So I'm fairly new to the calc world and I wanted to make games for me and my friends. I have no clue where to start. Should I learn ASM or TI-Basic. Where can I learn the languages? Please help me!
It depends on what you're comfortable learning. TI-Basic is more accessible for beginners even though it is less powerful, limited, and often ignored by those that know "ASM".
Those that don't use TI-Basic use other programming languages that compile into assembly, such as C or ICE.
ICE is inspired by TI-Basic so you will see some similarities between the two, even though they are not exactly alike. ICE compiles into assembly, which is more powerful and efficient than TI-Basic. Unfortunately, errors made when running compiled code can cause your program to crash and your calculator's RAM to reset.
C is a portable programming language that has a large number of possible applications, calculators like the TI-84 Plus CE being one of them. It is more powerful than ICE and TI-Basic, but it is harder to learn, and uncaught errors in the program can also cause your calculator to crash and reset your RAM, or worse.

It's all up to you, but I personally think you should try TI-Basic first.
This is just a recommendation. First of all, I would definitely start off with TI-Basic. When learning to code a calculator for games, I would recommend what I started out doing. That is just learning what the individual commands do by making simple programs that can still have a function. For example, if you wanted to learn about the if, then, else, and end commands, just make a simple program that tells you whether a number is even or odd (I know it's basic, but it's to start out). Then you can slowly expand your knowledge to include more commands. At the point I am currently at, I am making games, yet there are still new commands I am learning. If you want to know specifics on how a command works, I recommend just googling it (that's how I did it). Other than that, all you can really do is experiment, and when doing so, make sure you test every few lines of code, just so you can pinpoint errors. If you still need help, I recommend just searching on youtube: how to make a simple TI-Basic program. Hope this helps.
I don't feel the need to write a whole paragraph.

Start with TI-Basic.
Thanks a lot guys! I really appreciate your help.
Michael2_3B wrote:
I don't feel the need to write a whole paragraph.

Start with TI-Basic.

I actually found it easier to start with ICE, because it is kind of the first step towards C, while still being fairly easy to learn.
If you want to know how to start programming in general, then I recommend going to https://scratch.mit.edu. Their programming language is so user-friendly, that you could figure everything out on your own.

Also, scratch is what I started on. It also made ti-basic, ICE, and C much easier for me, because it was easier for me to visualize the code.
I agree scratch is pretty good for beginners, but I do not recommend relying on it too much to learn the fundamentals of programming.

Another programming language that is relatively easy to learn and is also more similar to other popular languages is Python. It is a simpler language that is still quite powerful, and will better prepare you to learn more complex languages in the future.
Jeffitus wrote:
I agree scratch is pretty good for beginners, but I do not recommend relying on it too much to learn the fundamentals of programming.

Another programming language that is relatively easy to learn and is also more similar to other popular languages is Python. It is a simpler language that is still quite powerful, and will better prepare you to learn more complex languages in the future.


Thanks for the tips! I have already learnt scratch.

calclover2514 wrote:
I actually found it easier to start with ICE, because it is kind of the first step towards C, while still being fairly easy to learn.


Is ICE similar to TI-Basic?
ICE has a protocol where it uses TI-Basic commands (and their arguments) provided in its documentation and compiles them to specific charas (like 0-9, A-F) used in assembly programs after the Asm(84CE)Prgm instruction, in a way you would relate if you were programming that program in Ti-Basic.

You can't exactly convert a Ti-Basic program via ICE'S protocol, though. And many of the ASM-exclusive routines are used via the det( & sum( commands with their modified syntax.

But ICE only supports 3-byte natural numbers (0-16,777,215), but is almost as fast as C/Assembly.
ShinyGardevoir wrote:
ICE has a protocol where it uses TI-Basic commands (and their arguments) provided in its documentation and compiles them to specific charas (like 0-9, A-F) used in assembly programs after the Asm(84CE)Prgm instruction, in a way you would relate if you were programming that program in Ti-Basic.

You can't exactly convert a Ti-Basic program via ICE'S protocol, though. And many of the ASM-exclusive routines are used via the det( & sum( commands with their modified syntax.

But ICE only supports 3-byte natural numbers (0-16,777,215), but is almost as fast as C/Assembly.


Thanks! I'm just gonna stick to Basic because I could barely understand what you were saying XD.

P.S. I just posted the code for my new game, and it would mean a lot to me if you could test it.

Cheers,
doofusthecow
Want me to explain it differently? The ICE download is an App variable and a program written in C. After running prgmICE on your TI-84+ CE, you can use the default program editor to make an ICE program like you would a TI-Basic one.
However, there's only a handful amount of TI-Basic syntax that can be compiled to ASM with ICE's protocol. Other things you can do with ICE lie under sum( and det(, and their modified syntaxes.
After writing the program, you run prgmICE to compile it to what the CE detects as an ASM program.
  
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