I’ve spent a lot of time on it, and I’m still not that good. I can’t do complicated things at all. I already know I’ll never be working on a full commercial 3D game, as I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I feel like this is the best I can be with this. Should I just give up and try something else, like web design?
It depends if it’s something you like to do or not. Everyone has different talents and sometimes someone that is a little more of a generalist can do better art work or game designs. Very few people are going to make money at games other than maybe some ad money, so it’s really just a hobby for most of us. If you’re talking about making money, then maybe web site design would be a little better. If you want to stay in games and make money, then try Flash or Flex to find a larger audience.
Webdesign is evil. (browser compatibility stuff will make you pull your hair out)
Regarding programming: the root of good programming is a good coding style and a proper understanding of the language. Good coding style comes with time, a lot of time, and learning from online resources and books, but mostly: time.
Without a good coding style, you’re making it yourself extremely hard and giving up might be very tempting. You just have to realize that we’ve all been where you’ve been, have grown, and are still programming, so once you get the basics, both in the language and in the coding style, things get more and more enjoyable. It’s just a long road ahead of you, and you have to ask yourself whether that is what you truely want.
If it is what you want, start a project and finish it! Having 10 unfinished masterpieces is worse than 1 ‘barely’ working released game. You’ll learn fast from finishing stuff, you’re hurting your progress when jumping between projects.
Then again, for some people programming simply isn’t their thing.
We can’t answer that question for you. I am curious what is “a long time.”
Perhaps read this article:
http://norvig.com/21-days.html
I know how you feel though. It can be terribly frustrating. Sometimes when I read other peoples complex code it freaks me out. The best thing if you want to continue is take baby steps. Do a small game. Redo the small game with a good coding style. Move to the next game. Redo the next game, etc.
Programming is hard, i suck and its been about 1.5 years weekends and 2 classes. Have I learned anything, heck yes. Im consistently picking up new things and how to do different things. Within the last month, i’ve learned how to do applets with double buffer and and pass and send data to and from php scripts, cough thanks javagaming members. But reality is, will I ever be a game developer? You know I wish i could be I think it would be so fun because i love to create, thats why i have so many work in progress games, but i dont have the brains. I suck at math and physics, and the way things are with being 3D i wouldnt survive. I look at gamedev.net daily shots and some of the stuff people make is simply amazing, its an art. Im simply using my java skillz to have as a resume builder and show my boss that i can do a little more then just secure and make sure servers run.
bottom line is really.
do you enjoy programming?
if you do then keep with it and you will get better.
if not?
what is it lacking that your craving?
find something that you enjoy, get a tablet and learn to paint in photoshop, some of the art is simply breath taking. Check this guys stuff out it is by far the coolest thing ive seen done in photoshop. http://radojavor.deviantart.com/gallery/ click on the pictures to make em bigger.
web design is cool. So many languages to choose from. I suggest perl because its really really rich and dynamic but its hard. Then another one might be ruby on rails or try out asp.
Or even if you want to keep your java skillz, get into jsp or jsf.
or you could do php which everyone seems to do.
Still want to make a game, then make a browser game. that manipulates a database. and uses a cron job to add turns etc…
Knowledge is like a small piece of a big jig-saw puzzle. Wisdom would be how to use that small piece of knowledge properly. Understanding allows putting the pieces together so you can view the “picture of the puzzle” more easily, or in this case, your projects.
What you might consider is getting a bit of rejuvenation into your hobby from friends you can physically see. Use it in conversation as you get to know someone. Learn what kind of music a buddy likes and add a similar song to your own. Basically, it would be taking a break to search for a good idea. You can keep programming if you have other projects. A good reason to use an open source library is to visit the web site’s forum. It will prove much easier to get criticism that way.
JavaGaming.org has an environment that includes a lot of high-tech ways of thinking. We all get burned out on that from time to time, which for me is a reason I even try to produce games. Seems like true irony to me. Just meet someone you are friendly with in some way and introduce your project. If you find that difficult, every person more or less has a personal environment that he or she absolutely thrives in. It would of course be away from the Internet and not impose a need to act superior or inferior.
Information, and thus knowledge, is literally endless as shown in mathematics. Having someone help on that journey can push in the right direction of a goal.
Wesnoth, while not Java-oriented I believe, is a good example of how a small project can turn larger from contribution.
