Tilengine step-by-step?

[Richard Kain]

Programming paradigm is not the problem. C is a procedural and modular language. It provides mechanisms to create independent and reusable components, with good separation of external interface and internal implementation. You can create unstructured spaghetti code in pure OOP languages, too. OOP is well suited to model a wide range of problems, but it's not the right tool for everything, either.

Yes, you are correct. It is important not to think of different approaches to programming as being some kind of magic bullet. One of the lessons experienced programmers learn is that there is never one right way to approach a problem. Every approach has different pros and cons, and which one you choose depends on personal experience, preference, and the circumstances and context of the problem itself. Different paradigms are just tools to be leveraged in addressing those problems. The more tools you have, the more options are available to you. All of this comes with experience and practice.

C's procedural nature and modular abilities make it extremely fundamental as far as programming is concerned. Procedural code is the basis of all modern programming, and it MUST be learned. No matter what other methodologies you employ, your program will have SOME procedural code in it at some point. Getting decent at procedural code is programming 101, and everyone ought to strive to understand it. And as you point out, the fundamental nature of libraries like Tilengine is part of what makes them so flexible and modular. They can be compiled and run on just about anything, without worrying about external dependencies. They can be referenced and re-used in other projects, without forcing the developer to adhere to one particular approach to coding.

Sadly, a lot of modern tutorials don't go into how to reference other libraries, or how to wrap your head around different approaches. Some decent tutorials on how Tilengine works would be a good thing to labor at. But it would also be helpful to have a few tutorials that detail some of the fundamentals of game engines using modern programming structure, and how Tilengine could effectively be tied into those.