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Re: Whered you guys learn Lua?

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Desolent is online. Desolent
Joined: 15 Sep 2012
Total Posts: 1486
15 Jun 2017 12:02 AM
Where'd you learn your stuff to start scripting? I'm prepared to try and get into scripting again. (Previously attempted and failed rather miserably)

I'm only good at editing scripts and they have to be fairly obvious. Making a script from scratch just doesn't work for me.. Especially trying to make harder scripts.

I'd like to know where you guys went to learn how to script and a few questions regarding Lua itself.

1) Lua updates constantly, how do you guys keep up with it? And how often do they update? (Like, how much time will I spend reading material only for it to become outdated.)
2) I know ROBLOX isn't the only thing that uses Lua, so if you got your Lua experience elsewhere, i'd like to know where? And did it help majorly on here?
3) Do Lua and C++ have any relation? I'm trying to take the quickest way to learn EVERYTHING about Lua, becoming a master scripter and being able to write functional code and make games of my own in hopefully within the next two years. (By games, i mean ROBLOX, if roblox still stands by then.)
4) Is there a difference between ROBLOX Lua and normal Lua? Like does ROBLOX change anything other than adding special properties in studio mode? Like Anchored, Transparency, and parts and other stuff?

And if you guys wanna be nice, perhaps you could drop a link or two to the BEST sites for learning Lua? (mainly for ROBLOX)

I understand most of ROBLOX studios objects and how to effectively script stuff using them (somewhat), so I just need proper functioning lua guides that are just as effective on roblox.

Thanks.
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iJacobness is not online. iJacobness
Joined: 20 Jan 2014
Total Posts: 4944
15 Jun 2017 12:11 AM
lua(dash)users-dot-org/wiki/LuaDirectory

The ROBLOX wiki is also very helpful, they have things like excercises after learning a lesson which i think would be really useful.

wiki.roblox.com/index.php?title=Intro_to_Scripting
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lukaplin12 is online. lukaplin12
Joined: 27 Mar 2009
Total Posts: 1557
15 Jun 2017 12:18 AM
To answer question 2:

ROBLOX Studio has been my first ever real experience with scripting.

For RBX.Lua, I have first followed along Peaspod's scripting tutorials, which helped me get started on learning the basics. Though somewhat aged, the ROBLOX Cookbook is amazing in providing a comprehensive and intuitive way to learn coding through completion of different tasks, introducing new techniques along the way (try doing each challenge before looking at the solution). When I need more info on a subject, the API on the wiki provides good reference on what each component does.

Peaspod: https://www.youtube.com/user/PeasFactory/playlists

For the Cookbook and API, search "Cookbook" or click the API link on the top of wiki.roblox.com respectively.

When you need knowledgeable scripting help, other than this forum, check out scriptinghelpers (dot) org - a great community for ROBLOX scripters.

I'm not too sure about the other 3, I'll take a look around and let you know what I find; hope this helps :D


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doggy00 is online. doggy00
Joined: 11 Jan 2011
Total Posts: 3571
15 Jun 2017 12:19 AM
1) It does? I never noticed. Not trying to be rude, I just haven't ever noticed much. I just keep up with new things added using the ROBLOX Wiki's API.

2) I've never worked with Lua outside of ROBLOX before. I've attempted a free program you can use which is called LOVE, but I gave up on it for the time-being and I decided I'll focus on it later on.

3) From what I've heard, they do have a few. Lua is actually older than C++ which kinda surprised me. I know C++ has pointers and Lua doesn't, but I can't think of too many immediate similarities because I don't even know C++ itself other than how to print something in the output.

4) From my experience, like I said, I've never really worked with Lua outside of ROBLOX, but the 'grammar' of the code is the same. Anywhere you go, it's going to have lots of new variables to learn and such with each new engine you try, but the 'layout' should always remain the same.

By far the best resource for learning Lua for ROBLOX is the ROBLOX Wiki. There will most likely still be things here and there that you can't understand using purely the Wiki, so I would look up a tutorial video on anything like that, or post it on either this subforum or on ScriptingHelpers (though they're more for correcting scripts than telling you how to script).

