https://hands-on-rust.com/ Recent content on Hands-On Rust Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Wed, 27 Apr 2022 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2022/04/27/ Wed, 27 Apr 2022 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2022/04/27/ Rust is a fast-moving ecosystem; new and exciting options become available all the time. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of what’s new in Rust game development since the last article. Read the article here. https://hands-on-rust.com/2022/04/25/ Mon, 25 Apr 2022 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2022/04/25/ I received my author copies of Rust Brain Teasers from PragProg. Mel recorded the unboxing for me. Rust Brain Teasers is in-print in 1st edition e-book and paperback. https://hands-on-rust.com/2022/04/23/where-to-buy-rust-brain-teasers/ Sat, 23 Apr 2022 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2022/04/23/where-to-buy-rust-brain-teasers/ Rust Brain Teasers is now in print, available in paperback and as an e-book (PDF, ebug and Kindle formats). The Rust programming language is consistent and does its best to avoid surprising the programmer. Like all languages, though, Rust still has its quirks. But these quirks present a teaching opportunity. In this book, you’ll work through a series of brain teasers that will challenge your understanding of Rust. By understanding the gaps in your knowledge, you can become better at what you do and avoid mistakes. https://hands-on-rust.com/2022/03/26/working-with-rust-on-a-remote-linux-server-with-rust-analyzer/ Sat, 26 Mar 2022 05:46:25 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2022/03/26/working-with-rust-on-a-remote-linux-server-with-rust-analyzer/ I’ve been home on paternity leave for a while, and my daughter has been going through an “oh no! Daddy moved more than six feet away, sound the alarm!” phase. Despite being on leave, I’ve been assisting with some issues at work remotely. I setup a home office, but that doesn’t work very well when the baby won’t let me leave the couch. So I setup a MacBook Air (bought used, very inexpensively) for couch work. https://hands-on-rust.com/2022/03/09/rust-brain-teasers-now-in-print/ Wed, 09 Mar 2022 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2022/03/09/rust-brain-teasers-now-in-print/ Rust Brain Teasers is now in print! The Rust programming language is consistent and does its best to avoid surprising the programmer. Like all languages, though, Rust still has its quirks. But these quirks present a teaching opportunity. In this book, you’ll work through a series of brain teasers that will challenge your understanding of Rust. By understanding the gaps in your knowledge, you can become better at what you do and avoid mistakes. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/11/27/rustacean-station-podcast-interview/ Sat, 27 Nov 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/11/27/rustacean-station-podcast-interview/ Listen to the interview here. We covered a wide range of topics: Thanks for having me on the podcast! https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/11/19/40-off-hands-on-rust-and-rust-brain-teasers/ Fri, 19 Nov 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/11/19/40-off-hands-on-rust-and-rust-brain-teasers/ It’s time for the annual Black Friday sale at PragProg. 40% off the ebook versions of Hands-on Rust and Rust Brain Teasers with the coupon code turkeysale2021. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/11/06/run-your-rust-games-in-a-browser-hands-on-rust-bonus-content/ Sat, 06 Nov 2021 08:46:25 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/11/06/run-your-rust-games-in-a-browser-hands-on-rust-bonus-content/ One of the great things about using Rust and bracket-lib is that you can compile your games for the web. Rust natively supports compiling to WebAssembly (aka. WASM). With a little bit of automated work to map web assembly bindings to native JavaScript, you can run your games in your browser. Here’s Flappy Dragon in your browser WASM does come with some limitations: Threading works differently in a web browser, and was largely disabled in response to the Spectre line of vulnerabilities. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/09/20/talk-rust-game-development/ Mon, 20 Sep 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/09/20/talk-rust-game-development/ Thank you to the Glasgow University GameLab for having me! In this talk, I discuss: What is Rust? How can Rust help you as a game developer? Rust in Roguelikes Rust in Major Engines https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/08/18/book-signing-at-barnes-noble-columbia-mo-mall/ Wed, 18 Aug 2021 08:46:25 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/08/18/book-signing-at-barnes-noble-columbia-mo-mall/ Barnes and Noble in the Columbia Mall agreed to a pandemic-friendly book signing for Hands-on Rust. The book is featured in the “local author” section. It was surprisingly emotional to see my title in a real, bricks and mortar book store. I grew up loving book shops, and this was a dream come true. Due to the COVID pandemic, Barnes & Noble aren’t running any traditional in-person events. Instead, they sat me down behind some plexiglass and I signed all of the store copies. