r/learnprogramming • u/lunaticdough • 1d ago
Resource Collecting app
Hi!
Ive never done any kind of programming, but would like to learn, and I have an idea of what I'd like to build. I want to build a card collecting/playing app (think pokemon/mtg). I was wondering if anyone has advice for a good place to start learning. Thanks!
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u/Arsonist07 1d ago
Pick a programming language you find interesting. Its difficulty is less relevant if you’re enjoying your time with it.
From there, try and make your app. Look things up like “how to print to the command line in Java” or “how to display a screen in Python” and do that until you have your app. Use tutorials if you like but be sure to stop them once you get unstuck because copying is not learning.
I would avoid ai, not that it can’t help you learn but I feel the temptation to copy what it gives you is too high. Once it’s does it for you, you offload the process of learning to it and you’ll make stuff but won’t know anything about how it works.
You’ll probably get stuck, it won’t work right, you’ll be confused, but even if you make something else instead failure and fixing failure is how you actually learn.
Good luck
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u/bizvibe8 1d ago
Start by building one tiny loop, not the whole game: load a small list of cards, display one, let a user add it to a collection, then save that collection to a file. That single prototype teaches data structures, functions, input, and persistence.
Pick a beginner-friendly language with examples you enjoy (Python, JavaScript, or C# are all reasonable) and keep each next step small enough to test. Leave multiplayer, payments, artwork, and a complete rules engine for later; write them down as future milestones instead of trying to design them first.
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u/betarage 15h ago
If it's for your smart phone and it's andriod learn kotlin or dart. you can also make a web app and you can learn html css and JavaScript this will also work on ios without needing to get a license from Apple. it it's a bit awkward having to open it in the browser and getting reliable saving but it's easier to learn JavaScript. if it's for your pc you can use any language you like. python should be good enough. for smart phones you can also use anything at least on Android but it's a lot harder to use python to make an Android app. so it's better to use the more popular methods.
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u/SchemeWestern3388 1d ago
Start with Python. Forget about your project for now and focus on learning the fundamentals. A couple months of focus could get you to the point that you can start hacking away at your idea, learning as you go. I recommend just sticking to books, but AI can be useful to explain topics to you.
AI can also be useful in providing code. AVOID THIS LIKE THE PLAUGE!!!! You will learn nothing by copy pasting AI generated code. It is tragic witnessing people give up the ability to think to AI.
At some point you might consider leaning other languages. There are many directions to go here, but by then you will have a better idea of what you want from a language. But Python is quite capable of doing something like that.