Personally, I started learning by cutting code (AKA editing existing code) such as messing around with numbers in certain ROBLOX weapon scripts.

Then again, I'm not exactly a good scripter, despite working with the language for multiple years. You probably shouldn't listen to my advice TOO closely...
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Desolent is online. Desolent
Joined: 15 Sep 2012
Total Posts: 1486
15 Jun 2017 01:27 AM
@iJacobness

Thank you for replying, but i've been told to go there all too many times. Either i'm mentally ill or they just aren't doing a good job of explaining things. (The roblox tutorials is what i'm referring to)

As for the lua directory, i'll check that out later.

@lukaplin12 Thanks for giving a lot of feedback, I appreciate it! I'll be sure to check out peaspod and his guides. Though I imagine they are relatively outdated. And as far as the cookbook goes.. That's kind of on a similar note with the ROBLOX tutorials and my standing with them, as mentioned in my reply to Jacob. I have found very little helpful information from them, though I will refer back to them and make sure I didn't miss anything.

@doggy00 Thanks for answering all of my questions! :P Didn't think anyone was going to actually go and list em. .o.

And the 'cutting code' thing.. That's what i've been doing. I have a VERY basic understanding of ROBLOX's lua. I have no clue what alot of the things in roblox studio do, for example events and other stuff. I don't know what Vector3 is, or how to use it entirely well. And a lot of things are extremely iffy to me.

Another question i'd like to add to this is:

5) What strategies are there for learning Lua for ROBLOX? Or what is the best strategy? By that I mean, what is the most effective way to get as much knowledge as I possibly can, quickly?

Like should I just practice tiny scripts, test them, and slowly expand on them testing more and more formulas as I go along?

Should I study up on EVERYTHING and try straight up to make a complex script?

Or anything else like going through models and examining the scripts and figure out how everything works, modifying lots of it in the process?

What strategy seems most efficient of the three? (and if you have any others, add those to the list)

Again, thanks!

(Also, sorry for writing mini essays in my replies ;~; )
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Desolent is online. Desolent
Joined: 15 Sep 2012
Total Posts: 1486
15 Jun 2017 01:29 AM
ONE LAST THING I FORGOT TO MENTION

Anyone know of any good Lua teaching DISCORDS?

I'm EXTREMELY active on discord. So if there are groups dedicated to that kind of thing that anyone knows about i'm all for it.

(sorry if this qualifies as spam)
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doggy00 is online. doggy00
Joined: 11 Jan 2011
Total Posts: 3571
15 Jun 2017 02:07 AM
5) There are some good tutorial videos out there on YouTube, they're probably the best at teaching people how to script both efficiently and quickly. It's always a good idea to take your time when learning about things in Lua, though. Gettings things to not work properly can be frustrating, but the frustration will lead to failure, so it's best to just relax and remind yourself of why you're doing what you're doing in the first place.

Also just to help out, Vector3 is an X,Y,Z value, and it's used to determines many things such as a part's size, position, and orientation (rotation). However, if you ever want to make things move on ROBLOX, I highly suggest you always use CFrame rather than just setting its position/rotation. ROBLOX has a built-in collision detector when just using position and rotation alone, so it'll continue to move a part upwards until it isn't colliding with any other object. While CFrame is much more complicated than just simply setting an object's position and rotation, it's definitely worth avoiding game-breaking bugs.

And no, I don't know of any Discords, though they probably exist.
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amanda is not online. amanda
Joined: 21 Nov 2006
Total Posts: 5925
15 Jun 2017 03:41 AM
Here is a scripting discord: ######################### We discuss scripting concepts, as well as help everyone in the discord with being better. We won't be able to teach you from scratch, but if you are trying to learn we can help you along the way! -amanda
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amanda is not online. amanda
Joined: 21 Nov 2006
Total Posts: 5925
15 Jun 2017 03:42 AM
https://discord[dot]gg/4s7NMt
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VilgO is not online. VilgO
Joined: 15 Feb 2011
Total Posts: 518
15 Jun 2017 04:32 AM
There are three separate things you need to learn eventually to make great Roblox games.

1. Learn Lua.
You need to learn the syntax of the language itself. A short guide can be found at learnxinyminutes/docs/lua/, and specific questions are more or less easy to google.

