Diddums

Right, change of plans. I eventually got Linux working on my netbook last night but I'll be coding in Windows. Everything in Linux is a chore at the moment. Even the most basic tasks require lots of jumping through hoops and box ticking. I'm sure that an experienced Linux user could blaze through it very easily but at the moment working seven days a week, I'd rather commit my time to learning and playing with Python. So next time I have a bit of free time I'll be sorting out my laptop and installing Python, Notepadd++ and whatever else on it. I'm at work at the moment but I'm only here as a precaution so I'm going to start this and see how it goes. Going in! EDIT: I've also been a bit of a naughty boy and printed this off at work. If anyone wants a copy of the PDF, click here. Here's another good book: Python programming for the absolute beginner: 3rd edition. Also free. I'll have to update this at some point with a nice index and stuff so anyone wanting to hop in can just click on the links.

I thought ++ was available on Linux too, apparently not. qq looks good as well, I'll probably just go with that. WINE would defeat the purpose of Linux for me, I have no intention of groing from Windows to Linux, then using WINE to run a Windows app Thanks for the heads up.

I'll be using Notepad++ as my editor. I've been watching a few vids and it's quite exciting really, I found a little project which is to make a keylogger which I think is a great start. I can't think of anything else which could be fun, I'll give this a go

Ah, I see what you're saying Pat. To be honest the Linux thing is purely personal choice, and I remembered Dave asking about it so thought it'd be cool to learn it as well, but it's absolutely not required for Python, Python works just as well in Windows as it does Linux.

I've always wanted to learn Linux for various reasons, the most important being that it can run on anything and it's great for servers. I love that it's so flexible and versatile as well as it being open source. It's not a case of having to learn it comprehensively, but rather install a distro and learn it as I go. I tend to keep my goals to myself because nobody believed in the possibilities that I do. There are people out there who make tens ouf thousands of pounds a month without having to lift a finger and that's what I want to do. It's not so much about the money, that's a nice bonus but it's a niche field I am extremely interested in. Once I start reading about things like this, I tend to go on for hours. Whether it be a trading bot, betting bot, whatever, it interests me. Obviously to many people this is all voodoo and refuse to believe that this is possible but I have seen it with my own eyes and have seen what these bots can do. I had a little bot a while ago made by someone I know which traded cryptocurrencies on an exchange. It made a wee bit of money for me but then the exchange went bust and I had no idea how to modify it for other exchanges so that was the end of that. This is a great read, very interesting as well. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20121009013006-921366-make-money-without-working-automate-your-business The possibilities are out there, there is a shedload of money waiting to be tapped in to by people who know how to twist the system to their advantage, and I intend to be one of those people. Quite how I'm going to approach this I don't know yet, but I'll start somewhere and work it out as I go. Until then, I think it'd be great to learn something I enjoy with the people I enjoy spending time with, and maybe we can even do something together and all get rich and visit each other in private jets and stuff.

I do love a shit TV show sometimes. Will have a look James, good shout!

If anyone nicks my operator again I will find a way to kick someone's nuts in over the internet. Cheeky fucks. Sledge is fantastic, excellent recommendation Rob. The booby trap guy is a bit shit, his traps may as well have huge sings saying EXCUSE ME SIR, THERE IS A TRAP HERE, DID YOU KNOW THAT? LOL

Brilliant work Doc. I may even have a cheeky little read when it's out! Your writing is always top notch and interesting to read.

Looks shit. Allow me: Notice the three wheeled cars out front. Three. Well played Jezza & co. Just hurry the fuck up already.

Ever since Dave's Linux thread I've had a little niggling idea in the back of my head and I think now is as good a time as any to get cracking! First off, I'll personally be using Linux, because I've always wanted to learn it properly and this is as good a time as any. I have an old laptop at home which I'll stick Linux on and go from there. I'll be concentrating on Python as it's easy and fun to learn. The next step is looking for ideas. We need to create a goal which we as a community can work towards (those who are interested anyway). I need to learn about Github because it might help with this, but I'm yet to explore that (if anyone knows Github and wants to explain it, feel free). This allows multiple people from all over the world to work on a project, so would benefit us greatly. If Github is for something completely different, then I could always set something up on this server, but again that's something I'd have to learn. There will be no pressure, no timescales, no requirements apart from the odd discussion, it will all be an as and when thing where people can hop in and have a go and we can all learn together. This way we help each other, and motivate each other as well. Let's start off by seeing who's interested in this and we can go from there. Here's a little inspiration to get you started https://www.reddit.com/r/beginnerprojects On this page, there's a text based game idea which I think is fantastic, we can all work towards something like that and it'll stretch the imagination muscles too. http://knightlab.northwestern.edu/2014/06/05/five-mini-programming-projects-for-the-python-beginner/ So fellow FGers, let's hear your thoughts!

