves a lot to want for).
I further expanded out my languages from there though with my various jobs. I’m at about 26 languages to this day.
The Learn section is a good place to start.
2 Likes
There’s no “best” place to learn. There are a wide variety of resources that take different approaches and are for different experience levels. So go Google up some and find the best one for you.
Check out my signature for some great links on learning, and also check out my book on learning to program with C# for Unity: http://www.apress.com/9781430267522
I am inclined to purchase your book. After I get done with it do you think I will be able to write things on my own? Also I see it is in the alpha program so how incomplete is it? I would prefer not to wait until July 1, 2015
I would personally be inclined not to follow a book - although there’s certainly a gravitas and authority about a bound, printed volume, software development is a fast-moving field, and books age very quickly (although the fundamental principles of C# programming do not change much, their application to the Unity API, which I think is what you really want to know, change a lot!). I wonder, for example, how many of Unity 5’s features (which, we expect, will be the current release by July 2015) Jonathan’s book will be fully covering?
Personally, I would follow Unity’s own online tutorials and download and dissect their sample projects, but everyone has different preferred learning styles.
1 Like
I’ve got some basic C# tutorials on YouTube. Not in Unity though, but I’m aiming at new Unity developers. I’m developing tutorials in a different format, but they won’t be ready for a couple of months.
Clone a game.
Pick a game with simple mechanics, like space invaders or flappy bird. Build it. As you come across things you don’t know then look them up with google.
1 Like
Chapters 1-7 are what’s important to get you going on your own. Chapters 8-15 are being redone to fit the needs of Unity 5. As someone stated above, this field is rapidly changing and books become out dated very quickly. With the pre order, chapters 1-7 are fully ready to go and will help you. Chapters 8-15 will not be 100% up to date till febuary of this year.
Awesome!
http://www.dotnetperls.com/ is a very informative website. I highly recommend it.
I should probably also put in a plug for MSDN. While I don’t recommend reading it from start to finish, MSDN is the definitive source for documentation on the various bits and pieces that make up the .Net frame work and the C# language. Its a great place to find details for any of the built in classes.
From personal experience, learn by doing. Learning from a book is also acceptable but, as a beginner it can overwhelm you and at times it will feel as thought you are drinking off of a water hose. LIke a wise man once said, 5 percent of effort is spent on learning the language and the 95 percent is spent on learning the framework and documentation.
1 Like