2. Learn general programming concepts.
You need to know how computers, compilers and game engines work. Not how they work internally, but how they interpret your commands and what are their limits.
I can't recommend anything other than enrolling in a CS course and googling specific topics. Stackoverflow and Wikipedia are great.

3. Learn Roblox API.
Roblox Wiki for specific topics and google/this forum/other Roblox-specific sites like scriptinghelpers.
You also need to know the Roblox Studio, Roblox Wiki has tutorials for that.

An API is to a programming language what a slang dictionary is to a natural language: it uses the same syntax to provide new words that explain language non-specific concepts.
So learning the API is learning the words that Roblox understands, but you also need to know what those words mean (general concepts) and how to combine the words into sentences correctly (Lua).

You don't need to know everything about each of these categories to make games, but you need some basics. I think it's very important to spend some time reading LearnLuaInYMinutes and experimenting with code (you can use lua/demo.html or another online editor), though you probably don't need chapters 3.1. and 3.2. if you're not yet familiar with OOP.
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SinisterMemories is not online. SinisterMemories
Joined: 21 Mar 2013
Total Posts: 4892
15 Jun 2017 07:11 AM
i forgot


#code print("oh no an errorz!")
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Lightning_Dev is not online. Lightning_Dev
Joined: 24 Feb 2016
Total Posts: 380
15 Jun 2017 07:18 AM
"You need to know how computers, compilers and game engines work. Not how they work internally, but how they interpret your commands and what are their limits."

No, you don't need to know any of that to make a game on ROBLOX.


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Desolent is online. Desolent
Joined: 15 Sep 2012
Total Posts: 1486
15 Jun 2017 10:42 AM
#### # went to sleep, thanks for all the additional information. :P Also got another question if people don't mind answering it: 6) (i think) Is there any way, and how long do you think(or know) it would take to master Lua completely? And additionally inside of that question, once you've 'mastered' Lua... Can you make scripts from scratch and build extremely complex scripts effortlessly? Or do you still have to test things every two seconds and try different methods of getting things to work? Like, I imagine hardcore Lua programmers would be able to legitimately close their eyes and send out ridiculous amounts of code that would actually work perfectly.. But I could be wrong. Just curious.
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VilgO is not online. VilgO
Joined: 15 Feb 2011
Total Posts: 518
15 Jun 2017 12:19 PM
> No, you don't need to know any of that to make a game on ROBLOX.

Computers: how fast will my code work?
Compilers/interpreters: how do I find a bug in my algorithm?
Roblox engine: how many objects can I instantiate without overloading the server?
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VilgO is not online. VilgO
Joined: 15 Feb 2011
Total Posts: 518
15 Jun 2017 12:26 PM
> Can you make scripts from scratch and build extremely complex scripts effortlessly? Or do you still have to test things every two seconds and try different methods of getting things to work?

The more experience you have, the bigger pieces of code you can write (on average) without making mistakes. On the other hand, most of the time you will work on new problems, if only because known problems are easy to solve by definition. Typing words on keyboard is the easiest part of programming.
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yeox769 is not online. yeox769
Joined: 21 Jun 2010
Total Posts: 8907
15 Jun 2017 12:30 PM
I first learned from looking around the Free Models and seeing if i could try to edit any of the scripts involved.

That was a while ago; probably around 2011 or so.

I re-learned (and am still re-learning) scripting recently using a similar manner; only I didn't use free models this time.



1. Not sure, still learning .-.

2. I mainly got my experience from here.

3. Sort of; they are similar, but many of the functions and styling is very different. Same goes for Javascript.

4. Roblox's Lua is a bit different, but mainly to accommodate the fact that the scripts aren't the only thing powering the game.


kthxbai
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doggy00 is online. doggy00
Joined: 11 Jan 2011
Total Posts: 3571
15 Jun 2017 02:22 PM
Not having to debug long scripts is rare (at least for me). I believe there was a meme for that, too. It was that little kid with the "YESS!!!" pose and it said something like "wrote 1000 lines of code at once. no errors."

It really depends on what you're dealing with and how experienced you are, but the longest code I've ever written without having to debug an error is probably around 200 lines.
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