M.S. Farzan's Blog, page 3

New Video Playlist on Self-Publishing

I've created a new video playlist to help with the various tools used in the self-publishing process, including Amazon KDP, DriveThruRPG, IngramSpark, Kickstarter, and more!Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCbP9KGntfcE2zzT-p3M0Mi052Go-zxQwHere's a sample!Happy publishing!-M. S. Farzan

How to Create a 2D Card Game in Unity - Part 2

Working with the canvas in Unity 2D can feel complicated at first, particularly if you're attempting to learn the editor while also tackling C# scripting.In this new video, we'll continue the adventure from Part 1, cleaning up our nested canvas prefabs and enabling a mouseover card preview!Check it out (42 minute watch):Happy coding!-M. S. Farzan

I rebuilt the same web API using Express, Flask, and ASP.NET. Here's what I found.

There's a new article up on freeCodeCamp that details my experience rebuilding the same web API using Express, Flask, and ASP.NET. Check it out if you have an interest in learning more about web development or are searching for a back end framework!Here's the link: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/i-built-a-web-api-with-express-flask-aspnet/Happy coding!-M. S. Farzan

Technomancy and Shadowmancy Launch Dates Announced!

Hey agents!I am thrilled to share that Technomancy: Book Two of the Nightpath Trilogy and Shadowmancy: Book Three of the Nightpath Trilogy will be coming to Amazon and DriveThruFiction on March 5, 2020!Read more about each:The Nightpath Trilogy continues as old grudges come calling, with hell to pay. It's been a year since Eskander and company saved the underraces of San Francisco from certain annihilation, and the spymaster has been working diligently for King Thog'run of Aurichome, who happens to offer great dental. A new threat appears as old grudges rear their ugly heads, forcing the former NIGHT agent and his companions to contend with a powerful form of wizardry that bridges magic with machinery: TECHNOMANCY.Pre-order Technomancy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084L25S87/The thrilling conclusion to the Nightpath Trilogy pits ancient enemies against one another, with time itself hanging in the balance. Eskander finds himself out of time as his companions fight for the future of San Francisco, Aurichome, and everything in between. Time is of the essence as the former NIGHT agent attempts to control the only form of magic that can save the city against the schemes of the Unaligned: SHADOWMANCY.Pre-order Shadowmancy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084L1DHNZ/Additionally, to celebrate the simultaneous launch of both books, you can get Entromancy: Book One of the Nightpath Trilogy for 99 cents on Amazon or FREE on DriveThruRPG!Happy reading!-M. S. Farzan

The Free Entromancy Quick Start Guide Is Now Available!

Hey agents!The Entromancy: A Cyberpunk Fantasy RPG Quick Start Guide is now available, and it's free to download and play!The Quick Start Guide includes all the instructions for how to get your Entromancy game up-and-running, with core gameplay mechanics, five diverse races, five unique classes, skills, and much more!Download it now for free at DriveThruRPG!Enjoy!-M. S. Farzan

How to Create a Twitter Ad Campaign

Learn all about how to set up a Twitter ad campaign with accurate targeting!Check it out (16 minute watch):Happy publishing!-M. S. Farzan

How to Self-Publish on DriveThruRPG

Step inside the OneBookShelf publishing hub to learn the ins-and-outs of self-publishing on DriveThruRPG, DriveThruCards, DriveThruFiction, and more!Check it out (24 minute watch):Happy publishing!-M. S. Farzan

