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Langjam Gamejam: Build a programming language then make a game with it

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Re: Langjam Gamejam: Build a programming language then make a game with it

#41

Post by adamhartenz »

mcpeepants wrote: post #38
adamhartenz wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you are not accepting the challenge then. Sounds like you are over thinking or over scoping the problem.

or just keenly aware of their own strengths, weaknesses, and time budget for this? the leap to “over scoping” is wild.

I was just meaning, that if you think you can't do it in the timeframe, then you are making it too big for yourself. The rules are so loose that you could literally make a programming language that has a single command `run_my_awesome_game()` and fully impliment the logic etc in your language and library of choice. Obviously a trivial/useless example, but take it up a few notches and you could have something interesting. A DSL inside JSON can be very powerful.

Re: Langjam Gamejam: Build a programming language then make a game with it

#44

Post by nextaccountic »

BSTRhino wrote: post #21
Razengan wrote: post #3

I've been wondering about this for some time, that how there really isn't a language that's made from the ground up just for coding gameplay logic. Like we have SQL for databases, Julia etc for maths etc, but gamedevs still have to plod along in general-purpose languages with archaic conventions established 50 years ago by people who had nothing to do with games. I'd love something with the syntax of GDScript and the…

I've actually spent the past 3 years making Easel ( https://easel.games ) specifically for gameplay logic. It's got behaviors as a first-class language construct, ownership and context is implied hierarchically, it's concurrent and event-driven to match how game worlds work, and the multiplayer is automatic because it's built into the fabric of the programming language. It also feels like a declarative language becau…

If I understand correctly, the language is not open source, right? Not even the interpreter?

That's a hard sell

Re: Langjam Gamejam: Build a programming language then make a game with it

#46

Post by ModernMech »

suioir wrote: post #43

What if you've already been working on a language for a while and want to use it instead of making a new one just for this?

I would say the spirit of a jam is to start from scratch, but using parts and techniques you're used to is fine. e.g. repurpose your number parser but not the entire grammar and runtime. A lot of being successful at a jam is doing the right prep work so you're not making decisions and figuring things out at jam time.

Re: Langjam Gamejam: Build a programming language then make a game with it

#47

Post by riffraff »

macintux wrote: post #7

Seems ideal for those grumbling about Advent of Code’s shortened schedule this year.

the time frame matches too, 14 to 20 gives you one day of rest after the last AoC, and then three more days to buy presents before Christmas that you forgot to co :)

Re: Langjam Gamejam: Build a programming language then make a game with it

#48

Post by torginus »

shoo wrote: post #25

What is a minimal-ish programming language that could be used to express some interesting class of games? It's easy to think of pathologically trivially useless "languages" that could "make a game". E.g. the single instruction language where the instruction P is defined to mean "execute a game of pong". Or a zero instruction language where the empty program is defined to mean "execute a game of pong". Also easy to th…

I think building an interpreted language with a basic but usable feature set - arrays, structs, expressions, control flow, functions etc. - is totally doable in a couple of days if you dont spend a lot of time ruminating on syntax and semantics.

Re: Langjam Gamejam: Build a programming language then make a game with it

#49

Post by jaggederest »

copx wrote: post #31

This is not as hard as it sounds as long as Forth and Lisp variants qualify. You can write a basic Forth or Lisp interpreter in a day.

It's even easier if you implement your Forth or Lisp interpreter in Forth or Lisp (both map to each other surprisingly well). Metacircular evaluator and be there.

Re: Langjam Gamejam: Build a programming language then make a game with it

#50

Post by xorcist »

zzo38computer wrote: post #18
Razengan wrote: post #3

I've been wondering about this for some time, that how there really isn't a language that's made from the ground up just for coding gameplay logic. Like we have SQL for databases, Julia etc for maths etc, but gamedevs still have to plod along in general-purpose languages with archaic conventions established 50 years ago by people who had nothing to do with games. I'd love something with the syntax of GDScript and the…

There are many that are specialized for different uses in games, such as: - ZZT-OOP - MegaZeux Robotic - ZIL - MESH:Hero - Free Hero Mesh - Super ZZ Zero - OHRRPGCE HamsterSpeak (There are probably a lot more that I had missed) All of these are specific to the specific kind of games being made with them, though; different kind of games will require a different kind of logic. MESH:Hero is specific to a specific kind o…

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