I'd suggest arch linux or debian.
I myself use a flavor of debian called '#crunchbang' I like it because:
-the community is really helpfull.
-it looks nice graphically.
- it was the lightest version I could find (processor/ram speaking)
-it hasn't crashed on me once (in a year or 2) (couldn't say that of Ubuntu)
- it's debian (so it is stable)

arch linux however would be cool too for a beginner.
many posts on the net proclaim this is a very bad idea, because it is quite complex to get working.
on the other hand, after a few days on finnicking you will have expanded your horizons considerably.
and you will have a deeper knowing of how a linux works.

then you can figure out what version of linux you would want and why.

"Not everyone can be a programmer, however hard they try - right? I have realized this simple fact many years ago while trying to get a grasp of dynamic web, I just can't get my head around it - simple as that. "

-wrong.

some people might not have a talent for programming or the dexterity to sit through the thousands of late nights, but in my opinion EVERYONE could learn how to pogram.

just start small, heck there are even programming langugaes/tools especcialy for children!
http://scratch.mit.edu/

or just simple ones
http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/studio
https://www.scirra.com/

just get some of those ideas out of your head and make them into working thingies.
then get better at that.
then maybe worry about your multimillion dollar gamedesign carreer.

"I'm a little confused on this system idea, are you saying that I should move all functionality that needs the Body component out of the class and into a system? How would that look?...
It sounds like the system idea is on the right track though, do you have any code examples, online documentation, or psuedo code to explain the idea? I'm a little confused as to how I should implement it. "

http://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/31473/role-of-systems-in-entity-systems-architecture

I just implemented a component system and in my case I do it like this:

-entities are just a unique ID and 'have' components.
-components are just data, no functionality whatsoever.
-systems handle an aspect (functionality for component) for many components at once.

and a pseudo level create function would look like

Code:

var entity = new GameObject();
entity.Attach(new TransformComponent(params));
entity.Attach(new MouseCollisionComponent());
addChild(entity);

addSystem(new MouseCollisionSystem(children));

that System would create a list of usable items like so

Code:

Class MouseCollisionSystem : ComponentSystem
{
  public MouseCollisionSystem(children)
  {
  items = (from s in children where ((s.GetComponent<MouseCollisionComponent>() != null))
    select s).ToList();
  }

  public void Update(float delta)
  {
    foreach (var item in items)
    {
       // test MouseOver state by using info in transformComponent like
       if MouseOver((item.GetComponent<TransformComponent>()))
    
        
    }
  }
}

in the case above the actual component is just an empty class, basically just an identifier.
the system will pick up on the object and do stuff with it in its Update function

it would be a better aproach imo because you wouldn't need all your component to have a gazillion Properties and virtual functions.

what I also do is dispatch an event when I add or Remove a child, all systems listen for that event and when they get it they check to see if they should update their local items list.

edit : and check  http://gamadu.com/artemis/  highly relevant

let's assume I am one of your future customers.

Why would I buy your minecraft clone instead of the original one ?

I *think* the only succesfull(in $) clone was one for the xbox, before the real version came out for it.

and "2nd. Project is not overambitious - on contrary, it is simplified [modify existing code to create completely new gaming experience]"

huh ? what existing code do you have ? I assumme the java source code of MC ?

teenage mutant hero moonman

I see grand ways of losing. sounds Fun!

Just make a roguelike. only using the 437 characters.
let the meaning of stuff decide what color (of a limited palette) you'll use for an object.

tadaa coherent art!

since you are comfortable in Java, I think you ought to use that.
it's a-OK.


perhabs you can look at slick2d or jlwgl to use as a framework.
and this place http://www.java-gaming.org/ could be useful. 

yeah tweening and easing are what you want.

have a look/play with the interactive demo on http://www.greensock.com/get-started-tweening/
oh and maybe it's helpful to think in units of seconds instead of frames.

I personally wouldn't make UI elements into game objects, I'd keep them an entirely different thing

Yeah I get that, but this time around I am trying my hand at a component system for my game.
And since UI elements could have a bunch of components (tweening, mouseinput, keyinput, transformation, etc) it makes sense to keep them the generic gameobject (entity would be a better term I suppose)

yes sorry for my muddy explanation.
I'll try again.

