   I have chosen my weapon(Python3), need help with the ammunition(Resources)!
  Hello everybody, the name's David and Im interested in game development, currently just as a hobby, if I get to be good at it then who knows. I have decided on the language. Its gonna be Python 3. Now, what I need help with is getting the source material for learning this language. 1- What are the most recomended advise for someone starting 'from scratch' learning how to program(at all) in Python 3 and or resources to get that computer programmer mentality(that hopefully wont need the knowledge of other programming languages or any)?2- Books? I have gone on a hunt for Python 3 books and have found quite a few, but this one Programming in Python 3: A Complete Introduction to the Python Language  , is the one that interested me the most. If there are other that you reccomend or have read this one and find it good do tell. Also money is not an issue. Not for knowledge.Now a few random questions if you guys(&gals) dont mind.3- What are the main differences of Computer Scientists and Software Engineers in the world of game development, if any?4- Same as above but not concerning game dev, what would the do? A general idea atleast.5- Any other informative resources(books,sites,whatever?) out there that are highly reccomended to know of and about?6- I was looking around for informative game programming books just out of curiosity, one(well a whole series) caught my attention. Game Programming Gems is this one of those 'must' buy items current and future gamedev's should have? What about 'The Best of Game Programming Gems'? Common sence tells me to get the latter which is 'suppossedly' the best of the first 6 books. But I coudnt find any reviews on it. What do you reccomend, grab all? grab 'the best of'? get none?Finally I would have to say, thanks for your time, sorry for any spelling errors English is not my native language. Also any tips on how to improve my writing skills are welcomed!Have a nice day!~David   
  A 1-  Use Python 2.6.2 for the simple fact that you won't really find any libraries at all to use for Python 3.0A 2-  Hit up the python tutorial that ships with python it is excellent.A 3- Google is your friendA 4- Same as aboveA 5- Google learn to use it and love itA 6- Learn to program then how to make simple games then worry about that book.Oh even though I am a huge fan of Python I can't neglect to notify you of C# and XNA.  It is phenomenal for learning game development. http://creators.xna.com;  Thanks for the reply blewisjr! I read alot of the changes from Python2.x to Python 3, it seems quite alot. Ill go with P3 because its whats current and future and dont want to re-learn Python again. I dont worry about library support at the moment because im just starting. By the time im any good(if I get there) there could be some support.I know Google is my friend, very good friend =P. But personal experiences maybe?Thanks, cant wait to get more replys!   ;  The main issue is there is not a lot of Python 3.0 info out there.  I can sure as tell you that you really won't find a book yet.  Now Python 2.6.2 is the transition between Python 2.5.4 and Python 3.0.  The best thing of all is you won't have to relearn anything in particular besides the fact that print uses () instead of just "".On a side note from experience is that programming is not about the language it is about the data structures and logic used to solve a particular problem in your case a game.  Programming is all math the language is just the way to express that math in a human readable form.  If you learn how to program you can carry the concepts to any language out there.  It will become nothing but learning dialect(syntax).If you truly want to learn programming by using python via book there is 2 i can think of that are very amazing would be Dive into Python(not the most newbie friendly) or How to think like a Computer Scientist  Now remember if you wish to apply these books to Python 3.0 you will have to figure it out they use 2.x compatible python.As I said there are no Python 3.0 books out yet that I have seen.As for the difference between a Computer Scientist or Software Engineer well they are kinda one in the same.  Software Engineering is the act of designing a solution to a problem based off of client requirements.  It is more a set of principles.  Computer Science is the study of developing the solution to the problem. IMHO a Computer Scientist requires the utilization of Software Engineering principles to write a effective solution.   ;  Thanks again blewisjr, but I did find a Python 3 book, doesnt the link show on my first post?Ill check those books you mentioned, thank you.Keep em coming!~David   ;  If you are just starting to program and want to make some cool things quickly, then I would suggest sticking with python 2.6. If you're lucky enough to be able to read large amounts of text from the computer screen then you can skip spending money on a hard copy text. The documentation on the Python site is good, so you should try learning from there before spending money on a book you might not need.The differences between 3 and 2.6 really aren't all that major. Switching between python 2.6 to 3 isn't going to take you more than a few days (if not hours) after you learn 2.6.   ;  I concur with whats being said, 2.6 has a lot more (free) documentation and books than 3.0, and the differences between the two are minimal. Some additional books: Building Skills in Python, Foundations of Python Network Programming, and some libraries such as Pyglet (opengl wrapper for python), and Pygame (SDL wrapper for python).Edit: In case you still decide to stick with 3.0 i've also dug up some additional 3.0 books: Python 3 Patterns, Dive Into Python 3, A Byte of Python (choose the 3.0 version), and Python 2nd Edition.[Edited by - Gyrthok on June 25, 2009 8:51:17 PM];Quote:I have chosen my weapon(Python3), need help with the ammunition(Resources)!Ah, so we are comrades! I too ignored all the "go with 2.6" recommendations and went straight for P3, and am sort of learning it when I get the chance, although I'm doing it all free. A Byte of Python was good up to a point, and then it got too difficult too quickly, but it explained enough about how whitespace worked and if/elif/else, loops, etc.You may find you're a little old for it, but nothing's more instructive than a book that's written for children: http://www.briggs.net.nz/log/writing/snake-wrangling-for-kids/Snake Wrangling for Kids! I've found it useful thus far.   ;Think PythonAn excellent (and free) book written by a professor who actively uses it in the classroom and is up to date with the language. At various points he points out differences between Python 2.x and Python 3.x.Wing IDE & Komodo EditBoth are free versions of excellent Python IDEs.   ;Quote:Original post by bardbarienneQuote:I have chosen my weapon(Python3), need help with the ammunition(Resources)!Ah, so we are comrades! I too ignored all the "go with 2.6" recommendations and went straight for P3, and am sort of learning it when I get the chance, although I'm doing it all free. A Byte of Python was good up to a point, and then it got too difficult too quickly, but it explained enough about how whitespace worked and if/elif/else, loops, etc.You may find you're a little old for it, but nothing's more instructive than a book that's written for children: http://www.briggs.net.nz/log/writing/snake-wrangling-for-kids/Snake Wrangling for Kids! I've found it useful thus far.no offense, but you guys are both acting like morons. You are not going to have any of the libraries available for you to use for python 3. No pygame etc. Literally the one thing you will have to change (and you don't even have to change it really) is to set your print statements from going like this print "hello", to this print("hello"). You will notice nothing else different in python 3. Your experience will be identical except for that you wont have access to all the great libraries you can do gaming with.   