05-21-2016, 08:53 AM
(05-20-2016, 08:16 PM)DarkGrievous7145 Wrote: More advanced coders tend to rely more on their own code or by trying it out on their own, sometimes with little to no reference materials. They can function almost independently. Not saying experts don't consult from some form of guidance, but they don't basically have to cling to it.
As someone who has been programming for more than 5 years (idr exactly when I started) and is now in their second year of studying Software Engineering, I can say that this really isn't true. Sure, experienced programmers can write their own code quicker and easier than others, and they do this a lot, but a VERY large portion of coding is looking up references, using existing libraries, copying others' code, and so on. So many programs do this, I guarantee that pretty much every indie game uses a third-party engine and didn't code up the rendering method itself. And not even all AAA games do it. To be honest, just using any higher level language than C is already relying on existing code that others have made (virtual machines, garbage collection, event listening, even memory management). This obviously depends on what they're developing, if you're making your own 3D graphics engine for a really unique MMO then yeah most of it might be brand new code, but even then you will almost constantly be consulting various sources for information, or at the very least the language reference. Nobody keeps 100% of a language in their head. Even the creators and most experienced Java users get confused by it because you can't just remember how every single thing works (also it's a bit of a weirdo language but that's a different issue).
The only kind of coding I can think of which is done in the way you described is like, small single file programs that automate some simple task, most likely written in Python or a QuickBMS script. Which is technically scripting, not programming