In my game I have a world (2d plane with gameObjects).
A camera looks at that world (that has scale, rotation and translation applied)

when I click with the mouse, I'll need to use the camera transformation to see if you for example click on a gameObject that has a MouseInputComponent.

In the game I'll also want a HUD (that has a different transformation)
to check if you click on any button in the HUD i'll need to use the HUD camera transformation instead.

gameObjects that are part of the HUD are not part of the world.
thats why I thought of having different lists of gameObject entities per Camera.

after some more thought I think I'll start by rewriting my AddChild() fuction to take in a layer parameter (that tells me if the child is in world of in HUD)

Hi again,

since my last question on component based architecture I have grown a system that works rather nicely.

I have entities (game objects)
they have components.

I also have a Gamescene class that has a list of entities.
and a list of Systems.

a System get fed the entity list at its construction and creates a local list of entites that are of interest to that system; for example the MouseInputSystem looks for entites that have a MouseInputComponent added.

then in the GameScene.Update() loop I just run all systems.

It feels nice and clean, especially since the components themselve don't have any Update or Draw loops.

But at this moment I am running into the boundaries of clean and need some advice.

for said MouseInputSystem I need to look into the CameraSystem (to get scale, rotation, translation) to recalculate where the actual mouseCursor is at.

I also realised I actually need to have more then 1 camera (and the possibility for camera's to look at different gameObject lists)  (a gameworld and a HUD is the real world case.)

So now I am thinking of writing a GameLayer that has its own Camera and list of GameObjects.
But I fear I wil end up breaking all that is clean.

what would you do, have you got solution that solves this and more ?

Since I have asked this question I fiddled with Matrix classes all day yesterday; it is working as desired now.
@George M.: You almost had me in the curtains of envy with that 2 line snippet, but it doesn't handle rotations.

Originally my code was just some sin/cos for the rotation and some hackery that essentially was what you did there, but it felt messy altogether.
I am very pleased with the matrix stff.

I am writing a camera class for my topdown 2d world that can rotate,  move (translate) and zoom (scale).
The actual camera functionality is not the problem since I just pass these variables into openGL

but the mouse pointer is doing my head in.
I would like to calculate at what location the mouse pointer is at in the world, so I can render something there / do collision checks etc.

But I don't really know if there is a preferred order of applying the steps and my math brain is feeling sick. I also don't know what the correct terminology of this problem would be and also wonder if I ought to have more data (viewport, camera midpoint, ppff).

in short I am stuck before I began and don't know where to start

I'd say it depends.

I like to use architectural metaphors to think about programming.
Sometimes ducttape is nice.
Sometimes you're better of building a steady concrete foundation.

do not build a highrise building on a foundation of ductape and plywood.
do not change the foundation when the building is done and you only want to put a window in.

but all metaphors aside: it depends.
  
I personally love refactoring though and do it very often.
So often it doesn't feel like "stops the flow of steady progress" at all.
Instead it is steady progress.

wow thats sort of a myth that becomes true.
I cannot remember the amount of times that I went :
mm c++ , ok ok ill look into sfml, mm 2.0 is coming, I'll wait. (years!)

or check python.

much system programming in Linux is either Python or C.
so after a quick "sudo apt get build essential" your probably ready to start programming in either of those languages.

for "2d games" look at pygame

just take it easy.

build a little test app.
Add the references and make it work as clean as possible.
take note of all the tiny steps.


learn it and apply the knowledge to your bigger project.
don't panic in your bigger project, best case you probably accidentally fix it. Which is bad because you haven't learned a thing then.

have fun!

Churning out a bunch of music because I want to use it in a game.

Galactic Peace Chord
Interplanetary Space
Only a Blip on the Radar
Celestial March
Electromagnetic Noise
Stars I've Seen
Voyage in the Black
Foul Negotiations
Jupiter's Lullaby
Stranger Places than This

nice tunes in there, very very atmospheric.

good exercise,

try a few where you focus on light / dark.
try to not draw lines / outlines, but more try to draw areas of light and dark.

paste your result in this thread again.