I use a Wacom Bamboo personally. It took a lot of configuration to work perfectly for me in my version of Ubuntu Linux, but I love to draw. The good thing about graphics tablets is that they seem like a sort of signature statement in that almost every high-end digital artist has one. From who I have encountered, the software the devices get used on includes GIMP, Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya, 3D Studio Max, ZBrush, and even Blender. An artist can get by with just a meager mouse of course, but the usual response goes: “I couldn’t wait to get back on my tablet!”
Programming is a lot harder when you don’t have a mentor. Most people who go to a programming job from school learn the ropes from the experienced people at the new job. When you are trying to do it yourself with only the Internet to help it will take longer to get better.
If it is something you enjoy doing I don’t think you should give it up.
I started learning Java in 1996. I improved slowly over time, but I had my biggest improvements when I started doing as a job in 2002. I had some very good and experienced people to learn from. Without that interaction I don’t know if I would be where I am now. If you need that interaction you can try looking at other peoples code. Find an open source project that interests you and join in to help out.
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Loool! You can if you try! Hillary didn’t get to the summit of Everest by saying: ‘I’m crap at climbing’
Confucius he say: ‘Journey of a thousand miles begin with the first step’ He doesn’t mention the other 1759999 steps, but you still need to take them…
If you’re a coder, you’ll code!
BTW Top advice from Riven (must take note myself): ‘start a project and finish it!’
Just keep it up, as long as you’re having fun. I was slightly different than you in that I thought I was totally awesome for a long time because the people I compared myself to were all worse than me, but the one who taught me that I was wrong ended up being myself. Any time I look at my old code I realize how crappy it is. The lesson really isn’t that my old code is crappy, but that I’m always learning. No reason to stop.
I was also lucky enough to work directly under (for about 6 months) one of the programming leads for Halo and the project lead for Hail to the Chimp and Stubbs the Zombie, but I had to get into the industry in the first place to be able to work with him. I learned a hell of a lot of the more subtle details from him but I already had taught myself a ton. Just keep on going for it, and you’ll get there if you really want to!
[EDIT] Also, I’m only 23, graduated college last year. So, even pretty young you can get into the industry and make connections, but it’s all about proving you’re interested. [/EDIT]
Be patient. You underestimate what you have made. Keep it up as long as you have fun as someone else said. You may make some progresses.
Quit because your not good at it ? Naaaaaaaa 
Quit because you have no fun doing it ? Maybe :-\
If you really think you’ve gotten as far as you can, and you’re not happy with the level you’ve reached… then by all means, quit. For a while. Then come back when/if inspiration strikes again. Don’t just force yourself to keep going if this is supposed to be for fun.
I’ve been programming for 20 years, and I still think I’m crap at it. I learn new things almost daily.
You don’t have to do complicated things to be a good programmer.
I think the state of modern software assures us that practically no one is good at programming… or human-computer interaction for that matter. If you look at what’s going on in software engineering research for the last thirty years, you’ll see one basic message: we’re still not really sure how to write programs that meet the requirements, are secure and reliable, are cheap and reusable, and are easy to learn. If you say you feel like you’re not good at it, you’re just more honest than your average developer 
I’ll echo Riven. I make a living teaching computer science concepts, and it really does take years of practice to be good at it. Norvig hits it on the head in the article linked by Darrin above.
When I teach an intro course, there are usually one or two people who have been programming since 7th grade, and they have a good grasp of the fundamentals. Most of the other students have never done anything like it before, but they always tend to compare themselves to the guy with six years of experience instead of the peer with six weeks of experience. In software development, as with any art or craft, there’s always someone who knows more than you do (unless maybe if you’re Alan Kay). Don’t let that get you down; take it as an exciting challenge to see how much more there is to learn, and how there are so many areas for you to contribute during your lifetime!
I don’t know why you need to ask us, you should be asking that question to yourself.
But I guess I can give a little advice.
I was great at computers ever since I got my first black and white Mac, but I never did any programming till I got to uni. To me programming was so confusing and I wouldn’t of had a clue where to start.
But once I started my programming classes in uni, I thought it was easy but never really did put it to any use till a year later. So once I started my 3rd uni programming class is when I starting programming games.
I found problems what ever I tried to do, but slowly found ways around them. I read mostly every post on this forum, I sure learnt a lot.
Programming surely not something that can be done over night. So if you have the heart for this stuff then keep going.
You already have a good start, you have games that people can play.
Because of the current online game that I’m ownership with, I got my current job working with silverlight and other .Net stuff.
Later on I hope to get into the cell phone development and make a business out of that.
