Id like to create book to help beginners about solarus editor

Started by 20degree, September 06, 2015, 06:35:39 PM

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Id like to create some book(s) for beginners to help solarus software users. Some kind of step by step pdf guide. I have build in time some pdf guides about a software, so i can say i have some little experience about it. Solarus quest engine even if at it starting stage i think it is some great software. But as a beginner my self i find it hard to understand. I wonder if the creator of this software and maybe others could help me about this personnal project.

Maybe the creator of this software could send me a pm, so i could give him the direct link to one of my free pdf guides. So like that he will have a better view of what kind of guide id like to create. The advantage of some pdf guide with step by step images and text, is that the user dont need to be online to read the pages; and try to understand the software that i believe have good things about it.

Thank's for your time. A+

Hi,
A solarus book is a great project! :)
I don't have a lot of time because I work on my own solarus tutorials, but I can answer your questions on the forum.

No problem to use the Solarus logo and screenshots of the quest editor, as long as you clearly mention that this is not an official book and that it is completely independent from the Solarus team.

You can even make a commercial book, but of course don't use Nintendo graphics.

Thank's for your acceptance. I cant wait for your other video tutorials. I think it is better more free guides, beside commercial guides; even so thank's. I have to understand version 1.4.4 it's a good thing it work on my old Windows XP there is a lot of peoples that still have windows XP and dont have money to buy newer computer with newer operating system.

If i'm correct there is more then 7 billions peoples on earth, so by these facts there is an incontestable number of peoples around the world that still have as i Windows XP and dont have money for a newer computer; or dont want to move to the next generation for various reasons. Keeping it compatible with Windows XP at minimum, will make reach far more peoples around the world.

Making the software incompatible with Windows XP at minimum, will make millions of peoples that have this operating system around the world; loose total interest in the solarus software. So please keep it at this minimum operating system. Thank's for your time.

Keeping Windows XP is dangerous. You should migrate on a Linux system if you don't want a newer version of Windows (because of hardware issue or because you don't like it). One day or another, the compatibility will go, it cannot be avoided : there is a dependance from projects like SDL or Qt which are not under our control directly, so if SDL is not supporting XP anymore, the engine will probably follows. I'm not even sure XP is supported on purpose, because no tests are made in my knowledge.

Quote from: Christopho on September 07, 2015, 10:08:19 AM
Hi,
A solarus book is a great project! :)
I don't have a lot of time because I work on my own solarus tutorials, but I can answer your questions on the forum.

No problem to use the Solarus logo and screenshots of the quest editor, as long as you clearly mention that this is not an official book and that it is completely independent from the Solarus team.

You can even make a commercial book, but of course don't use Nintendo graphics.

Christopho! Your tutorials are excellent. I can understand your programming in the french tutorials, I have no idea what you are saying.  :D

Quote from: 20degree on September 06, 2015, 06:35:39 PM
Id like to create some book(s) for beginners to help solarus software users. Some kind of step by step pdf guide. I have build in time some pdf guides about a software, so i can say i have some little experience about it. Solarus quest engine even if at it starting stage i think it is some great software. But as a beginner my self i find it hard to understand. I wonder if the creator of this software and maybe others could help me about this personal project.

Maybe the creator of this software could send me a pm, so i could give him the direct link to one of my free pdf guides. So like that he will have a better view of what kind of guide id like to create. The advantage of some pdf guide with step by step images and text, is that the user dont need to be online to read the pages; and try to understand the software that i believe have good things about it.

Thank's for your time. A+
I can't wait for the PDF! I could help you outline the chapters?

Also, XP is pretty much still a modern operating system. It won't die and over 25% of the world population still uses it. You can even add programs and skins that make Windows XP as good as Windows 7. Security wise....no Windows Operating system is really safe from the internet. Sadly, church sites have more viruses. I recommend Ubuntu Precise or Elementary Luna if you ever switch to Linux or Dual Boot. (Make sure to test it with a LIVE CD First because it is easier to install it that way too. Make a partition, change boot settings for the disk first or USB, and install it along side windows XP if you want.)

I hope Wine will start on Windows sooner because Windows 8 & 10 are terrible with compatibility of old windows programs. I even heard Chrome didn't work on 10! XP still beating new versions is sad. Luckily, Windows 7 still works great.

Solarus Works on ReactOS Opensource Windows OS

https://www.reactos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14759&p=120616#p120616

A Solarus book is a great idea ! I would be happy to help  :D
We have to make it open-source. The last time I did a PDF for Solarus, it was the walkthrough for Mystery Of Solarus, with Renkineko who wrote all the texts and did all the screenshots. It was made with Adobe InDesign. If the final result can look professional, the problem is that the .ai file fomat is not free. Do you plan to use Scribus ? Or Latex ?

If you plan to use Latex and need some help, maybe I could help you, I have some experience with it.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you. But if you really make them think, they'll hate you."