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/07/26/hands-on-rust-from-flappy-dragon-to-flappy-bonus/ Mon, 26 Jul 2021 08:46:25 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/07/26/hands-on-rust-from-flappy-dragon-to-flappy-bonus/ In association with PragProg, I’ve published an article on Medium explaining the steps required to extend Flappy Dragon into the Flappy Bonus game found in the book’s source code. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/07/23/interview-with-the-pragmatic-heros-journey/ Fri, 23 Jul 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/07/23/interview-with-the-pragmatic-heros-journey/ I was interviewed by The Pragmatic Hero’s Journey podcast. I talked a bit about Rust, writing in general, how I came to game development and - of course - Hands-on Rust & the Pragmatic experience. It’s a fun, wide-ranging interview. Listen to the interview here. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/07/12/ Mon, 12 Jul 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/07/12/ I received my author copies from PragProg. Receiving my physical copies was an emotional and awesome experience. Mel recorded the unboxing for me. Hands-on Rust is in-print in 1st edition e-book and full-color paperback. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/07/08/ Thu, 08 Jul 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/07/08/ Hands-on Rust is now in print, available in full-color paperback and as an e-book (PDF, epub and Kindle formats). If you know what a variable and a loop are, Hands-on Rust contains everything you need to make learning Rust into a fun experience. You’ll start by installing Rust, and doing working through some basic exercises to learn how Rust structures programs. That gives you everything you need to make your first game, Flappy Dragon. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/07/01/ Thu, 01 Jul 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/07/01/ For your convenience—or if you are just interested in the book’s content—the source code that accompanies Hands-on Rust is now available on Github here: https://github.com/thebracket/HandsOnRust https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/06/22/roguelikedev-does-the-complete-roguelike-tutorial/ Tue, 22 Jun 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/06/22/roguelikedev-does-the-complete-roguelike-tutorial/ Reddit’s r/roguelikedev is running RoguelikeDev does the Complete Roguelike Tutorial again this year. They provide a tutorial in Python, and several in other languages—including a Rust tutorial written by yours truly. It’s an excellent event to join with friendly people and make a game. You can take your time, and count on an awesome community to help. The event is also a great opportunity to learn/try a new programming language. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/05/28/pre-ordering-hands-on-rust/ Fri, 28 May 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/05/28/pre-ordering-hands-on-rust/ The final manuscript has been submitted, and Hands-on Rust is working its way through the final stages of production (final error checks, layout, etc.). We’re on track for a release in early July, so I wanted to share a few ways to pre-order the book and answer a few questions that have come up. Purchasing the E-Book If you want the e-book version, the best option is to buy the beta directly from PragProg (the publisher). https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/04/27/50-off-sale-through-may-6-2021/ Tue, 27 Apr 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/04/27/50-off-sale-through-may-6-2021/ Hands-on Rust is 50% off on PragProg.com right now with the coupon “FirstImpressions2021”. You can use the coupon here. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/04/22/rust-linz-meetup-4/22/2021-1730-gmt-2/ Thu, 22 Apr 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/04/22/rust-linz-meetup-4/22/2021-1730-gmt-2/ I’ll be speaking at the Rust Linz Meetup today. You can catch the broadcast on YouTube. Source code for today’s talk is here. I’ll be talking about my history in game development, building Flappy Ascii, and the state of game development in Rust. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/02/10/bracket-lib-version-0.8.2-updates/ Wed, 10 Feb 2021 10:34:25 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/02/10/bracket-lib-version-0.8.2-updates/ I’ve updated bracket-color, bracket-geometry, bracket-random, bracket-noise, bracket-algorithm-traits and bracket-pathfinding on crates.io. The terminal and master library will update as soon as I’ve got confirmation that problems with display scaling on Macs are resolved. These releases don’t change any existing APIs. Highlights include: bracket-color has gained a few more internal tests, and bugfixes. bracket-geometry uses the latest version of Ultraviolet, which in turn uses wide for fast SIMD calculations. bracket-random now exposes a get_rng function to allow you to use the underlying random system. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/02/08/from-flappy-dragon-to-flappy-bonus/ Mon, 08 Feb 2021 12:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/02/08/from-flappy-dragon-to-flappy-bonus/ In the Build Your First Game With Rust chapter of Hands-On Rust I finish by suggesting some improvements to the game - and provide the source code for an improved version in the flappy-bonus directory of the book’s source code. As you have have guessed, I originally planned to include some of these enhancements in the book itself, but page count concerns led to it being cut. In this article, I’ll walk you through the changes involved in creating the bonus content. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/02/08/hands-on-rust-is-now-on-goodreads/ Mon, 08 Feb 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/02/08/hands-on-rust-is-now-on-goodreads/ I was thrilled to find Hands-On Rust on Goodreads.com. It even has its first rating. You can find the Goodreads.com entry here. I like GoodReads. It helps me find fun things to read, share my views, and connect with authors. I’ve setup an author profile, I look forward to seeing you there. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/01/26/beta-5-of-hands-on-rust-is-now-available/ Tue, 26 Jan 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/01/26/beta-5-of-hands-on-rust-is-now-available/ Full list of changes: The fifth beta of Hands-On Rust is now available. It includes the new chapters Combat Systems & Loot, Finishing Touches and a Rust Cheat Sheet. This chapter delves into data-driven design; define your game objects in external data files and map them into the game’s Entity Component System. This lets you quickly enhance the game without needing to recompile. Data-Driven design is central to fast design workflow, especially if you are collaborating with a team. https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/01/07/beta-4-of-hands-on-rust-is-now-available/ Thu, 07 Jan 2021 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2021/01/07/beta-4-of-hands-on-rust-is-now-available/ Beta 4 includes the new chapters Inventory and Power-Ups, and Deeper Dungeons. Add items with effects to the game, such as magic dungeon maps and healing potions. Extend the game to cover more than one level. Adding items helps you make the game more interesting—and poses tactical questions to the player. Is it worth risking running through a room to find a potion? Should you use your map now, or save it for later? https://hands-on-rust.com/2020/12/08/beta-3-of-hands-on-rust-is-now-available/ Tue, 08 Dec 2020 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2020/12/08/beta-3-of-hands-on-rust-is-now-available/ Beta 3 includes the following new chapters: Fields of View, More Interesting Dungeons, Map Themes. Learn to consume and create traits, and procedurally generate dungeons for your adventurer to explore. It also includes a lot of errata. Field-of-view makes the player - and the monsters - less omniscient. The player is no longer aware of exactly what threats lurk around the next corner. Applying the same system to monsters both demonstrates the power of an Entity Component System design and makes the game more realistic. https://hands-on-rust.com/2020/11/24/beta-2-of-hands-on-rust-is-now-available/ Tue, 24 Nov 2020 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2020/11/24/beta-2-of-hands-on-rust-is-now-available/ Beta 2 adds chapters entitled Health and Melee Combat, and Victory and Defeat, as well as some errata. Learn to track hit points, for both the player and monsters. Add a heads-up display. Find the lost amulet, or die trying. The new chapters are focused on state management, and structuring your game to support different modes. New chapters added: Health and Melee Combat Victory and Defeat This release also includes the following changes: Clarified the placement of the stdin call. https://hands-on-rust.com/2020/11/15/highlight-1st-review-of-hands-on-rust-flappy-dragon/ Sun, 15 Nov 2020 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2020/11/15/highlight-1st-review-of-hands-on-rust-flappy-dragon/ “Alchemist Camp have posted a first review of Hands-On Rust on YouTube: https://hands-on-rust.com/2020/11/11/beta-1-of-hands-on-rust-effective-learning-through-2d-game-development-and-play-is-now-available/ Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:46:50 -0600 https://hands-on-rust.com/2020/11/11/beta-1-of-hands-on-rust-effective-learning-through-2d-game-development-and-play-is-now-available/ For the last year, I’ve been working hard on Hands-on Rust: Effective Learning through 2D Game Development and Play. The first beta release is now live. Pragmatic Bookshelf releases books like software. Buying the beta gets you an e-book with the first few chapters, and lets you submit errata. You get every subsequent beta - and the finished ebook. The first beta walks you through installing Rust and associated tools on your computer.