And to show that you don’t need the best game to get a lot of people… my friend made this JavaScript game alone as you can see(if you try it) its quite low quality (you don’t want to see the code - makes real men cry), yet it has 40k+ players online at any time : http://www.pokemonbattlearena.net/
I think you’re heading the right way. No one starts programming at his best .
You should just hear the advice is given to you (I’m talking about the Blue Fiend source discussion) and try out some of the tips people gave you, without judging them before trying.
Good programming is not meant to be “complicated”, it is exactly the opposite . You should aim to be clear and simple at most, not complicated . Most complicated things are made of small simple parts .
Maybe if you just start thinking about those small parts first and then later assemble the whole, you’ll where see how everything begins - even the full commercial 3D games.
Well, that’s my advice . Just wish you luck whatever is your decision .
should you quit programming ?
definitly you are asking yourself too many questions : why people dont answer to your showcase ? why people say your code is not as they will do ? should you continue programming ?, you went here on JGO and popup two or three(?) nice game in a row… this is very cool and as I already said in one of you thread they can become very interresting one, the rule is that : if you want to stop anything because you dont beleave enought in yourself you are wrong and you must continue…
IMO : program when it give you pleasure and that’s all, maybe you will gain money and maybe not, but… never do it for money and never care about that, just take it easy, programming is more fun than playing no ?
Ok, now, to be a bit more direct, how should we know? You just joined the community 2 months ago, have shown 4 works, 3 of which you said were going to be your main focus, and now you want to quit? I think you are just way too distracted and impatient. Coding is a long haul pursuit, not something you throw yourself into, scatter shot, then want to quit.
I would say that if you are not willing to allow yourself time to learn, understand that it all won’t come to you at once, and are not willing to start completing some of your efforts, then yes, you should stop programming. By not following through and becoming patient, you will not allow yourself the time needed to become proficient enough that your work is valued by potential employers/customers.
Now, I don’t think you really want to quit, so find ways to help you improve. Any local programming clubs you can join? Group projects? Any teachers to learn from? Get involved with groups that carter to what you would like to learn and listen to them. REALLY listen to what they have to say.
Sorry if this sounds blunt, but we have not really had the opportunity to get to you know you but you have been looking for validation once you showed up here and are now asking us what you should do with your future. If you really want to program, the buckle down and commit to learning over the long haul. You will find that there are VERY few Sweeney/Carmack (or Markus_Persson) types in the programming world. Most have gotten to where they are after many, many, MANY failed attempts but always try to learn from their mistakes.
EDIT: As an aside, I just played your alien platformer game and it has lots of potential! I liked the movements and the timing of the disappearing blocks. Very challenging but good. Why would stop after just 2 weeks of work is beyond me…
if you are asking then you might want to. DONT TAKE THIS AS AN ANSWER!
I have only been programming (games) 6 months, I think sometimes, hey I will go all week without programming. Then 2 seconds later I gotta program.
if you dont feel hooked, then you are just not meant for it.
Part of becoming a good programmer is realizing that you suck now and you will continue to do so for a long time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do interesting and useful stuff in the meantime. I suck, and most of the other people on this board do, too. I’m sure any of us, even the ones that don’t suck anymore, would be mortified to have other programmers look at the atrocities committed in our Eclipse/Netbeans workspace directories over the years (assuming we haven’t scrubbed them due to embarrassment!).
The programmers you really have to watch out for are the ones that get complacent and think that they know everything they need to. It’s only by noticing your flaws that you improve. From what I’ve seen here, you’re quite eager to learn, and you realize that you have a lot to learn, so IMO you’re right on track if you can stick it out.
“A lot of time” in any trade, art, or skill tends to mean at least 10 years - if you’re still feeling like a n00b at that point, that’s when you should start to worry. If you don’t have the patience to suck for a little while longer, then maybe you’re right, this isn’t the field for you.
The real question you should be asking is whether you enjoy it. I suspect most of the people here are addicted to programming, and couldn’t stop if they wanted to; on the other hand, I know that some people really don’t enjoy the process, they don’t get the same thrill when a tough algorithm finally works the way it’s supposed to, or they get too frustrated in the meantime to make the experience worth it on balance. Try to figure out which group you fall into, and that should help you figure out if this is something you want to pursue…
Also, and this is important: realize that most programmers are pretty blunt when they discuss programming. Don’t take criticism personally or get discouraged by it, it will come quite often and may be phrased without a shred of tact, but especially at this forum people really are just trying to help.