it was a great input from all..

Dream Maker History

2008: -999 errors and 999 warnings-
As a lot of people in BYOND, I found it cause I wanted to create my own games so I search on Google: Create my own games for free *cough*GAMEDBZPLEASE*cough*. I started fishing on BYOND and caught an interesting Library *cough*ILOVEDBZ*cough* that would bring me *cough*Un*cough*fortunately to what we call The Universe.. *cough*Underworld*cough*:"Original *cough*Rip*cough*". I then started to search a bunch of Libraries *cough*Rips*cough* and find out how to program in the good *cough*bad*cough* way.

2009: -998 errors and 994 warnings-

In the middle 2009 I started being called a "Hoster" and got in my grip a source that I then started to work on. A Davin Naruto. I started learning Basics such as: Variables, Procs and a bunch of other things a Novice would have to know. I had then heard of the Blue Book, which is a Book of the Resource available online. I wasn't interested that much in the book but knew now how people would learn how to code and wrote in my mind *cough*savefiles*cough* that there's a guide to learn.

2010: -578 errors and 487 warnings-

In the early 2010, I pretended myself to be a Programmer. I started working for a bunch of games and would steal the source to learn a bit more of coding. I would then be Owner of over 20 Rips and most of them were the same except the name. Every Naruto Rips I'd enter people would know me and start shouting: "It's the owner of [what ever rip]!". I then left BYOND in the march 2010 cause I was bored of the Davins and had no more internet cause of my addiction over the past 2 years.

2011: -200 Errors and 197 Warnings-

In the early 2011, I came back to BYOND and called myself:"Addmelol" due the fact I lost my password. I continued to rip but a different, but similar source of Davin, Naruto Beast. I then wanted to learn a bit more of Programming. I searched for over a thousand of Programmer and asked them all to help me learn how to program. I then got this message from a Programmer: "If you want to learn how to program, start a game from scratch". I followed his advice and made a One Piece game. I soon cancelled it because of FUNimation banning all their anime. I quit Programming and started playing. I then started learning HTML & CSS and would edit some CSS Blog(Or was that 2012). I would make Hubs from Scratch and would learn from few sites and integrate HTML codes to my hub and then would remember it. I then started calling myself: Hub Designer and Blog/Forum Designer.

2012: -999 errors and 999 warnings-

I came back to place 1. I had to find a way to learn how to program and wouldn't help myself ripping games. I then got sociable with the community and started making posts. I was being hated by someone who is now, I believe, my friend Hir0shi. We even got into a "cyber fight" and I wouldn't help pretending to be stuffs I wasn't really. In the middle 2012 I started learning the real meaning of Proc, Variables, etc. I would start to think I was worthy enough to be called a Programmer and was suited to program most of the games. Or what would be related to anime. In the ending of 2012 (recently) I started thinking of making something original, Story-wise and Programming-wise.

2013: -50 errors and 50 warnings-

Now I do not think I should be worthy enough to be called Experienced Programmer nor do I think I should be called the best but I am still trying to become one. I, also, am trying to become a Pixel Artist by following Elk Dakshire's style. She is incredible and If I can one day be tutored by such great Pixel Artist, god probably blessed me. Programming wise, I am making three project. Naruto Odyssey, Hungry Joker & Dojo - Art's Legends

I love math, so I guess I just came to love programming as well. :)

I dabbled in C++ for a while, tried Java, but I wasn't an experienced programmer at the time, so the learning curve was very steep. I found BYOND through a very good friend and was hooked from day one. Since then my understanding of OOP has allowed me to dive into C++ without any difficulty at all. I've been programming since I was 14 and been learning everything about C++ since I was 16. I'm 19 now with a very strong base in software engineering.

I honestly believe that anyone who is just beginning as a computer programmer learn DM first. It will give you the basics required to move on from there.

So, I came across BYOND when I was about 12 years old, and Googled "How to make your own game" (or something similar). I had actually used other tools before, like Game Maker and RPG Maker (and some... random game-making program that came on a CD I got for free from a PC Games magazine; remember when CDs used to have tons of PC Game Demos?). I remember this last program vividly, despite not knowing its name. It was event-oriented and had been discontinued for a few years, so the website, the reference -- nothing was available.

Up until the moment I downloaded BYOND, I had read, literally, 0 lines of code in my entire life. English wasn't my first language, and there were no tutorials in portuguese back then. But I had played Castle, Mafia, Murder Mansion, SpaceCastle, Space Station 13, Desert Defenders, and I just fell in love with BYOND.

Having the "Hub" be built-in to DS was just the most comfortable thing ever. I could literally change the game I was playing by clicking the "Hub" button, scrolling down a list, and clicking on another entry!

[i]As a side note: I actually played MLAAS for many hours... by myself. I couldn't host, and there were no servers up (I think?), so, you know. Yeah. I'm terribly ashamed of this.[/i]

Moving on...

I started to learn how to program by reading the first 4 (or so) chapters of the Blue Book.
After I got the hang of variables and procs, I started downloading resources. Man, that was confusing, but I learned a hell of a lot from looking at the resources' sources.

And, finally, I started using F1. Hell, even today I still use F1 (there's literally an entire savefile code block under client/New() that I've never learned).

Special thanks to Audeuro for helping me throughout this process, despite me not being able to speak english. Sincerely, Aud, you're a damned boss.

I'm the product of 2003 ;p. Altering demos, altering sources (rips), and Help-On. Besides that I followed the "if at first you don't succeed, try try again," mentality. Had no prior experience and I was a twelve year old who barely used a computer. I am confident in saying BYOND is what got me using computers frequently.

I do remember the first thing I learned. I was playing with a Zeta rip for a handful of hours and it hit me like a ton of bricks that += meant add to and -= meant take away. That realization pretty much got the ball rolling. If only I wasn't too lazy to read back then I might had learned quicker...

*Edit* Found BYOND through a friend the day he downloaded it. Sadly, I don't think he knows how to program anymore =(

I never touched rips. I knew about their horrible reputation before I even began programming here.

I learned by watching some ripped stuff.. Then, I realized that the best way to learn BYOND programming is F1.

Solomn Architect wrote:

How could you learn from rips anyways? They're horribly commented, horribly optimized, and contain no actual code to learn from. Everything included is amateur at best.

Back in the day, I didn't know a thing about programming. At least a rip can teach you the basic no matter how horribly programmed it is. THEN, when you at least know the basic, you start understanding that not everything you see in a rip is what you should be following as a model.

Edit: And as I said, most of what I've learned was just with F1.

I think I dabbled with HTML, Then Java. Was amateurish with both of them. Then came here, stopped programming for a few years, then once the NNG source leaked I decided to take a peak at that. Basically re-learned everything and more on top of what I knew through that ripped source.

It was actually somewhat a challenge considering I also had to fix the 24(?) errors that were in the original leaked source. Or atleast, the copy I got.