The host introduces the Handmade Hero project and his initial expectations.

• The host starts the first episode of Handmade Hero, expecting a small audience.
• Expresses excitement about the project and the overwhelming response received.
• Mentions the goal is to create a game from scratch as a learning resource.

Explaining the structure and approach of the live coding series.

• Clarifies that not everything can be explained in detail due to project scope.
• Encourages viewers to keep track of previously explained concepts and ask questions.
• Stresses the availability of resources like archived videos, source code, and community forums.

The host shares his personal philosophy on coding and game development.

• Emphasizes that the methods used in the series are not the only way to code games.
• Encourages viewers to develop their own styles and experiment with various techniques.

Demonstrating how to set up the initial build environment using the command line.

• Details the creation of a project directory structure using command-line operations.
• Introduces the use of 'subst' to create a virtual drive for development.
• Explains how the command line is used for directory navigation and file management.

Guidance on using Visual Studio for the build process.

• Explains the choice of Visual Studio 2013 Community Edition and its free availability.
• Describes how Visual Studio is used primarily for running and debugging, not editing or building.

Configuring the command line to use the Microsoft compiler (cl).

• Shows how to run 'vcvarsall.bat' to set up the environment for the Microsoft compiler.
• Creates a startup script to automatically configure the shell for compiling on launch.

Creating a simple build script to compile the game.

• Introduces a custom batch file for building the game and explains its commands.
• Outlines the simplicity of the build process and the intention to maintain it throughout the project.

Configuring the project to prepare for actual development.

• Discusses the importance of the current working directory and how to set it in Visual Studio.
• Creates a data directory to organize game assets and ensure the code runs in the correct context.

Compiles the initial project code and runs it using Visual Studio.

• Fixes a relative path issue in the build script to correctly locate the source files.
• Compiles the code and demonstrates running the resulting executable with a basic MessageBox.