Hahaha, wakey wakey James

Bout time I did this. I played the hell out of this when I was big in to PC games, I was a premium member, had loads of tanks and upgrades, some crews were maxed out, I was an artillery player and was ridiculously good at it. Suffice to say when I found out it's on PS4, I got a little excited and forgot about it, until I installed it last night and put a couple of hours in. Here are some thoughts: Game model: It's free to play, but you can become a premium member for a monthly fee. All this does is accelerate the rate at which you gain XP and credits. There is no requirement to pay at all, the game is just as fun for free as it is when premium. The game has been ported extremely well to the PS4. In fact, I'd almost go as far as saying that it runs smoother on the PS4 now than it did on the PC for me a few years ago. There is loads of conflicting information regarding the frame rates, but it certainly felt smooth, I wouldn't be surprised if it's running at 60fps. The graphics, whilst not earth shattering, are very good and more than adequate for the game. Game type: It's a shooter, but not as you know it Jim! First off, the pace is quite slow depending on what class you play. There are various classes of tanks and you have to play to your class' strength or you'll get shat on. Rushing in to battle with a medium tank will get you blasted to bits before you can rotate your turret. Likewise, hanging back with a light tank will just make you artillery fodder. A light tank that isn't moving is a dead tank. Their strength is their speed, they're hard to hit but take little damage so a good hit will take them out. Artilleries are made of paper. They're slow, cumbersome, can't hit anything that's close to them, require light tanks to spot enemies for them, but when they hit, they hit from above and can literally penetrate a tank and kill the crew inside, and a good shot will devastate all but the toughest tanks. Tank hunters / killers can only shoot in an angle of about 30deg in front of them, so flanking them and hitting them from behind will allow you to shred them. Just make sure they don't get you in their crosshairs or you're screwed. Heavy tanks are the brutes of the game, these guys don't have much firepower or speed, but they can take one hell of a beating, so you need to focus fire on them. The game requires thought, wit, and teamwork. A disorganized team is a dead team, and a well organized, communicating team will just faceroll all but full teams also on comms. Combat: Combat is slow and you have to think before just pop shotting at enemies. Firing a shot will reveal you on the map so if you're going to fire, make it count. Hiding in bushes and shrubbery will add extra cover making you harder to spot. This is where you'll find most artilleries and tank killers. You can use buildings and terrain to your advantage. Tanks can't shoot down so if you're an in-the-face combat tank, use that fact and the terrain to your advantage. Tanks standing on the edge of a hill are exposing their bellies, where they have no armour, so a good shot will ruin them. You can aim for specific parts of tanks: fuel tanks will possibly cause a tank to explode, tracks will disable them for a bit, engines will cripple them, and ammo racks will take out a chunk of their ammo and possibly cause the tank to explode / catch fire. You have various types of ammo, HEAT (high explosive anti tank), AP (armour penetrating), HE (high explosive), and a few more if I remember correctly. You can start with a couple of different rounds and swap during battle, but this takes time. Ammo is finite, upgrading your ammo rack will allow you to carry more and it's not unusual to run out of ammo during a hectic fight, making you nothing more than a spotter. If you get killed, you are done. That's it for your round and for that match. If you have more tanks in your hangar, you can simply leave the fight and join another one in a different tank. You don't lose any XP bonuses from the match you left. Upgrades, progression and unlocks: The unlock tree is fantastic in this game. It's actually quite realistic too, in that you can't just research a new tank, you have to go through another tank's tech tree before your engineers go "aha!" and tell you there's another tank to research. There are loads of upgrades for tanks, from engines, to reloaders, turrets, radios, and more. Each upgrade provides its own improvement, but weight is something you need to take in to consideration. Nothing worse than a slow tank that takes an eon to get up a hill because it's got fifteen Brownings on top. There are different nations, each with its own tech tree. China, Russia, England, USA and a couple of others. You earn XP which can be spent on research, but you can't jump trees - if you have loads unlocked on the English tech tree for example, and you want to go to Chinese kit, you start from scratch again. Your crew also learns and improves the more you use them. A gunner will aim faster, a reloader will reload faster, an engineer will put out fires and repair quicker, etc etc. You can send them to an academy which puts them out of commission whilst they train but they will come back better and faster than before. You can hire people from all over the place to form your own crews and you really learn to appreciate the guys you have. The amount of times I've thought "that wouldn't have missed if Sterling was aiming" is insane, it really adds a great dimension to the game. You can purchase additional hangar slots for more tanks so you never have to wait. Once a tank is in combat, it's in that fight until the end of the match, even if you leave with it at 100%, so it pays to have extra tanks so you're never waiting. This also forces you to try different tanks and classes which is great. It gave me a greater understanding of what the enemy tanks were doing and their capabilities which is a huge advantage in a fight. Knowing exactly how far an artillery can shoot means that you can stay out of its range. If it misses you, you know exactly how long you can stand still before it fires again, so you have to move. Intel really is the name of the game here and the more you know and learn, the more effective you'll be. Maps: The maps are brilliant, there are some with cities in them, there are some which are just open fields, there are some with water which catches small tanks out (the amount of times I've drowned a small tank is silly, thinking I could just go across), the variety is excellent and provides for a great experience. Game modes: The only game mode I know of is where you have to either eliminate the enemy team or cap their base, but I believe that there are more now. Noob friendliness: When I played this on PC, the game basically went "have tank, kill stuff" and that was it. The PS4 has a few tutorial missions to get you to grips with the basics, but it doesn't hold your hand which is great. The upgrades have also been split in to packs so instead of spending hours trying to figure out what the hell is going on, the game gives you a pack option which upgrades a few bits at once, although you can also buy stuff individually if you want. Closing thoughts: I'd love for you guys to try this. It's not a time sink, it's not a game with an end game or missions, it's a PVP only shoot out game and the best team wins. It's immense fun and there's no pressure. There are no campers, no head glitchers, no Mida multi tool twats, every tank has a weakness so exploiting that will give you the upper hand. Knowledge and experience is the name of the game here, and the game will never throw you in a game against vets, if you're a noob, you're playing against noobs. Give it a shot, it's free and fun! Vids:

That's pretty interesting Pat, I love learning stuff like that! Sounds like a pretty universal card then, can be used for loads of applications. Must get a lot of use then.

Nice one Dave. I'll pass on 3oc but heavy is certainly ly a good shout, will stack loads!

Love the mouse mat Pat What card is that? Looks a bit like an old graphics card! I just saw that my ad blocker was removing the button too, I disabled my adblock and it's there again. Odd. Do you use Paypal?

"Ah yes Mr Taxman, well, you see there's this videogame forum that I visit....." I like your thinking Pat

The hosting is £8.99 a month. The actual domain is £39.99 a year (We're being ripped off here I think, loads of other places are like £10 a year, need to look in to that) and the software is $175 a year, although I don't pay this, so we're at the mercy of rogue agents when shit goes wrong, these guys charge about $10 an hour (I use Fiverr). It's not much really, I can stomach it no issue at all, but some folks like to chip in so hey, I ain't complainin'!

One billion pounds! Nah, as I say every time I do these threads, only what people can afford to spare, every bit helps but I don't want anyone's money unless they can comfortably afford it. The way it works is that we have a forum Paypal account, where the payments towards the hosting and renewal fees go and any support stuff we need. The money that is required to keep the site up and running goes straight out of that but I've also got my bank card linked to it so if it runs dry the money is simply taken out of my account rather than being shut down. I don't mind paying for it at all, but some folks have suggested this way of doing things and it's worked fine so far. There's a link at the bottom of the main forum page, simply click it and follow the directions

Happy birthday dude, hope you have a cracking one!

It's that time of the year again folks. I'm going to start making these threads on a quarterly basis so I don't come across as a naggy twat but still keep the finances up to date. If anyone's got any spare change down the back of their sofa, feel free to chuck a penny or two in the pot! Cheerio!

Same here. This time last year we were basking in the sun but this year we're still wearing woollies and hats, it's ridiculous. Summer had best make up for lost time, this weather is terrible.

Again, retards ( I don't know why I've started using that word, I hate it. I feel dirty using it but there's no other word that conveys my feelings quite as well).