Five tips for moving from coding tutorials to making progress as a developer

Learning to code by following tutorials is no small thing, and yet there tends to be a separate learning curve when you're attempting to move out of the tutorial ecosystem and into creating your own projects.I've written elsewhere about how to escape tutorial purgatory and make progress as a programmer, but suffice it to say that a necessary step in your development as a developer is to venture out into the wild west of programming and build something that will expose you to the ins and outs of your chosen coding ecosystem.Here are five tips from moving out of those tutorials and into making real progress as a developer.1. Choose a ProjectWhether you're coding from a book or engaging in online tutorials, your first step upon leaving the safety of your nest is to choose a project that is specific to your field of interest.If you're an aspiring front end developer, that might mean creating a basic website; if you're learning Python, that could look like a simple web scraper. Find something that interests you, and research examples to get an idea of what your project might look like when it's complete.2. Set Up an IDEIf you've been learning from online tutorials which provide a console that handles all of the back end work for you, take some time to set up an integrated development environment (IDE) that is specific to your intended project and ecosystem.The actual form of your IDE will vary greatly depending on your project. You could be cobbling together a workflow that includes a code editor, command line interface, version control system, and package manager; or, conversely, you might install a game engine that has all of the stuff that you need built-in for you.The important component of this step is to become comfortable coding in an environment that is standard for the type of work that you intend to be doing, rather than coding in a browser or following a book.3. Get Comfortable with DocumentationHere's a glimpse at a familiar workflow in beginning a new project:Set up your IDECodeGet stuck or forget the syntax for somethingGoogle some half-formed question about the issueFind the official documentation and a handful of Stack Overflow postsCheck social media for no reasonReturn to the documentation and Stack Overflow to find your answerReturn to step 2Unless you're a super expert in your field, chances are that you'll get stuck trying to figure out a solution to various aspects of the particular project that you're working on. The official documentation for the library or framework that you're using will likely have some sort of answer - even if it's an obscure one - for whatever's puzzling you, and if it doesn't, someone has probably asked a similar question on Stack Overflow or elsewhere.Even if there are no answers out there for your specific question, there will be a breadcrumb somewhere for an approach for how to solve your problem. If you're attempting to utilize ES6 classes in some obscure JavaScript framework, for example, you might not find the exact answer you're looking for, but there will be plenty of analogous resources out there that can help you come up with a solution yourself.4. Ask for HelpOne of the best things you can do for yourself an aspiring developer is to make friends with other developersin your field that can look at your code and provide feedback about how to make it better.For some people, the idea of sharing their work and having it critiqued is an anxiety-inducing experience, and my recommendation would be to work as diligently as you can to overcome this emotion as it will stagnate your growth as a programmer.When you're starting out with your own projects, it can be extremely helpful to have someone who's already walked the path to look at your work and offer constructive criticism, even if doing so requires you to rewrite whole sections of code. In many cases, you might be trying to recreate the wheel while other options already exist, and you'll benefit greatly from learning best practices from experts that have experience in the field.5. Identify Other Areas for GrowthOne project usually leads to another, and you'll quickly identify areas in which you're able to grow as a developer. This might mean that you'll move from front end development to back end, or vice versa, or hop from 2D game programming into 3D.It might also mean that you need to keep building your skill set just to complete the initial project that you've chosen. There's no shame in learning C#, for example, then deciding to build the back end of a web app, and having to learn all about ASP.NET and Razor Pages before actually making any progress!Happy coding!This post originally appeared on freeCodeCamp.

How to Use GitHub and ES6 Features to Create and Structure Your Code

If you're moving from coding tutorials into creating your own JavaScript projects, you'll want to become familiar with using a version control system like GitHub and benefiting from ES6 features to clean up your code and streamline your development process.In this new video, we'll walk through cloning an existing repository from GitHub, creating your own local and remote repositories, utilizing node package manager (NPM) to install dependencies, creating a streamlined code base using ES6 classes, import/export modules, and arrow functions, and adding, committing, and pushing changes to GitHub.Plus, we'll talk through the basic file structure for a Phaser 3 project!Check it out (50 minute watch):Happy coding!-M. S. Farzan

How to Create a 2D Card Game in Unity

Working with the canvas in Unity 2D can feel complicated at first, particularly if you're attempting to learn the editor while also tackling C# scripting.In this new video, we'll create a basic 2D card game in Unity with randomized decks and draggable/droppable cards using the canvas, C# scripting, prefabs, and more!Check it out (1 hour 10 minute watch):Happy coding!-M. S. Farzan