The whole streak aspect of Duolingo is great - the gamification in general is really involving. When I used it there would also be these team challenges where you and a friend profile together would have to gain a certain amount of points in a certain amount of time in order to get a prize. Once my teammate had done their part I was usually very motivated to do my own :)
Besides that, I hear that there are better alternatives out there for learning a language - but if none of those alternatives are as fun or addicting as Duolingo then that's certainly worth taking into account.
Having a sparring partner on Duolingo sounds very fun!
I've also tried a few other alternatives. I think ChatterBug is the only other decent alternative I've found. But they didn't manage to hook me as much. Might be because their mobile app isn't as good. Otherwise it's quite solid.
I haven't done much effort to learn french in the last 2 years, feels like I've been standing still. At least with Duolingo I'm making a little progress every day. :- )
> I’m sure this will be a treasure trove once I get serious about making my next game(s).
I remember the dichotemy of two kinds of problems: Problems you solve that make your program interesting, and problems you solve that are inconsequential to whether or not a program is good.
I had tried that resource you linked on game patterns. And I am now better at programming. Here's my secret: I ignored everything I read there because it didn't help with real problems. It's easy to get excited about patterns. It's hard to want to sit down and write the complicated parts of a program that would need to exist with or without patterns. Patterns are usually useless complications unless there is a very very very very concrete reason for adding it. I counter that resource with another, huzzah! https://youtu.be/KcP1fXQv0iU
I hear duolingo's teaching is mediocre from people who recreationally learn languages, but it must win out in the long run for most people because of the long-term incentive its users get for free!
I definitely hear you about getting too obsessed about patterns. It did help me greatly before though so I think it's worth exploring a bit more. I tend to not learn anything in detail until I know I need it, cause I know I can just look it up once it actually becomes useful.
I'll watch that video someday soon! Thank you! (I've seen a few of his videos before, so I might already have seen this)
I've picked up quite a few things for Duolingo these last two months. Maybe the best thing about it is that it reminds me that I want to actively learn French. I'm seeking out more French entertainment now.
Love that Space Deer drawing - good composition.
The whole streak aspect of Duolingo is great - the gamification in general is really involving. When I used it there would also be these team challenges where you and a friend profile together would have to gain a certain amount of points in a certain amount of time in order to get a prize. Once my teammate had done their part I was usually very motivated to do my own :)
Besides that, I hear that there are better alternatives out there for learning a language - but if none of those alternatives are as fun or addicting as Duolingo then that's certainly worth taking into account.
Thanks!
Having a sparring partner on Duolingo sounds very fun!
I've also tried a few other alternatives. I think ChatterBug is the only other decent alternative I've found. But they didn't manage to hook me as much. Might be because their mobile app isn't as good. Otherwise it's quite solid.
I haven't done much effort to learn french in the last 2 years, feels like I've been standing still. At least with Duolingo I'm making a little progress every day. :- )
Right, the little daily lessons kind of “keep the plate spinning” in regard to language learning. It also served me well for a long time :)
> I’m sure this will be a treasure trove once I get serious about making my next game(s).
I remember the dichotemy of two kinds of problems: Problems you solve that make your program interesting, and problems you solve that are inconsequential to whether or not a program is good.
I had tried that resource you linked on game patterns. And I am now better at programming. Here's my secret: I ignored everything I read there because it didn't help with real problems. It's easy to get excited about patterns. It's hard to want to sit down and write the complicated parts of a program that would need to exist with or without patterns. Patterns are usually useless complications unless there is a very very very very concrete reason for adding it. I counter that resource with another, huzzah! https://youtu.be/KcP1fXQv0iU
I hear duolingo's teaching is mediocre from people who recreationally learn languages, but it must win out in the long run for most people because of the long-term incentive its users get for free!
Cool stuff :) Back in France!!
I definitely hear you about getting too obsessed about patterns. It did help me greatly before though so I think it's worth exploring a bit more. I tend to not learn anything in detail until I know I need it, cause I know I can just look it up once it actually becomes useful.
I'll watch that video someday soon! Thank you! (I've seen a few of his videos before, so I might already have seen this)
I've picked up quite a few things for Duolingo these last two months. Maybe the best thing about it is that it reminds me that I want to actively learn French. I'm seeking out more French entertainment now.
Yes, feels good to be back!
:) very cool