If you choose LaTex (or something else that uses files that can be read in clear), it will be a good idea to create a git repository.
So the book could be maintained more easily (branch for manage versions, issues, team work, etc ...).
SQE developer

Can we use Christopho's scripts to help with the books creation?

Also, can't LibreOffice be used? It can export to a PDF and it has PDF creation tools.
Solarus Works on ReactOS Opensource Windows OS

https://www.reactos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14759&p=120616#p120616

Quote from: zutokaza on September 08, 2015, 11:06:42 PM
Also, can't LibreOffice be used? It can export to a PDF and it has PDF creation tools.
Is it possible to version one single .odt file ? With several Latex files, it would be easier for people to collaborate. But is it really useful for the moment? Online tutorials might be the priority ?

Quote from: Neovyse on September 09, 2015, 12:24:00 AM
Quote from: zutokaza on September 08, 2015, 11:06:42 PM
Also, can't LibreOffice be used? It can export to a PDF and it has PDF creation tools.
Is it possible to version one single .odt file ? With several Latex files, it would be easier for people to collaborate. But is it really useful for the moment? Online tutorials might be the priority ?

http://extensions.libreoffice.org/extension-center/writer2latex-1

I have never used LaTeX, but that looks like an extension for LibreOffice for it. Many people work better with books and others with videos.
Solarus Works on ReactOS Opensource Windows OS

https://www.reactos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14759&p=120616#p120616

It's just because some peoples have told to my self that i see things and explain things clear. Also i am a beginner with Solarus and would want to know a lot of things about it. I can say that my brain feel like some green size pea beside all the incredible peoples here with there fantastic knowledges loll

I have writen some free pdf guides about a software called Futurepinball. Have made the pdf with the software OpenOffice. Made with the autorizations of the administrators of the website Futurepinball.com, Pinsimdb.org, Gopinball.com, the president Ton Roosendaal from Blender.org, the president Mete Ciragan from Milkshape3d.com and others. I would have not made some free pdf guides without there writen autorizations. Because i do have respect for authors, do have respect for copyrights, because i dont want any problems; briefly because i want to respect and find it important to do so.

Here is the direct link to one of my free pdf guide about the software Futurepinball:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B60m6W-FuLPHZXAyZGxRRmRXNm8/view?usp=sharing
You can read it online, you can download it if you want, there is no formula to fill for having; and there is no need to click on things or to register to something to have. It's really free!

What i have think is simply put the Solarus Logo in big size in the middle of the page as some background image. Have simply things to click that go on a page as: "How to make an image intro animated after the solarus animeted intro". "How to replace the Solarus Intro". How to import some tileset". "How to import sounds and musics". "How to import some caracters" and more and more and more. For peoples looking my free autorized pdf guide, you can visualise what kind of pdf guide id like to make. But i wont be able without the great brains knowledges around here. You can say some how that i'm lost.

Also i must experiment it also, so i can "as a beginner" put my self into some beginners shoes. Also that a beginner clicking on a simple link going on some page with the explications and thing the beginners can do to understand "exercises". What is also important is that the images put into the pages, must not be copyrighted and respect the authors. I dont think Nintendo would give me a writen autorization to put some "snes zelda link to the past" or other images as tileset, caracters, etc; that i could find with the keyword free on the web. I even have respect for Nintendo and others. I'm not a master to create some pdf books, but i do believe that Solarus have some potential.

The advantage to create some free pdf guide, with step by step images with detail explications. Is that a Solarus user can read the pages offline, it could also help for beginners to do some experiments; even could help to make remember knowledges forgotten. Well i hope that the link of one of my free pdf guides, can help peoples visualise the kind of book id like to create. But as i say it must respect the authors, respect copyrights; to not have any problems of any kind. But again i cant do it without peoples help.

A+

Here is some look ive created, it's only have 1 pdf page, and you see in the background Solarus. If you want you can take a look with the folowing link. Its not much, i'm not a pro. It only have one page, but can give the idea of the design i think.

http://www.filedropper.com/solarusnotofficialsfavronlookebook

A+

Scribus and Latex dont know about these?? Me i use OpenOffice 4.1 and use some other softwares. I have seen some youtube video tutorials to make some basic book template with OpenOffice. For the *.ai file i suggest the free software https://inkscape.org it is a software that can do image that can be vectoriel, some say could be similar to Adobe Illustrator. A free software about creating photos or images is: http://www.gimp.org wich some peoples say is like Adobe Photoshop. There is also this free image soft: https://krita.org. Well i hope that these links help. I know other free and legal softwares, but not sure giving the links here would be appropriate to the subject here.

A+

We could always use Google Drive, but daily back ups would need to me made. That way everyone can edit and add to it easily.

I try to set up a table of contents in 24 hours. :D
Solarus Works on ReactOS Opensource Windows OS

https://www.reactos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14759&p=120616#p120616