Overview of coding...

First off, hopefully anything I've done is without a name and
doesn't need credit but if anyone uses something from the
coding site please put a reference to the site in the readme
(and where to find the site - except the original GohanSSM2 
site). 

Coding in the .cns consists of 2 parts. The first part is the
statedef and the second part is organizing all the states to
make the statedef do something (or not do something). 

The statedef is explained in the docs folder in the cns.txt (or
cns.doc too) file(s). There are only a few things set in the
statedef but they are important and the best explanation for
this is in Elecbyte's docs.

States are made up of 3 parts:
The first part is the type (or state controller). These are all
listed in the sctrls files in MUGEN's docs folder.

The second part is/are the triggers. These say when to activate
the state and are also listed in the trigger files in MUGEN's
docs folder.

The last part is the values and these are explained in the
sctrls files under the type's name.


Coding is really having a group of states that work to make
things happen in a certain order and in a certain way. If you
want a character to go up at the rate of 5 units/game tick
at 6 game ticks into the move and want this to last for
20 game ticks (when the clock reaches 25 - why 25 because 
MUGEN starts with zero and goes up from there so 6 game ticks
is really time = 5). Here's how it would be coded:

[State 444, 1]
type = velset
trigger1 = time >= 5
trigger1 = time <= 25
y = -5

As you can see it's a lot harder to write what you're thinking
than it is to code it. This is also where MUGEN's docs folder
and the 2 files sctrls and triggers come in handy. Using the
sctrls and triggers files gives you great information as to
what is available and also what things mean. Also notice the
trigger1 and trigger1 lines. Why are they both trigger1?
MUGEN executes triggers with like numbers together in what
is known as an "and condition". MUGEN will only execute
the velset of y = -5 (up 5 units) if BOTH time >=5 and
time <=25 and will not execute if BOTH are not true. There is
a special symbol for joining them together on one line and
that can be found in the exp files (exp.txt or exp.doc). I
code with the trigger1 and trigger2 and triggeralls on the
lines to make it easier for newer people to associate 1 with
1 and 2 with 2 so that you can follow the logic easier and
see more clearly which triggers are working together without
odd looking symbols taking your attention away from what is
more important.

But now while we got this upward movement why not add some
sound to it:

[State 444, 2]
type = PlaySnd
trigger1 = time = 5
value = 3,7

Sound 3,7 is my light swoosh sound (sounds like an arm swing
or a leg kick moving just air and not striking anything).
When time = 5 the sound will play.

Now without getting too far out and making a huge doc on
this I'm hoping that you see that coding is really just
linking many parts together to make different things happen
to yours (and even the opponents) character. The process of
coding is just thinking of literally what you want your
character to do when you want them to do it. There are
also certain things in the game engine itself that makes
things happen automatically (like getting hit). But the
problem is that if you think about too much all at once
you can get bogged down and forget what you are really
trying to do. This is why it is good to do things one
step at a time and to take your time and learn what each
step does. The codes serve different purposes but you'll
see that they usually follow certain ideas time and
again. You also need to walk before you can run so the
basics are important to learn. It is always better to
have a character who just punches or kicks than one with
multi moves all over the place when you are learning.
Why not go for the gusto at first? Because if you do too
much at first you will most likely not absorb much (unless
you take a long time to do it in). If you learn a little
each time you will be able to remember more later on and
it will build and build and build... Learn at your own
pace and the most important part is to learn.

Coding is really just solving logic problems using a
language that is very strict. In english you can say to
someone "Go get that over there." and someone may be
able to figure out what you are asking for. If you say
in MUGEN language "Go get that over there." MUGEN will
puke up at you and give you an error or if you're lucky
may get something but not anything like what you were
expecting. Computer coding needs exact references to
work properly or even at all sometimes. Computer codes 
can't read minds and are actually only able to do what 
they are told in a literal way. The computer can't 
figure out what you're trying to say and needs to know 
EXACTLY what you want it to do in a way the computer 
can understand. In most computer coding circles this
is known as GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out).

And also remember something else, a lot of coding has 
been figured out not by getting the right answer but by 
plugging in the wrong answer and saying "wow, that was 
possible, geez, who would've guessed that?". So don't 
worry about making mistakes because mistakes help you 
learn and can also lead to breakthroughs but can still 
be frustrating to no end also. If it gets too much just 
walk away and take a break poking needles in that 
voodoo doll of your bratty little brother or sister and 
then come back later. If you get too frustrated you 
probably won't be able to think straight which will 
lead to more frustrastion, etc. it's a never ending 
cycle if you don't take a break.

ABOVE ALL THOUGH, IF YOU FEEL LOST THEN LOOK IN
MUGEN'S DOCS FOLDER FOR AN ANSWER. (or take a break).
Eventually, things will start coming together but it
takes a bit of time. I've been coding in BASIC since
1981 so the idea of coding is much easier for me to
grasp since I've done it so much over time. NO ONE
EVER GETS IT TOTALLY ON THE FIRST TRY so don't expect
a miracle but don't cut yourself short either. Every
step counts and all journeys are important in some
way. And although journeys begin with that first step
they usually never end until a final step but a true
journey encompasses all steps (first to last). Those
who skip steps never have a full journey. And really
the fun part of MUGEN is doing things yourself and
accomplishing things you thought impossible (regardless
of how big or small others think they are).

-GohanSSM2