A question for coders! Old-School ASM vs New-School C?

AfterBurnett

Is there anyone out there who has experience with assembly on old 8-bit systems such as the Commodore 64 AND experience with newer C languages?

Basically, I'm a HUGE retro game fan and have wanted to do a real C64 game for quite some time.

I had a little go at ASM and made a few basic apps but I'd like to know how long it would take to get proficient enough to do basic, single screen games?

I've also started learning Objective-C for iPhone apps and it is HARD.

So, which is easier to master? Assembly for C64 or Objective C for Mac/iPhone? I can't devote my time to both and I also don't want to make a career out of it... simply for fun. I realise that they are completely different, hence needing a response from someone who has experience with both (if anyone here has - lol).

Cheers!

EDIT: Also, if learning ASM, would it benefit me to learn BASIC first? I do have the C64 Programmer's Reference Guide

quantumsheep

*wipes a tear from his eye in memory of GOTO and GOSUB*

QS

AfterBurnett

LOL. Yeah, I kind of want to start again with BASIC as it was so much fun!

A friend of mine is a SID composer (you've heard his music, QS) and we both really want to do a C64 game... but if it's going to be tougher to learn than Obj-C, I might have to wait until I am rich enough to hire a coder. LOL. The game is basic but still would take a lot of learning...

ORBZ

You can embed ASM inside C, but not the other way around.

AfterBurnett

Is that like building a game in BASIC but adding ASM modules to make certain parts faster?

TymeMaster

By far Objective C is easier, but that isn't the real question.

Back in the 70s programming an 8bit computer was difficult because there was no internet, there were no real programming books persay, you had to learn it on your own or with friends at a user group meeting. Today, all you need to do is google some question and more than likely you will get an answer in seconds. Back in the day we would post on Usenet, and if lucky someone might know. Plus today people don't write code, they steal it from the net.

When I interview someone, I put them in a room and have them write me an algorithm in C++. They need to do this with pencil and paper, no IDE with built in help, no access to the internet at all (we make sure they don't use any devices either). This test will immediately fail 75% of the people we interview.

ORBZ

@tymemaster

Do you fail them if they get the algorithm right but skip all the curly braces? Basically what I'm asking is do you agree that problem solving is more critical than syntax?

ORBZ

I, as a programmer for 20 years, can't wait for fully visual systems programming languages.

Actually, I want semi-aware helper bots that figure out my intent rather than my literal syntax.

Perl is closest right now.

TymeMaster

ORBZ said:
@tymemaster

Do you fail them if they get the algorithm right but skip all the curly braces? Basically what I'm asking is do you agree that problem solving is more critical than syntax?

Problem solving is what's important. A good programmer knows how to get stuff done in any language.

AfterBurnett

TymeMaster said:
By far Objective C is easier

Gah! Not what I wanted to hear. lol. I guess I'll stick with studying Unity for now. I REALLY want to release a 3D game, and use GS for 2D stuff, though I've heard Unity is pretty got with 2D once you purchase the add-ons... I love GS's ease of use, though.

As for the C64, I can use Game Maker and the new version of SEUCK, I guess... much easier than learning assembly!

AfterBurnett

TymeMaster said:
Problem solving is what's important. A good programmer knows how to get stuff done in any language.

Even Yiddish? Or Klingon? Or what about Na'vi?