Best libraries

[Tesselode]

I'm going to make a game which serves as a tutorial for new programmers on how to do common functions in games and how to use a wide variety of libraries. However, I want to know which libraries are the most useful to teach to people new to Love. Please vote for one from each category:

GUI libraries
Goo
Gwee
EGS
LoveUI

Gamestate
Polygamy
Hump

Highscores
Highscore
SICK

Sound
TEsound
SLAM

Timer
Hump
cron.lua

Also, should I bother with object orientation libraries?

[gfreak]

hump
SLAM (only on with caching soundData)

[MarekkPie]

If it is aimed at people new to LOVE, then don't use any libraries. Learning the overhead of a library, in addition to the syntax of LOVE, might be a bit too much. Additionally, then they may start using the libraries as a crutch, and if some library doesn't get updated to a newer version of LOVE...

I'd equate your method to teaching someone how to use a calculator to plot graphs, but not teaching them how to plot a graph on their own.

I'd do something like teach them how to make a game state (there's more to it than just this, I know):

Code: Select all

local function load()
end

local function update(dt)
end

local function draw()
end

return {
  load = load,
  update = update,
  draw = draw,
}

Then give them references to the libraries for game states.

I also don't know if a game format is the best way to do a tutorial of this nature. I works well for the examples on the Wiki, because they are mainly showing off what LOVE can do, as opposed to teaching you something. A screencast or Youtube video would be better, as they will see the code and have you talk them through it as opposed to "playing a game."

[coffee]

If it is aimed at people new to LOVE, then don't use any libraries.

I have the same thought. It's not good new lovers start to use libraries instead of really learning resolve problems. I only have few months around and if I'd started using other libraries instead of do my custom libraries (even than being worse that other people stuff) I'd know a bit less about coding things in LOVE. Libraries are very good to easily resolve and speed up game making, but IMHO not the right advice to new LOVE coders (unless are easy, clear and simple libraries that new coders can learn something).

[SiENcE]

Love needs a more up to date & detailed libraries wiki site.

Maybe we need a maintainer for this?

[kikito]

First of all, I recommend reviewing the title of the post; you are not looking for "Best libraries" but "Best libraries for learning" or "Best libraries for newcomers". That's a very different thing.

I've done lots of libraries - while I try to make them as accessible as possible, and try to leave the code as clear as possible, some of them just require a bit of knowledge before you can use them effectively. Just like you need driving lessons and experience before you use drive a F1 car.

OO libs are probably in that category; not something rookies need to get started.

In my opinion, GUIs are just too complex to do for a newcomer. That whole section should be left out completely; I don't think any of the libraries there is "newbie-friendly". I'm not sure it's possible to make a newbie-friendly UI lib, in any language. At least not in pure code, without lots of visual aids. There are concepts in UI that are too complex for a newcomer: callbacks, sizing, relative positioning, and so on.

If I where to recommend one lib, that would be inspect.lua . Maybe not for the first day of programming in LÖVE, but probably useful in the first week.

For someone totally new to LÖVE, more than libraries, I would recommend tutorials. Have you seen my (unfinished) tutorial on tiles? It has an initial chapter that explains the very basics. That's the kind of stuff I need when learning a new lib/program/tool.